Gaining Rider Confidence In Canter

 

Cantering can be very scary for some riders, especially a new rider who hasn’t had a lot of experience. Here are some top tips to help you get over that fear!

 

Here are some of the main reason people get scared of cantering;

 

  • The speed the horse goes.
  • You can lose control easier than riding slower
  • Everyone always thinks ‘what if’ thoughts
  • Someone could of had a bad experience in the past
  • They have never cantered before and they don’t know what could happen

 

You might not think it but, there are tons of way to boost your confidence. Take a look at our tips to get you cantering when you want.

 

Gaining Security

 

Security is a very big part of riding in any way, especially cantering to a new rider. Riders should always work on their balance and their security on the horse as much as they can do.

 

Feeling more secure on the horse will build up your confidence a lot so then you’ll feel more secure when cantering. You should get a balance and a secure position and be independent of the reins while practicing.  

 

Upping Your Pace.

 

You should try to get comfy with a powerful trot before you start to learn how to canter.

 

You should do this by; Practicing a slow trot on your horse and eventually up the face to medium and then to a fast trot when you feel comfortable.

 

 

Riding Transitions.

 

You should always work on your transitions from walking to trotting to coming to a halt. This can be really helpful as it will boost your confidence a lot to build up to a canter. You should also work on getting active and get engaged between transactions between halt, walk and trot and other ways so that the horse listens to you.

 

Get Someone More Experiences To Canter Your Horse.

 

You should get someone else, a more experience rider to canter your horse for you. You can then sit and watch, see how your horse reacts to things and when they react. You can really learn from watching someone else do it and you can ask the rider to walk you through everything too, so you can really take it in.

 

Take Some Lunge Lessons.

 

Lunging can be a very helpful thing for a rider struggling with cantering. Taking lesson will allow you to improve on your balance on your horse and help you feel much more secure on your horse.

 

Some of the best riders still take lunging lessons now just to keep them feeling confident. It’s a great way to learn.

 

Start Off Small.

 

If you are struggling, aim for 1, 2 or 3 strides of cantering to start off with. Don’t push yourself too hard to make it an unrealistic goal.

 

You need to get familiar with how it feels and to get comfortable, stay secure and balanced.

 

When you get more confident start to keep your horse cantering for longer.  

 

Breathe

 

When you are nervous and concentrating, a lot of people hold their breathe, this isn’t good for you or your horse when you are riding. Doing this might mean your horse can feel somethings wrong and it can make them feel uneasy.

 

When you make the transition to canter breathe out your mouth as this will help you relax.

 

Train Your Horse

 

If your horse isn’t experienced at all, help an experienced rider to help you school them. If you and your horse both have no experience its like the blind leading the blind, it won’t end well as it could sometimes be dangerous.

 

Make sure you get fit

 

When you are riding, keeping fit is a very beneficial part. A lack of fitness can cause setback to you and your horses training. Doing this can be the best possible position to ride in.

 

 

Visualize

 

Visualizing something can sometimes help you a lot as it builds up your confidence. You should visualize how you want to feel, see and hear things while you are cantering. When visualizing, remove negatives and create the positive. 

 

Go At Your Own Pace

 

You should never work yourself harder than you feel you can go. There is no time period you should be able to canter in as everyone learns at their own pace.