Canter difficulty with every horse

[Denali6298]

@netg I didn’t know the OPs height, man I can sympathize. I’m the same height and it’s a struggle because any subtle movement of the upper body and amplified.

OP, it’s okay to dial it back to get confidence sometimes. I’ve never struggled with blocking a canter, I have the opposite problem as I light horses up. It’s really hard to control it all, so what helps me is I exaggerate everything relating to position. I exaggerate sitting up, quieting my hips (my case, for you you might try exaggerating a driving seat) elbows back where I feel they are too far back and let my leg just drape keeping my weight in my thigh.

[AXM]

I too struggle with keeping the canter sometimes. I’d like to add a couple of thoughts : think ‘sternum up’ (or ‘lift the ribcage’) to keep from collapsing forward; also, make sure your elbows are going with the ‘nod’ of the canter, I really need to think of the open/close of my elbows to go with (follow) the canter motion. The first level horse will have a greater nod than a horse with more collection, so maybe contributing to OP’s difficulty with the lower level horse?

[CCook]

It sounds like you know how to do it right, but your brain/fear/overthinking gets in the way. If that’s accurate, I agree with the posters who suggested trying something new, learning to embrace the “wind in your hair” thing, and working on the fear. Trail riding, fun riding games, trying out a true gallop in a controlled setting, and so on – on your own horses or someone else’s. You may want to find a GOOD western trainer (reining, barrel racing, cutting, etc - whatever you can find a quality, safe trainer in) with lesson horses where you can learn to let a horse move with speed on a loose rein, trusting they’ll come back to you when you ask. It is a cool experience to be sitting on top of an athletic, well-trained horse while flying across a pen, thinking “There’s no freaking way we’re ever going to [turn that cow, stop, whatever]” then giving that cue and having them do it beautifully at the drop of a hat. The first time I experienced that, the anxiety I had about not being able to stop (well-trained, not green) horses if I let go and let them work suddenly disappeared. Doing things that pushed the edge of my comfort zone became fun because I knew I wasn’t about to get hauled into the next county on a runaway freight train at 100 miles an hour.

Second suggestion: have you ever tried mindfulness or another meditation technique? Using it off the horse and then adapting it to your riding could help you learn to focus on the feelings, muscle memory, etc that come naturally rather than overanalyzing every aspect of your riding.

Anyway – just some thoughts since it sounds like the root of your issue may not be technique or biomechanics, but anxiety and worry about what might happen if you let the horse move freely and forwardly. Good luck!

ETA a third suggestion. Can you identify what scares you? For example, “what if he bolts?” If you can identify it and then brainstorm on your own or with your trainer how you would deal with the situation or mitigate the risk of it occurring, you may feel more capable of handling it and less anxious.

[ASB_Stars]

Back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, I taught, and I found that getting people to understand not to “cantilever” in the canter is challenging, for some folks. When you actually sit up straight, and do not break the vertical as you canter, there can be a feeling of “being left”, which makes people grab with their thighs, and their hands, and bring their shoulders forward.

When you canter, if you start out thinking about a washboard action with your arms, allowing them to push away from you, like you were using a washboard, that visualization and feeling can be helpful.

And, jumping on a rowing machine, and feeling that feeling of keeping you shoulders back, even though you are moving to and fro, can be helpful. I always ask people to “lead with their hips” as they canter. If you are teaching an adult, with a sense of humor, you can be somewhat graphic!!

Best of luck!!

[alicen]

Can you maintain and enjoy a simple training level canter?

[BigMama1]

@soloudinhere

I will forever be baffled that people continue to ride when they’re apparently so afraid that they can barely manage it. Like, why? You shouldn’t need extensive psychotherapy and all these mechanics experts to ride. How is that supposed to be fun?

And yet there’s thousands of people so terrified of riding who continue to do it. Baffles me, truly.

It’s simple: the love of riding is stronger than the fear.

[DressageChic2]

@soloudinhere

I will forever be baffled that people continue to ride when they’re apparently so afraid that they can barely manage it. Like, why? You shouldn’t need extensive psychotherapy and all these mechanics experts to ride. How is that supposed to be fun?

And yet there’s thousands of people so terrified of riding who continue to do it. Baffles me, truly.

i semi agree and suspect this is part of it at least, so many people i teach are afraid to REALLY go forward and put the horse in front of the leg so are forever stuck in a crawl.

my pony has always been hot and buzzy anyway but i cannot emphasise enough how a lot of galloping this summer has really helped…to leap in to canter, to have follow him and trust him as the path twists and turns, to sit him back on his hocks to go steeply downhill and then balance him just a bit shoulder fore round that 90 deg corner then accelerate away again etc…his canter in the arena is SO much more engaged and uphill and connected

you cannot really learn bravery, but you can push it a little bit and i think there may be a small element of it missing?

[Curly_Feather]

@Equibrit

Take your horses out and Gallop them REGULARLY, GO HUNTING, DO CROSS COUNTRY, TRAIL RIDE.
Gain confidence, so that all you have to do is think 3rd gear.

Yes. I can’t second this enough. I love dressage, the training and the precision and the growth and the discipline of it. So that is my main focus. But to make me a braver and more effective rider, I have a proper showjumping lesson once a month. I used to be terrified, and now years later I’m still pretty nervous, but it taught me elements of bravery and control over your horse at pace that we as dressage riders just never really get into.

[mvp]

@SonnysMom

They must get something out of it that you can’t see. Why do you care?

I used to ride with somebody that would only ride at the walk and a slow gain but not canter. She was afraid (not terrified) to canter. She loved to do Parelli ground work. She was perfectly happy to tootle around at the walk and slow gait. I never understood why she didn’t take regular weekly riding lessons rather than expensive natural horsemanship clinics a few times a year. On the other hand she went to a cow cutting clinic and had a blast. Not my circus, not my monkeys. Her horse is well taken care of and she enjoys being with him and riding him within her comfort level. Who am I to judge?

Because they start threads like this one where they can’t figure out why their horses have the same problem… then they discover that they are causing the problem… because they are scared to let the horses go forward.

Nothing wrong with being scared or deciding not to canter (or jump or whathaveyou). But you can’t keep riding in a way that shuts down the horse and shuts him down in a way you don’t want and then ask others for some solution that doesn’t involve learning to ride differently. That’s not fair to the animal.

Everyone develops some level of physical fear at some point in their life. The folks who have large lives figure out how to manage that fear until they overcome it or create a working relationship with it.

OP, do you want to canter better or do you want to have a legit excuse for riding as you do and not canter better. Deciding to want something more than to hang on to your rational fear is a logic that has worked for me. I do well when I’m determined and have a goal. But each person will have a different mental talk to themselves that does the job. It might help to find yours.

[Equibrit]

@Curly_Feather

Yes. I can’t second this enough. I love dressage, the training and the precision and the growth and the discipline of it. So that is my main focus. But to make me a braver and more effective rider, I have a proper showjumping lesson once a month. I used to be terrified, and now years later I’m still pretty nervous, but it taught me elements of bravery and control over your horse at pace that we as dressage riders just never really get into.

The perfect thing is to show dressage in the summer, and go hunting in the winter! There’s nothing quite like galloping down a steep grassy hill, clearing the creek at the bottom and kicking on after the hounds. Horsey stays perfectly balanced and even does changes around sharp turns!

[exvet]

The OP is a very accomplished, and though I am really just acquainted with her IRL, I know from what she does outside of horses is not only very goal-oriented but has successfully worked through obstacles to reach those goals. I’m not sure right now (Covid) is the time to be able to face the demons being discussed; but, that will be up to her. I will admit that I"m the type who throws myself into my riding and my equine-oriented goals when the rest of my life is a mess. In fact some of my greatest accomplishments with horses have resulted during times when the rest of my life has sucked. I can vouch for the care and depth of feeling she has for her horses having seen the one and her interaction with him; so, chastising her into ‘realizing’ what is fair to the horse(s) isn’t really appropriate in this instance at least imo. I have confidence that she will eventually have this thing figured out and do not feel that there is anything wrong with her searching for possible solutions that have already been tried out by others (or hearing about those that have not). I watch new videos on the ‘same’ subject all the time to see if someone has a more productive way or more efficient way to address something…even if I’ve done that something 10,000 times. I do not believe her horses are unduly suffering, perhaps confused but in reality I suspect they are just learning to respond differently to a ‘different ride’.

[netg]

@mvp

Because they start threads like this one where they can’t figure out why their horses have the same problem… then they discover that they are causing the problem… because they are scared to let the horses go forward.

Nothing wrong with being scared or deciding not to canter (or jump or whathaveyou). But you can’t keep riding in a way that shuts down the horse and shuts him down in a way you don’t want and then ask others for some solution that doesn’t involve learning to ride differently. That’s not fair to the animal.

Everyone develops some level of physical fear at some point in their life. The folks who have large lives figure out how to manage that fear until they overcome it or create a working relationship with it.

OP, do you want to canter better or do you want to have a legit excuse for riding as you do and not canter better. Deciding to want something more than to hang on to your rational fear is a logic that has worked for me. I do well when I’m determined and have a goal. But each person will have a different mental talk to themselves that does the job. It might help to find yours.

I’m pretty sure that’s why she started the thread. For ideas of what she does to cause this, and she acknowledged she does from the start of the first post.

[mvp]

@netg

I’m pretty sure that’s why she started the thread. For ideas of what she does to cause this, and she acknowledged she does from the start of the first post.

Sorry, I don’t know what you mean. Which reason is the one she started the thread? You mean she wants equitation help? Then later in the “no wind will blow through my hair at the gallop” remark, did the potential cause we were being asked to consider a psychological block?

[mvp]

@exvet

The OP is a very accomplished, and though I am really just acquainted with her IRL, I know from what she does outside of horses is not only very goal-oriented but has successfully worked through obstacles to reach those goals. I’m not sure right now (Covid) is the time to be able to face the demons being discussed; but, that will be up to her. I will admit that I"m the type who throws myself into my riding and my equine-oriented goals when the rest of my life is a mess. In fact some of my greatest accomplishments with horses have resulted during times when the rest of my life has sucked. I can vouch for the care and depth of feeling she has for her horses having seen the one and her interaction with him; so, chastising her into ‘realizing’ what is fair to the horse(s) isn’t really appropriate in this instance at least imo. I have confidence that she will eventually have this thing figured out and do not feel that there is anything wrong with her searching for possible solutions that have already been tried out by others (or hearing about those that have not). I watch new videos on the ‘same’ subject all the time to see if someone has a more productive way or more efficient way to address something…even if I’ve done that something 10,000 times. I do not believe her horses are unduly suffering, perhaps confused but in reality I suspect they are just learning to respond differently to a ‘different ride’.

I assume you are defending the OP from my remark about it being “unfair” to horses to continue to ride them the same and ask for help… but not. Look, I couldn’t tell what kind of help the OP wanted. To start with an equitation problem and then have that mask a psychological problem (if that’s the excavation that was made by the OP in this thread), but not be clear about the latter limit up front seems like a set-up.

Bottom line: If all your horses won’t canter because you are scared to canter (but can have a biomechanics expert coach you into good equitation while she’s there), then you have to work on your fear. That’s just the truth.

[Bogie]

@right horse at the right time

One is (now, not before) great on trails alone or with others. Certain trails - we don’t go to the mountains or anything huge right now. But even going on trails is a HUGE deal for me. Working on the other one getting more used to it trails.

It sounds to me like you are trying to control every stride. Sometimes you have to let the horse carry some of that burden. After reading your original post, I was going to suggest getting out of the arena on a steady horse that you trust. Trot and canter. Put a neckstrap on your horse and hold on. Don’t try to micromanage (hold the strap).

One of the things that foxhunting has taught me is you need to let the horse figure out where to put his feet. Yes, it’s scary to go fast, but you can work up to it and one day you realize it’s fun. Same thing with jumping. I had the tendency to adjust, adjust, adjust. My trainer had to remind me that the horse does a great job of jumping on its own.

Another thing to try is riding with a bitless bridle. It mutes your rein signals and forces you to 1) not micro manage and 2) ride off your seat. When I started hunting my first flight horse bitless he started jumping better. Yup. It was all my fault with my busy hands.

Of course, don’t go bitless and outside the ring all at the same time :).

Good luck. And yes, COVID concerns have made many of us feel more mortal and ratcheted up anxiety.

[Gamma]

Ok, realistically if horses were unable to canter because of small rider position errors then “how to stop a bolting horse” would be “lean forward and pinch your knees” (spoiler, it is not). There are huge rider errors (yanking on the face) that can kill a canter over time, but I will take the op at her word re: good hands.

I think it is quite common that riders who are hesitant about cantering often choose or are paired with horses who also don’t have a strong desire to canter. So if you ask for a canter, and the horse says, “Are you sure? Canter sounds like hard work…” and your response is, “You’re right, I’m not really sure I want to canter anyway…” Result, no canter, and after a few times the horse has a habit that when you ask, it actually means trot. Changing this requires a pretty strong commitment to the idea that you DO want to canter and it is not optional, and a willingness to explain this convincingly to the horse.

There is the opposite, the horse who, if you ask for a trot too loudly, will say, “CANTER? Did you say CANTER?” But if you’re nervous about cantering then obviously this type of horse would make you feel unsafe so you wouldn’t naturally choose a horse like that.

If you’re only hesitant and not actually super scared of cantering, I agree with others that getting a bunch of cantering in will make you much more confident (I mean, repeated good experiences work for horses who are unsure about something).

I also agree that you should find a short term way to get that experience on another horse… One that’s very slightly to the hot side of middle, not take off if you bump them hot, but at least willing to try forward/canter even if the stars haven’t aligned perfectly. And don’t worry about the perfect dressage canter, just learn to enjoy a plain old “moves you forward faster than a trot” canter, until your body is convinced that it is safe.

Then you can go back to your own horses and explain to them that you, specifically, do canter. And I do like transitions for heating a horse up. Someone said that feeling that a canter could happen at any time. Especially keeping down transitions “forward”, trot to a really forward walk, or a “forward thinking” halt.

[DressageChic2]

@Bogie

It sounds to me like you are trying to control every stride. Sometimes you have to let the horse carry some of that burden. After reading your original post, I was going to suggest getting out of the arena on a steady horse that you trust. Trot and canter. Put a neckstrap on your horse and hold on. Don’t try to micromanage (hold the strap).

One of the things that foxhunting has taught me is you need to let the horse figure out where to put his feet. Yes, it’s scary to go fast, but you can work up to it and one day you realize it’s fun. Same thing with jumping. I had the tendency to adjust, adjust, adjust. My trainer had to remind me that the horse does a great job of jumping on its own.

Another thing to try is riding with a bitless bridle. It mutes your rein signals and forces you to 1) not micro manage and 2) ride off your seat. When I started hunting my first flight horse bitless he started jumping better. Yup. It was all my fault with my busy hands.

Of course, don’t go bitless and outside the ring all at the same time :).

Good luck. And yes, COVID concerns have made many of us feel more mortal and ratcheted up anxiety.

all of this is so true and galloping around the countryside bitless has improved every aspect of my dressage work, my simple changes are off my seat never my hand,my flying changes are better every week, the trot swings better from leg to seat etc…

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

I will respond to all of these but haven’t had the time to sit down and give the answers justice. Because you have all taken the time to share, I will thank you with my proper responses.

Until I can do that, which might be tomorrow, I just wanted to say thank you for all of the wonderful suggestions and I can tell you that many of the suggestions you have given, I have done, not because I just did them for fun, but because this has been such an ongoing thing for me in chipping away and being successful. I am very glad to hear that I’m on the right track and a special shout out of thank you to those of you who know me in real life and have been so supportive.

More to follow, but I just didn’t want to come on here and say thank you, this is all amazing. Thank you.:winkgrin::):love-struck:

[M_al]

@right horse at the right time , where are you located? PM me?

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

Suuuper long post because I answered everyone here. I can’t figure out how to quote multiples so here goes…and I cannot tag everyone for some reason.

All: Thank you VERY much for taking the time to write and respond. I’m not a new member here and I appreciate all of your help over the years. Due to advice from so many of you, I’ve grown so much as a rider and have done well. I’ve done clinics with amazing people, read probably 100 plus books, ridden in some neat places, done horse camps (great for confidence!) bought a truck and trailer and trailered myself, and I have REALLY grown as a rider and horseperson. This fear is just something that I’ve always struggled with, and I’m so grateful for the kind responses and honest feedback. I am always a work in progress and I love having an activity that I love so much and can improve so much. I love it. I love my horses, and I have shown and have some decent success. So it’s not all bad. ”‹When I’m good, I can come home with 4 blue ribbons. When I’m not doing well, it’s not as pretty. And I am 100% ok with that. I have fun REGARDLESS.

@GreyDes
I try not to blame my tack or anything/anyone else - @merrygoround used to have (perhaps still does?) as her signature line something about people blaming everyone except herself, and when I saw that in 2012 I took it to heart. I have a new custom-made saddle (not Custom) that is meant for my long femurs. But I took a good look the other day and I think I need to shim up the front a tiny bit. So that could be part of it – if I am tilting forward, that isn’t helping at ALL. I have used various stirrup lengths, and I just shortened them a bit more. I tend to ride with a short stirrup so I can have leg on the horse. Thank you!

@SuzieQNutter:
I have a hard time sometimes distinguishing between following with the reins and maintaining contact. RH used to be difficult in the contact (pulling) and I used to throw away the reins. It was quite a while before I understood what good contact felt like. Thank you!

@Libby2563:
I have done the tipping my head and looking up but not at specific letters or transitions – but I can try this as well! Thank you!

@AnastasiaBeaverhousen:
I think this is what I really need to do (lunge and just follow). I would absolutely agree that I lose vertical alignment. And your horses stopping if you lean too far forward – so do mine. Exactly that. My trainer can canter both horses on a long rein for them to stretch and they do. No issues. I do have lots of video of myself riding but what I don’t have are mirrors…. What she does is video me and then immediately I watch it. It is VERY helpful. It’s also very helpful for me to ride (not in lessons) when she’s on one of the FEI horses, doing amazing things. It’s like a visual reminder and I’m not afraid of the power. But when others are in the ring with me and are sluggish…I use that as a comfort level. All mental. These are all fantastic ideas you gave, and thank you. I do think much is my pelvis and I think I’m not following properly. Perhaps trying to be too toned to counteract the loosey goosey. Thank you!

@Equibrit:
I know that you are right – gallop. I wish I could just “do it.” I’m afraid to. The area where I am…not easily done. But that is an excuse because I could if I really wanted to with some planning and effort. I do take the one trail riding, and can work on the other one. I know you’re right – and I used to do that. But that was many years ago.  Thank you.

@exvet :
THANKS. I can do lunge lessons on both horses. Used to do it on RH. I am not sure but I think I could go to the track at PW – would require some guts . I used to take him on the track there but never galloped – I was just proud of myself when I did it at the walk :D. The last time I happily galloped was in Germany at horse camp when I was young…and probably the last time I REALLY loved it was the gallop right before my childhood horse took off with me. :/. Thank you very much for the kind words of support – thank you for having faith in me!

@soloudinhere:
Wrong thread, perhaps?

@willesdon:
YES! My own tension for sure – mental manifesting as physical – the horses are only doing what they are told. I love your reminder about our ancestral roots – clinging on versus falling. I can do the ribbon – that’s an EXCELLENT idea. Have you read the book, “Atomic Habits,” by any chance? It is a fantastic book with clear cut ways to change habits and one of the best ways is with visual cues. Actually you’ve given me excellent thoughts and plans now…I need to create an entirely different scheme…oh I have PLANS NOW! THANK YOU!

@theresak
Squeal good or squeal bad? And YES – manage to canter around the corner without falling over – so I’m not the only one who thinks that? In my head, I believe that a horse should stay in the gait you put them unless you tell them otherwise. In my body, I don’t want to nag. But I see other riders asking with every stride, and stating that this is more correct. I don’t want to have to do that. But then I shut them down by leaning forward, so…

My trainer can just get on and ask for canter so beautifully and quietly and they just do it. They just do. No drama, no issue, no breaking. I like your exercise of riding one step and asking for more…especially in the pirouette, because that’s where I have the least fear. Lol. They aren’t perfect, but I get it. Thank you very much!

@SonnysMom
Thank you ;).

I will forever be baffled that people continue to judge when they’re apparently so insecure that they can barely manage compassion for another human being. Like, why? You shouldn’t need extensive psychotherapy and all these humanity experts to be human. How is that supposed to be fun?

And yet there’s thousands of people so incapable of seeing outside their boxes who continue to judge. Baffles me, truly.

@Denali6298
Thank you for sharing your experience! It can be so scary to have an accident or even an experience that shakes us to the core. I think it gets worse as we get older, but I have great friends who have had horrid crashes who honestly don’t seem affected at all and claim to not be affected nor ever think about the crashes. We are all wired a bit differently! My memory is such that I remember too well . Works for some things, not others. I’m glad that it went well for you! We lost a family member far too young. People ask his spouse if she’s moving on/moving past. She never will. She will move with the grief. But never past.

@foggythistle:

Yes! Fear of moving at speed for sure. Not afraid to piaffe or passage (I’ve done half steps, no true piaffe or passage). Not afraid of pirouette. My bigger horse is nearly 18 hands and is huge. And I feel the same – I’m in slo-mo without realizing until I see video and see how slowly Im moving – and this is the same with RH who is only 16 hands–thank you for sharing your solution of forward trotting – when he gets going, he’s MOVING. I can work on this – and yes, the canter feels huge but only when I’m on him. Thank you for these great suggestions!

@netg:
THANKS, you always have my back. And yes, I’m long everywhere and so every move seems to make a difference. Thank you for the kind words about when I do get it right!  Definitely I haven’t changed and still much more likely to throw them away and let them fall on their forehands, which is one thing they are doing. RH is more stable I think in this regard while Horse 2 needs me to sit back more. So roll toward the ball and keep it under me? OK! I can figure this out. These are great suggestions and I think I really might do some lunge rides on both horses for a bit – but maybe once it cools off a little. This is miserable weather. THANK YOU – you are always so helpful. 

@joiedevie99:
WOW – this video is excellent. I started following her – WOW. I watched her other videos on canter and she really breaks it down! What you describe doing in the warm up that day I think is exactly what I’m doing by bringing my shoulders forward, and I need to do what your rainer told you. My trainer tells me to drop my ponytail and pretend I’m putting it on the back of my saddle/his hind end. I love this imagery you’ve giving me about forcing my body to canter for a bit – this is exactly what I need to do. THANKS!

@luv2ride113:
Thank you for this support – I feel the same way as you do. <3. Well done you for making so much progress . Thanks .

@BatCoach:
Thank you for the kind words as well as your experience! Both of mine have very easy to sit canters and maintaining the canter is harder for me than the depart. I do what you do with tensing muscles – so much a mental thing as you write! Definitely always a work in progress… and I love your imagery about 2 tense mammals trying to hold it together with legs flailing, lol. Glad you figured it all out.  Thank you!

@tabula rashah:
I do trails and ride in places other than the arena, but it does make me nervous to go new places in open spaces! I cannot imagine doing a distance ride, lol! But it likely would help me very much, thank you! I agree that getting out of the comfort zone would be very helpful!

@suzyq:
I would love to hear more abvout this. My trainer says the same thing about being more seure when sitting back etc. Can you tell me more about what it feels like when you do? Thanks!

NotGrandPrixYet:
I think I answered you but will do it again – it is done with a therapist, and I tried to post a link but the post was flagged. The therapist takes a trauma and asks questions about it and then has you follow an object/fingers/whatever with your eyes. It allows the memory to be processed as a story rather than scary images…it REALLY worked.

@Jarpur:
It’s ALL mental. ALLLLLL mental. And these are excellent suggestions about cantering short distances so that there is less opportunity (even if those opportunities are in MY head alone…) and there are a few places on our trails where I could definitely do this. Thank you! I ordered the book you suggested on Amazon Prime . Thank you – looks PERFECT. And yes – my horses are both wonderful souls. I am incredibly lucky!!

@Denali6298:
It takes being afraid to have courage…otherwise there is nothing to overcome <3. Thank you also for the written description of what it FEELS like!

@HoolieB:
This is a GREAT idea – judge me on all of my departs, lol!! We are both horsie valium machines, apparently. I hope you are getting as much out of this thread as I am!

@AXM:
I used to throw away with my elbows…now perhaps I am not following enough…and definitely RH has more nod than does Horse 2! Good imagery to think about; thank you!

@Ccook:
I love your description of the experience of letting a horse move with speed and trust they will come back – beautifully at the drop of a hat. That’s what scares me – perhaps not being able to stop them (and yes, this happened to me at the age of 12 or 13 and won’t go away).

I have done the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction class but we didn’t finish it – we did it in grad school and we all kept falling asleep during the meditation, lol, so they just did the didactic portion and we were to meditate on our own. It was awesome. I can use these techniques despite being years ago and can do this – YES. Great idea. The suggestion of identifying what scares me is excellent - @Lucassb helped me through this a few years ago and she taught me the one rein stop and when and if to ever use it. I felt very empowered and was able to take my horse around a track once (at the walk but still) without being afraid…well, afraid, but I DID IT. I hear you on the roots of my issue being anxiety – and this is exactly what I want to identify – the horses can clearly sense that I am not telling them to keep cantering forward…so what in my body am I doing that is telling them to stop or not to canter. The crux of the issue. Thank you for this!!

@asb Stars:
This is super helpful! I am watching videos of my canter and I do have some cantilevel at times, but also I do sit tooooo still at others. I need to find the best place. This is very helpful. I am watching my videos with this in mind; thank you!

@alicen:
This is what I have the hardest time with. For years, yes, I could. Now I cannot. It’s easier for me to be doing something other than TL canter in a circle. I can do half pass or baby pirouettes much easier.

@BigMama1:
Exactly!

@DressageChic2:
What I do for a living on a daily basis would scare the living bejeezus out of probably 95% of those on here, so I’m good on the bravery part in so many other aspects of my life. This is harder for me and I work very hard doing it . I used to gallop as a young girl, and a teenage girl, in Europe, on big fancy warmbloods. It scares me now.

@Curly_Feather:
I used to jump. Small stuff, but jump. It was fun . I also prefer dressage more, but I started out the other way.

@mvp:
I’m fair to my horses, and I’m here asking for help. I have a very large life, thanks, and am brave (right now effing extremely brave in ways that matter to more than just me) and have fear in riding, and that’s actually suuuuuuper common. I have my own mental talk and it works. What this post is about, and what I wrote in the intial post, is trying to figure out physically what I’m doing to shut down the canter. It’s hard to be uber competent in some ways including teaching others to be uber competent, then not be able to figure this out. But that’s why I am here.

@exvet :
THANKS <3. Exactly, lol, COVID isn’t perhaps the best time to fix this BUT as I’m kicking COVID around, I feel like maybe conquering other aspects. I sincerely appreciate your extremely kind words about the care of RH and the depth of feeling for him – thanks for all of that, really. You get it. I appreciate your confidence that I will figure this out and your support in my doing so – this is exactly what I’m doing as you said – searching for possible solutions fom others. I’m obsessed with fixing this so that I can continue to advance. While RH and Horse 2 might think they are suffering from a lack of 24/7 treats, they, as you know, are meticulously cared for and loved. They are learning to respond to a different ride – and not always good from me – which is as you said exactly why I’m here. They think I don’t want to canter and clearly I’m telling them that I don’t want to canter. Xoxo and thanks.

@mvp: (again)
I think that since day one of my being on this forum in 2012, I’ve been upfront, honest, and constantly working on fear that is riding based. I’m not “scared to canter.” There is something I’m conveying/aiding that says don’t canter. I need to figure out physically what that is. If you have something to add, I’d love to hear it. But stating I have to work on my fear is like stating that you need to read for clarity. It’s obvious to everyone, and we are probably each doing what we need to do.

@Bogie
YES YES YES. And in order to do that, I need to let them go a little bit more than I do. Alcohol helps. I can try a bitless! Friends have them. I love your post – in fact my biomechanics person a few years ago used the neckstrap thing – but to show me that I could control from the neckstrap on RH as he pulls with his chest. And yes, COVID has made me feel much more mortal and ratcheted up on a daily basis, although now it’s much better as we have more direction and control.

Thank you!

@Gamma:
This is great! And I do have good hands – not perfect but I don’t yank or pull. I used to throw away, now I might hold a bit more than I should maybe. Trainer says I throw away. THIS is what is happening with my horses – ok, let’s just agree to cuddle. So yes, we are in this EXACT phase – there is no commitment on my part and the horses are ALL TOO HAPPY to agree. And no, I’m not scared of cantering – just hesitant. I can probably find another horse to canter. I think a friend has a vaulting horse I can lesson on. And my horses canter with the THOUGHT of canter from my trainer who can’t even reproduce what I do. I definitely can do this – explain to them that I do canter, and I can get them both “hotter” with transitions and lateral work. They are both really good boys. Seriously. They are very good horses and don’t want trouble. It’s me, and I know that. Thank you.

@DressageChic2:
There is no question in my mind that I could gain so much improvement with doing much of what you mentioned. No question.

@M’al:
Sent you a PM.