The main ways I have seen are :
[B]1) Sitting
Half-Seat
Two-point[/B]
My favorite, personally, is the half-seat. It helps me balance my hands better and gives me a better rhythm. But I’ve also seen a ton of people sit the canter throughout their whole ride, and others stay up in a two-point position.
I wanted to know, what do you like and dislike about your method and the others? Are there any more ways?
-Jasmine
They all serve different purposes. I used to do just hunters and was always in half seat. Bad habits were formed and that is kind of my “crutch” now… but I really much prefer full seat or two point as an eventer. Now when I play in hunters I try to stay more in a full seat because it just works better for my horse and I. I don’t often see hunters staying up in 2 point for an entire round, but do see a lot of half seat and some sitting or some doing the posting canter. Less often in the hunters you come across a driving seat which is fine for its purpose in other disciplines, but in hunters doesn’t work. Personally, I think a half seat more often than not flows the best… but if a rider can make a round look beautiful while sitting deeper then I like that too.
Like rockonxox said, they all serve different purposes and you should be proficient in all three. I don’t have a favorite, each has its joys.
The horse I had all though my teen and college years had the most wonderful canter as long as you kept her collected. Cantering around in full seat, feeling her rocking and rolling along under me was heavenly.
I have also achieved sheer joy on my current horse, cantering out across the field in two point. That makes me remember just how much I love to ride like nothing else does.
Practice and get good at all three.
I think it depends on the horse. Viggo is 18.2 and a mile long. If I rode him in 2 point the whole way he would be strung out and flat. I ride him in a full seat to keep him together and then lighten to a half seat once he is uphill and self carrying. Due to his size he needs reminders throughout the course.
We have others in the barn on lighter horses and they ride the whole course in two point.
I ride in all 3 seats every ride on every horse. Some may need more sitting (e.g. heavier pull-ier horses) and some may get more half seat or two point (e.g. lighter more responsive horses). As everyone else has said, they all have their purpose and your job as a rider is to know how/when/why to use each.
As others have said, each has its purpose.
I think it is a huge problem though when a rider cannot sit the canter. Because if you cannot sit the canter, you can’t ride half seat or two point correctly.
I see a lot of young riders who are just basically being thrown around in the tack slamming the horses back. Can’t sit and can’t stay out of the tack. It isn’t proper half seat if your butt slams the saddle.
My jump coach had me master sitting seat and only get into two point for jumps. I noticed on her own show videos she tends to sit between jumps to settle her horse.
Now that I mostly do dressage, its sitting in and that gives a lot of control at the canter. You couldn’t collect or half pass or pirouette in half seat!
I have a new jump saddle however and am finding its a bit harder to sit in at canter compared to my dressage saddle. It can be harder to sit in if your stirrups are really short.
But sitting the canter is the foundation of other canter seats.
I was taught full seat for dressage, 2 point for jumping. A half seat I use in dressage on a green horse who needs a half seat as they are not quite up to cantering with a full seat in an arena yet.
I canter in half seat, but when we’re jumping, I go in full seat to settle and collect him before and after the fence.
I use all three…and sometimes I post the canter as well (flame suit on). I do mostly dressage with my horse now, so that’s a lot of sitting. Sometimes two point for the first canter if he needs to stretch a little. Once a week or so I will ride in my jumping tack, and because I’m insane I will challenge myself to do most of the ride in two point. I use the different seats as a position check of sorts. I can be bad about letting my heels creep up and switching between the seats makes that painfully obvious.
my trainer sometimes makes us “post” the canter, 1 stride sitting and 1 stride half seat to try and get us to balance our seat. personally i hate it and am a half seat person all the way but i do ride in full seat sometimes especially the last stride before the jump.
If you can’t sit the canter then you cant ride half seat correctly either.
I love posting the canter. I find it very useful to build momentum and collection at the same time and I will use it to get a sluggish horse moving out a little. I also find it fun. 
Though I would not describe it as you do, with one stride sitting and one in half-seat. One sitting, yes, but the next is more like a true post from a trot (unless you would also describe a posting trot as one beat sitting, one in half-seat?) --my upper body does not change position when I am posting the canter.
That said, I do not post the canter very often. I spend most of my time sitting while in the ring and most of it in half seat while out fox hunting
agree with all those who say all 3 seats are used depending on the situation at the moment
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