Horses 101, May 2004
Sitting the Canter
At last the dream comes true. Or does it? You’re cantering off into the sunset on the horse of your dreams. Is your canter really sitting and rolling with the horse or are you banging the horses back, being thrown into the air with each stride and maybe eventually coming off entirely in a rude awakening of hitting the dirt?
So how do you “sit the canter”? You start with the “kindergarten” riding, riding the walk in rhythm, riding the trot and sitting it, catching the 1-2, 1-2 beat of the posting trot, until the feel and rhythm of the horse is second nature to you. Then you add the upward speed and three beat rhythm of the canter. It may take weeks, months or years to get to that point.
You ask for the canter on most horses by using your outside leg slightly behind the girth with foot and leg pressure. Some horses only need a slight nudge, some “hard sided horses” may need a little soft kick. But this aid is given to all of them on the outside as if talking to the hind leg. You are asking the hind leg to begin the canter there, pushing off, causing the inside front leg to lift shortly thereafter, creating a correct “lead” leg with the front inside leg reaching further forward with each stride. If the horse is using the front inside leg to reach forward it helps the horse balance on corners. When on a straight trail, it does not matter which leg leads at the canter, and the horse will usually have a preference. This preference may even be different than the preference the horse has in the arena.
As the horse lifts off into its first canter stride, you must deliberately push your seat into the saddle as you would when pumping a swing in the park. By doing this you will roll with the stride and stay in the saddle as the horse lifts off. Your hips will feel like they are making a rolling motion, down, forward, up and back, a circular motion. You allow your knees to bend with the rolling motion, or you will stiffen yourself out of the saddle. You keep your hands quiet and arms at your sides.
As you canter it is very important to keep your hips very soft and avoid locking joints. Do not grab the saddle horn, jerk on the horses mouth for balance, or lean forward (in fear). Leaning forward is especially dangerous, as it puts you out of balance and motion with the horse making it very easy for you to go off the horse head first. Your legs and feet need to be directly below you as with any riding you do. When you first begin cantering, concentrate on leaning back a bit into the saddle until you get the rhythm of the 3 beat stride. This will help push your seat further into the saddle as the horse lifts off.
If you have a quiet, gentle, somewhat herd bound horse, a great place to do your first canter is on a trail ride with a trusted friend who will stop at your first request. Find a nice, soft, old logging road, instead of a trail, where you won’t have to dodge low branches or closed trees. It is best to have a slight up hill run, as horses tend to canter their best on a slight incline. It is also easier for you to sit the canter on a slight incline. Have your friend stop his or her horse after a couple hundred feet to start with. Re-gather yourself and try again. Expect it to take many tries for you to get the feel and actually ride a sitting canter. It’s worth the effort. When you do, it will be the thrill of your life. You may even find yourself letting out a loud “yahoo!” This ride is the one of the ultimate rewards and feelings of “riding as one” with your horse.
Written by Darleen Finnigan, CHA (Certified Horsemanship Association) and ARIA (American Riding Instructors Association), teaching at Saddle Soar Ranch, in Edgewood for 12 years. Specializing in teaching adults and riding and training gaited horses. 253 927-6899 or www. Saddlesoarranch.com
