[eaas123]

Help I'm scared of cantering and every time the horse I'm riding canters I hold my breath and then the horse slows down help how to I get over my fear??

[ntroyn]

If you're holding your breath, you can always try singing, or even just counting aloud, etc. since you really can't hold your breath and sing at the same time, plus it's a good distraction. Other thing you can try is stroking the horses neck with your inside hand (no pressure on neck though, and think of movement with arm as a clockwise rather than the usual counter-clockwise movement that we'd normally use while stroking the neck. Reason for the clockwise movement (down, forward, then up and back) is it will tend to keep you from collapsing forward so much. Be sure you keep your shoulders back during the process though, since you don't want to collapse your weight onto his front end as that will stop him. The stroking idea is just another way to keep you relaxed and give you another focus. Also makes you give with the inside rein (yes, you continue to hold the rein with your inside hand during the process), which allows the necessary release on the inside for the horse to canter. If horse has a low head carriage, be sure not to let the inside hand drop too low, as shoulder on inside needs to lift more for canter than other gaits. PS - don't let anyone kid you about singing out loud while riding, as some of the best trainers in the world do it at one time or another. Not only helps them, but gives the horse a rhythm to match as well.
Hope this helps.

[eaas123]

Thanks I have ridden two horses at canter and the gelding has a high head carrige and I get scared when he throws his head up in the air.

[imsurroundedbyfish]

As long as you know and recognise that this gelding has a high head carriage, and that that is the only reason that he throws his head up, you are absolutely fine. Horses can sense fear, so it is possible that he can sense you don't like it when he does this and is doing it to wind you up (like when the cob I used to ride used to snatch the reins out of my hand or plunge his head down). Ignore him, ride on confidently, and don't allow yourself to feel afraid (but likewise don't praise him for this). Do you know if the horse has a martingale on, to stop the horse throwing his head up?

When you canter, lean back, and stick your tummy muscles out, push your knees away from the saddle and slide along it, you'll be fine. If you feel wobbly, don't be afraid to hold on to your horses saddle, or mane with your inside hand. Talking to your horse calmly, and encouraging him to canter, or singing as ntroyn mentioned, will calm you down too.

Something that really helped me stay stable in my seat as I pushed for canter, was doing a lot of sitting trot - but without my styprupps. When your riding if you take your right styprupp and lay it across your horses neck and then take the left one and do the same, then ask for sitting trot, and it will help you maintain your balance without relying solely on the styrupps (I always end up losing my styrupps in canter). Likewise, bareback riding in sitting trot can help you, because you learn not to rely on your styrupps and saddle for balance and you learn to centralize yourself and feel what is going on with your horse and how he is moving.

Long answer for you there, hope it helps!

[Rebecca_Silver]

Help I'm soooo scared to canter and every time I ride I feel nervous that the horse might spook again! ( Last week Murphy a cob I ride spooked and I fell of.) Got any advise?

[megs2245]

Well on Friday I know I'm only 11 but I had a fall that is probably my 15'Th fall and it really hurt but I have got back on and rode in a canter and I was fine and I couldn't canter before I had that fall and I did it I was amazed so I just did a sitting trot to start and I did that to feel what it was like to canter and I tried to canter and it felt awesome you've just got to get all of Ur horses energy out and lunge it so your horse can't do much at that point and just try or try it on a lunge rein or lead rein if you feel safer like that
Hope it works