Advice on riding

[Juliaa]

Haha, I'm new to this forum and I've got so many things on my mind when it comes to my riding

I've been riding for about a year on a horse I'm loaning, she's a pretty forward 15hh mare, pretty strong and loves to please, I struggled to get her into canter, but when I learnt (from trial and error) that half halt was the key I never struggled again :')

However I just started taking lessons, and whenever I ride a new horse I always ride awfully but then adjust to it pretty easily the next time round, but this time I was riding a 17hh horse with a springy trot and a big mover! What felt like fast was actually slow... and I couldn't get him into a more active trot, might be because I was a lil nervous myself.

But the problem I had was with canter, when I sat to ask, It was pointed out to me that I arch my back and also he's the type that doesn't respond to light nudges or squeezes but you have to kick and kick and kick... use the crop... (he still doesn't respond to that sometimes ) but when I do those pony kicks to ask for canter it just makes me loose my sitting trot and my foot slips into the stirrups...

Just a hot mess.

Also I wish I could attach a video but I noticed a move my arms a lot, in a way that it's following the horses head so I'm not shaking them nor really messy it's just following the horses head but looks really exaggerated, and it looks just wrong! I see so many riders who have the arms completely still so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right or wrong.

Many thanks

{edit:}

I'm not sure how to upload a video onto here from an iPhone so I uploaded it onto Vimeo, it's the video where I noticed me being horrible with my arms, feel free to comment on the video as I learn from this

(Sorry for the bad quality)

 

[Skib]

For me the secret of getting a new or RS horse to canter (which is part of every assessment test in the UK) rests on what goes before. Before you sit the trot you need to prepare the trot - may be half the length of the school. On this horse you might use more leg. Have contact on the reins but increase the power of the trot. When you ask for that sort of trot most horses know it is going to lead to canter. Then when you sit, take care not to slow down the trot. The horse is now in a situation where it understands that canter is coming. And has the power in its movement to be able to carry out the instruction.

Then by all means give the horse a good kick to go into canter - but if the horse understand that canter is coming and the trot has been prepared, it shouldnt be so hard. And once you have given the cue, allow the horse to respond and go forwards - We were told to picture the horse flowing forward between our knees.Soften your hands and relax - dont worry if your hands flap a bit - that is better than stiffening and holding the horse back. You can adjust your hands and small details later.

 

[Juliaa]

For me the secret of getting a new or RS horse to canter (which is part of every assessment test in the UK) rests on what goes before. Before you sit the trot you need to prepare the trot - may be half the length of the school. On this horse you might use more leg. Have contact on the reins but increase the power of the trot. When you ask for that sort of trot most horses know it is going to lead to canter. Then when you sit, take care not to slow down the trot. The horse is now in a situation where it understands that canter is coming. And has the power in its movement to be able to carry out the instruction.

Then by all means give the horse a good kick to go into canter - but if the horse understand that canter is coming and the trot has been prepared, it shouldnt be so hard. And once you have given the cue, allow the horse to respond and go forwards - We were told to picture the horse flowing forward between our knees.Soften your hands and relax - dont worry if your hands flap a bit - that is better than stiffening and holding the horse back. You can adjust your hands and small details later.

Well now that youve mentioned that establishing a good trot is the key to canter i realised that i wasnt able to get him into an active forward going trot, possibly because I was holding back.

But next time round I'll hopefully do much better as I've gotten the gist of what the problem is.

Thanks!

 

[Skib]

Dont misunderstand - What I meant is not having an active trot in general or for a long distance, but creating a specially active tort with some rein contact (to bunch the horse up a bit) just previous to asking for canter. I may start asking for that trot half way down the long side of the school about 20 m. before I am going to canter.
If you find it hard to get this active trot, riding a lot of walk trot transitions will get the horse listening and active and get his hind legs under, ready for that kind of trot and then canter.
Riding a fast trot long distance round and round the school is something different - in fact if you ride a trot too far and too fast with the horse's neck stretched out forward, it is almost impossible to get a canter. It is called running into canter and if the horse trots like that, you need to slow it and may be even come back to walk and try again.
Every horse varies - So if one method doesnt work, one has to think out another. Riding school horses often know the words for walk trot and canter , so approaching the corner, I sometimes even tell the horse yes we are going to canter, and if it doesnt respond to my cue, I tell it, "Canter".

 

[Juliaa]

Dont misunderstand - What I meant is not having an active trot in general or for a long distance, but creating a specially active tort with some rein contact (to bunch the horse up a bit) just previous to asking for canter. I may start asking for that trot half way down the long side of the school about 20 m. before I am going to canter.
If you find it hard to get this active trot, riding a lot of walk trot transitions will get the horse listening and active and get his hind legs under, ready for that kind of trot and then canter.
Riding a fast trot long distance round and round the school is something different - in fact if you ride a trot too far and too fast with the horse's neck stretched out forward, it is almost impossible to get a canter. It is called running into canter and if the horse trots like that, you need to slow it and may be even come back to walk and try again.
Every horse varies - So if one method doesnt work, one has to think out another. Riding school horses often know the words for walk trot and canter , so approaching the corner, I sometimes even tell the horse yes we are going to canter, and if it doesnt respond to my cue, I tell it, "Canter".

Oh I see what you mean
With the mare I loan I have to make sure she isn't "running" so I'll use my half half to balance her, when she runs when someone else rides her you can hear a "click" sound where her back foot has overeached and kicked the front one.

But since I just started to riding other horses it's become hard to adjust and using more leg.

Thanks for the advice!