Julie Goodnight s Tips for Riding a Horse: How to Ride a Horse at the Canter Fix fears of loping and the canter departure; then learn how to cue your horse for collection.
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Follow these tips for confidence at the lope, as well as trouble-free transitions to the canter and collected canter. Adapted from articles by Julie Goodnight and Jennifer Forsberg Meyer Clinician Julie Goodnight has made a specialty of dealing with fearful riders. She addresses fear issues in her books, videos and website articles, as well as in her horsemanship clinics. She says riders struggling with fear shouldn t feel alone. It s a much bigger issue than people realize, she observes. Riding is a macho endeavor, and no one wants to talk about being afraid. At my fear management clinics, I find there s no predictable profile of a fearful rider in terms of age, sex or ability level. People do have different points at which their fear kicks in, and the lope/canter is one of the most common. That s because it s the fastest and most powerful of the three gaits, and has the most suspension. It s also the gait that can trigger a horse s flight response. At liberty, horses practice their flight response by taking off, tail in the air, bucking and playing. A canter can be the first step into the flight response, and fearful riders are acutely aware of this, she notes. Typically their fear falls into one of two categories. The first is post-traumatic, resulting from being bucked off at the lope, run away with or some other mishap. The other is generalized anxiety worry over any of the things that could Work at the walk and jog helps prepare you to lope. Use these gaits to polish your position, balance and relaxation, moving on to the lope only when you re ready. possibly go wrong at the lope. The latter type of fear tends to become more pronounced as people age. The good news is that both types of fear can be overcome. In the case of post-traumatic fear, you may never erase the fear memory that s lodged in your brain, but you can learn to override it with training and practice. Most fear of the lope, though, is Take a deep breath just before you ask for the lope; then, as you ask, exhale. At the lope, synchronize your breathing to the movement and find the rhythm that works for you. general-anxiety related: Riders playing out what if scenarios in their head. Once you learn to pay more attention to your riding, rather than allowing yourself to focus on your fear, you begin overcoming your anxieties. It just takes time and practice. It always amazes me how many people want so desperately to ride and be with horses, in spite of their H o r s e & R i d e r M a g a z i n e F i l e P h o t o s 3
overpowering fear or after a bad accident or injury, Goodnight continues. There is a deeply rooted passion there that keeps you motivated even though the fear is sometimes crippling. That is why it is always important to think about why you are doing this what is your purpose? Passion? Fulfilling a life-long dream? Enjoying an activity with your spouse? Whatever your purpose is, you need to define it and embrace it. Purpose leads to courage. There s an old saying in horsemanship: The best way to improve the canter is to improve the trot. In other words, you can accomplish much at the trot and unless and until your horse is working really well at the trot, there s no point in asking for the canter. The same things goes for you if you work on improving your riding skills at the trot, it will prepare you better for the canter. So work on posting and the sitting trot; do lots of transitions collected trot, extended trot. Trot figures like circles, serpentines and figure-eights. You may even want to start working on lateral movements, like leg yielding at the walk and trot before you tackle canter. When you can do all these things confidently, the canter will be easy. When all the stars are aligned and you feel like it s ready to tackle the canter, I can share a few things with you that may help, Goodnight offers. First, make sure you know and understand the canter cue, so you can be clear to your horse. When you haven t cantered a horse for some time, he isn t thinking about a canter cue and so he may go into a H o r s e & R i d e r M a g a z i n e F i l e P h o t o s fast trot instead of a canter. If he does, slow him down firmly and immediately ask for the canter again, as if to say, Wrong answer; try again. Repeat until he canters on cue. Once he realizes that you actually want him to canter, the cue will get easier. Confidence at the lope is all about position. In this photo, the rider is sitting upright, with her seat bones deep in the saddle and her shoulders back. Here, the rider is demonstrating a classic mistake: leaning forward and allowing her leg to slip back. Make absolutely certain you do not pull back on the reins when you cue for the canter; in fact, you ll want to reach up toward his ears as you cue him. One of the first things that happens in the canter departure is that your horse s head will drop down as he launches himself into the gait if he hits the bit at this moment, he will think you do not want him to canter. This is a HUGE source of problems at the canter; people are pulling back without realizing it, especially if they are nervous about it. It is a very frustrating problem for the horse because you are punishing him for doing what you asked him to do. At the lope strike-off, nervous riders tend to tip forward, which puts their shoulders in front of their hips, closes the angle of their hip and thigh, and sets them up for stiffness and bouncing. This is especially problematic, Goodnight says, because there s a moment in the canter stride where your shoulders should actually be behind your hips. If you re leaning forward, you ll be thrown up and out of the saddle at this point, when instead you should be leaning back as when pushing a swing. To help her students avoid leaning, she tells them to think about sitting a little behind the vertical to compensate. It sets them up to be able to follow the horse s motion and stay relaxed, she says. Go straight for balance. Many nervous riders ride the lope only in circles, believing it gives them greater control. But Goodnight suggests a straight line has its own advantages. 44
It s often hard for a horse to maintain his balance on a circle, especially a smaller one, and that can set him up to break stride, or speed up, or do other things that will rattle the rider, she says. Instead, try asking for the lope down the long side of your arena. Lope straight for three or four strides, then come back down to a walk, then pick up the lope again. Advance to where you re loping all the way down the long side, then walking or jogging through the corners. Eventually you ll find yourself loping through the corners, as well, which will prepare you to lope smoother, more fluid circles. Control your eyes. As you lope, look in the direction you re heading, not down at your horse s poll, Goodnight says. Fear can cause you to stare down, even to the point that your eyes glaze over. When that happens, you lose focus on anything except your fear. Instead, look where you re going and plan your route; it keeps your mind positively engaged and edges out the fear. As a bonus, looking where you want to go signals your intention to your horse and impresses him with your leadership. He can feel when you turn even slightly to look, and he ll follow your lead, moving naturally in that direction, says Goodnight. When you look down, you give up your status as the leader and signal that you re afraid. Sing a song. Another way to keep your mind off your fear, Goodnight suggests, is to talk out loud to your horse or sing a song. This is a standard trick I use with my lesson students, she says. Talking or singing engages your mind with something playful, forces you to keep breathing, and goes a long way toward counteracting your fear. One more thought on working up the courage to canter: Try it first in a Western saddle, Goodnight says. Even if you plan to ride English, getting confidence with the gait will be easier in a Western saddle since you have the horn to hold onto if necessary and a little more support than in an English saddle. Take all the help you can get. Once you gain some confidence, you can switch back to an English saddle. Equine Fear of the Canter Departure Horses, too, can be fearful of the lope or canter. Some have been hurt so many times during the canter departure by the rider hitting him them in the mouth and slamming down on their backs that they become emotional train wrecks when asked for this gait. These horses throw their heads up in the air and run off in fear of the pain they re sure is coming. It s a selfdefeating behavior that soon becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for the horse, because it causes the rider to stiffen and hold the reins tighter, which in turn causes the rider to hit the horse in the mouth and back. Before starting on a training solution, rule out any physical cause for the problem. Check for any saddle, chiropractic and/or lameness issues. Have your veterinarian or another qualified professional examine your horse for any lameness, chiropractic or saddle-fit issues. Before trying any training fix, rule out saddle-fit issues and other physical problems. Three-Step Fix When you ve ruled out any physical cause, you can look to a training solution. Here s my three-step fix to cure a horse that s scared and reactive during the canter departure. Step 1: Perform trot exercises. Work your horse at the trot until you can trot on a totally loose rein with his head down at a slow, steady speed. Step 2: Give the canter cue. Next, give the canter cue softly and in slow motion. To give the cue, apply your outside leg, lift your inside hand slightly and then push with your seat, leaving the reins loose. If your horse throws his head up in the air and takes off, just let him go. H e i d i N y l a n d 5
H e i d i N y l a n d Before asking your horse to collect, you ll need steady hands and a steady frame. Then gently and slowly pick up on the inside rein to bring him gradually onto a large circle, which will discourage his speed. Continue at the canter until he slows down and relaxes; then let him come back to a nice easy trot. Step 3: Repeat on loose rein. Repeat this exercise on a loose rein again and again until your horse learns to trust that his mouth won t be hurt in the transition to the canter. Once he trusts you, he ll lose his fear of the transition. Troubleshooting tip: If this problem is an ingrained pattern in both horse and rider, it can be difficult to overcome. It ll help if your horse can learn the correct response from a skilled rider. If you have solid riding skills and confidence riding at speed, continue working with your horse. Otherwise, consult the Certified Horsemanship Association for a qualified instructor in your area: www.cha-ahse.org. Collection at the Canter Once your horse knows how to give to the bit and pick the canter up comfortably on cue, you ve laid the proper foundation for collection at that gait. Before You Begin Collection at the canter is an advanced training technique. Before asking your horse to collect, you ll need to be able to sit the trot and canter well, feeling the rhythm of the gait in your seat and legs. You ll need steady hands and you ll need to learn to use your reins in an alternating rhythm, in timing with both your seat and legs and your horse s hind legs. You should be able to work your horse on a loose rein in an extended frame or on a short rein in a collected frame at the walk and trot, and have him maintain a steady speed, rhythm and frame. Step-by-Step Collection Technique In the following steps, I ll explain how to ask for collection, and how to know when you get the desired response so that you can reward your horse for his efforts with a release of bit pressure. Step 1: Reward give. Start at the walk. You ll feel your hips moving in a side-to-side action, which causes your leg to close alternately and rhythmically (R-L-R-L) on your horse s sides. Relax the reins as soon as your horse makes an effort to give to the bit, whether he s giving laterally (to the side) or vertically (bringing his nose into his chest). This release will reward your horse for his efforts (all any horse wants is less pressure on his mouth) and will teach him self-carriage. Step 2: Collect his frame. To collect your horse, begin at the walk. Feel the rhythm in your seat and legs. Then increase the rhythm in a driving fashion, and add small squeezes with your fingers, alternating R-L-R-L, using the same side hand as leg. Your seat and legs will keep your horse moving forward while your hands apply resistance to his front end with alternating pressure, causing him to shorten his frame. Note: As you perform this step, your horse must find a small amount of slack when he makes the slightest effort to collect. Also, you must time your hands with your seat and legs. When done properly, your horse will hold himself in this frame. Repeat this step at the trot; then, finally, the canter. Step 3: Keep it short. At the canter, ask your horse to collect for just a few strides at first. As soon you as you feel him relax into the 6
Julie Goodnight and her beloved gelding Dually frame, release him. Keep in mind the old axiom, All of training occurs in transitions. It s in the asking and your horse s compliance that training occurs. This ask-release process rewards your horse for his responsiveness. Asking your horse to hold short stretches repeatedly will condition him for collected work. Working in a collected frame is difficult for him, particularly if he isn t especially well-built for it. It takes time to condition the neck, back and abdominal muscles that he uses to elevate his back and bring his hind end underneath him. If he throws his head and hollows out his frame as you work on collection exercises, it may be simply because his neck and back muscles hurt. This is why it s important to gradually build up the amount of time that you ask him to hold the frame. If you ask him to hold the frame too long before he s ready, he ll become uncomfortable and resistant. Step 4: Stay light. If you re light and responsive to your horse s efforts, you can teach him to carry himself in whatever frame you ask of him. This may sound like a simple concept, but I ve found that most riders have difficulty with the release. They continue to apply pressure to the reins even after the horse gives. I think this is in an effort to maintain direct contact, but it s typically done without feel. Therefore, the horse gives in some small way, but doesn t know that he s done the right thing, since he doesn t find a release. He ll continue to search for relief from bit pressure. By and large, horses will gladly hold whatever frame you want if they know that in doing so, you ll release bit pressure. H e i d i N y l a n d Julie Goodnight has a varied background ranging from dressage and jumping to racing, reining, colt-starting and wilderness riding. She teaches Classic Skills for a Natural Ride and travels extensively to film her award-winning television show, Horse Master, as well as to appear at horse expos, conferences and clinics. Her training and teaching techniques are frequent features in such magazines as Horse & Rider and The Trail Rider. In 2008 she was named Equine Affaire s Exceptional Equestrian Educator. Visit juliegoodnight.com. Credits Julie Goodnight s Tips for Riding a Horse: How to Ride a Horse at the Canter This report is brought to you by the editors of EquiSearch.com, HorseLink magazine and juliegoodnight.com. 7