Cantering milestone!

[Kuiken]

I FINALLY was able to get into canter in my riding lessons yesterday and keep it (and my stirrups) for about half a lap around the arena! 

 

At the start of this year, I had several bad falls from a canter and was never able to keep my heels down, my seat balanced, etc...-switched instructors around July, but now I had developed a terrible fear of cantering.  New instructor took my stirrups away, made me do lunge work, etc...for weeks to get my balance/confidence back and we've only been trying to canter in the past few weeks.  Initially I was terrfied and would freeze up and miss all the cues-like I would seriously have a mini-panic attack riding into it.  BUT I spent a lot of time on YouTube watching videos, counting in my head to focus on the gait change instead of my fear, and doing some serious deep breathing, then BAM!  Was able to do the transistion yesterday without losing my feet or my head!  Can't say that my form was 100%, but I'm getting there! 

 

Also Eli the super horse was a big factor in my success-seriously helps to be on a paitent horse.  He totally earned his apple yesterday!

 

So yeah, did something that was scary for me, and it actually worked out much better than I expected!  Time to start finding a fear to face every day!

 

 

[Vian]

Awesome job! I loved taking riding lessons when I was a teenager, wish I could still do it. I remember how excited I was the first time I got a somewhat stubborn horse to canter one full lap around the arena at a steady pace. It's totally not as easy as it looks! Keep it up!

[Kuiken]

Awesome job! I loved taking riding lessons when I was a teenager, wish I could still do it. I remember how excited I was the first time I got a somewhat stubborn horse to canter one full lap around the arena at a steady pace. It's totally not as easy as it looks! Keep it up!

 

Thanks!  We also have one of those stubborn horses and I managed to get him to make half a lap cantering around the areana during my last lesson (my calves gave up at some point).  My forms slowly getting better, but yeah-a lot of work concealed in very little obvious movement for the rider!