In trot, the rider uses his leg aids at the same time and in unison. In canter, it gets a bit more difficult because the legs lie in a different position on the horse's belly and they are used in a different rhythm than in the other gaits: The inner leg stays on the girth and the outside leg goes behind the girth.
Some horses find it easier to trot. These horses tend to have long, swinging strides with hind legs that step well underneath the body. Some horses prefer the canter. These horses tend to be more short-coupled and enjoy the bouncy jump associated with this gait.
The canter is a controlled three-beat gait that is usually a bit faster than the average trot, but slower than the gallop. The average speed of a canter is 16–27 km/h (10–17 mph), depending on the length of the stride of the horse.
Cantering is a fun riding gait that comes after the trot. If you're a beginner, you may find sitting the canter somewhat difficult. It can feel awkward at first to position your body in a way that allows you to move with the rhythm of your horse.
How long it takes for you to get to this step depends entirely upon your particular circumstances, but generally you should be cantering in under two months or so. The canter will feel fast at first, and you may bounce because you are tense. Try to relax your hips and sit as deep into your saddle as you can.
For many, a horse's canter can be a hard gait to ride. There's a lurching transition, an increase in speed, and (for some horses more than others) a canter can feel more like a high-speed wobble than the “rocking horse” motion books use to describe it.
In canter, it gets a bit more difficult because the legs lie in a different position on the horse's belly and they are used in a different rhythm than in the other gaits: The inner leg stays on the girth and the outside leg goes behind the girth.
If you're worried about hard ground and the effect this could have on your horse, try to limit or avoid cantering on it where possible, we recommend maintaining a slower-paced gait - walk or trot, so the force going through your horse's joints isn't as strong.
So per minute of exercise, trotting (at 3.5m/s or 210m/min or 7.8mph or 12.6kph) uses 2.3 times as much energy as walking (1.5m/s or 90m/min or 3.4mph or 5.4kph) and slow cantering (7m/s or 420m/min or 15.7mph or 25.3kph) uses up to twice as much energy per minute compared with trotting.
If you're going around the arena in the left direction, your horse's front left leg should lead at the canter. If you're going around to the right, your horse's front right leg should lead. To make it simple—your horse's inside foreleg should always be leading at the canter.
1. Dressage. Originating from the French word for training, dressage is one of the most difficult disciplines in English riding.
Bucking into canter isn't uncommon in young horses. This is mostly because they lose their balance when making the transition. They feel unbalanced and insecure, and may buck out of nervousness or self-preservation – after all, bucking is better than falling over.
Riding the circle will help her maintain a steady tempo. Once she can maintain a circle, do a circle and then canter several strides down the long side and begin another circle. Always take care not to wait too long before going on a circle so that you don't end up causing her to revert to her previous behavior.
Bouncing in a canter can be because your stirrups are at the wrong length. When the stirrups are too long, you end up reaching for them which leaves your lower legs less stable. This can cause you to grip with your thighs and knees which makes for the bouncing movement.
Stretch your calf muscles and sink your weight down into your heels, so you end up sitting “in” the saddle rather than “on” the saddle. Any amount of rigidity or stiffness in your lower back will also prevent you from sitting the canter.
The canter and gallop are variations on the fastest gait that can be performed by a horse or other equine. The canter is a controlled three-beat gait, while the gallop is a faster, four-beat variation of the same gait.
Losing Stirrups While Cantering
Another problem is the loss of stirrups while cantering. This is commonly caused by the rider gripping with the leg in an upwards motion which brings the weight out of the stirrup. Sometimes the toes of the rider also point out to the sides.
Posting the canter, or other exaggerations on the horse, are more than likely tie breakers. If I have two similar rounds and one of those riders produces that round without posting the canter, he would go ahead of the rider with the similar round that relies on posting the canter to put the horse in front of the legs.
Some horses make a fluttering noise with their nostrils as they breathe, often synchronizing each breath with a cantering stride. This pleasant sound doesn't signal any problems with the horse's airway.
How long can a horse canter? A steady, three-beat canter clocks in at around 10-17 miles per hour for most horses. As for how long it can last, a very fit endurance horse can last maybe seven miles or so. That said, most riding horses can't go anywhere close to that long.