26/09/2025
I am afraid to canter on my horse 💔
I don`t want to fall and get hurt 😖
I am not afraid of my horse, but I just can`t enjoy cantering 🤷♀️
If this is you, you are not alone and should not feel ANY SHAME OVER IT!
Honestly, if you don't feel like you can enjoy cantering your horse, you are probably not wrong, and I would probably not canter it myself! 🙌
I remember being a kid taking riding lessons, seeing the adult ride, and wondering why they were > to canter their horse? It took me many years, and numerous bad decisions of pushing horses into cantering when I should NOT have, to realize why this was really going on. 🫣
Riding a canter on a balanced, supple, and strong horse is as easy as walking. 🧘♀️
Cantering an unbalanced, stiff, and weak body horse is worse than trying to remain on a unicycle while balancing a piece of a 2 by 4 straight in front of you. I am not even joking here; it is a pending accident. 🤦♀️
For the amount of time I've been asked to a horse who, the second I sat on, was barely able to support his movement at a walk and trot, I can tell you that most of you out there feeling less than other to not canter your horse, are not scare, or stupid, but smart!
➡️You are mainly more aware of your horse's body capacities than others.
Because a canter you get from kicking a horse until it into its canter, is worth nothing. 🚫 Honestly, it is not even going to make a positive impact on that say horse, because you will train the wrong muscle group.😣
If the movement had been easy, the response to take the canter would have been smooth. If you don’t have smooth, that means the horse his currently not equipped with the suppleness and the body strength he needs to support himself and you as a passage into that gaith.
People take for granted that if their horse canter in the field, they can do it with equipment and a human on top, while controlling the speed and turning, and if they don`t, the horse was not paying attention or was stubborn. 🤦♀️
Well, this is not the case.
The amount of time that I have this conversation with riders, then sit on their horse and look at the rider saying: You know what?, I would not canter this horse either! Is about 95% of the time! ❤️🩹
PS**I will state that it took me a certain amount of time to build my personal courage to tell my riders that, without shaming myself for not even trying to canter their horse, but claiming I am a professional.
However, reminding myself that I am doing what I do FOR THE HORSE. Not me made me shift my perspective.
So, to serve those horse better, and their rider, this is what I needed to say and then we need to start the process of evaluating what his going wrong for this horse at this moment, so that we can build what is needed for you both to enjoy cantering.
On this, I hope my little story finds you well. I see every day people cantering/looping horses, I would not, and it`s not because I am scared of them. If the horse does not have the capacity to do so well, I, and neither will the horse enjoy it, so then, what's the point!?
PPS**If you and your horse would like some help on what you need to work on to be able to enjoyed a nice balance canter send me a PM today ;)