Once you can safely walk and trot on your horse with good balance and control, you are ready to learn how to canter. Cantering is a three-beat gait that is faster than trotting and produces more of a rolling motion than an up-and-down motion. It’s always a good idea to learn how to canter on a well-schooled horse. It will be much safer, you’ll learn faster, and you’ll enjoy your experience more!

Canter Aids

In order to get your horse to canter, you need to know how to ask him. If he understands you, you’ll be off and running before you know it!

Before you ask you horse to canter, sit deep and tall, and pay attention to the length of your reins. You reins should be short enough so that you can pull your horse in if things get out of control. However, make sure the reins are not too short, otherwise you risk pulling on your horse’s mouth.

Let your horse know you are getting ready to ask him something by giving him a few quick leg squeezes. Allow him to speed up to a fast walk or a slow sitting trot. Don’t let him get into to fast a trot, otherwise he may misunderstand your cues and just work at a faster and faster trot without ever breaking into a canter. And be sure that you don’t post. That will really confuse him.

When you are ready, give your signal for the canter. The aid is simple. Just move your outside leg back a few inches and squeeze his side. Make sure your hands are nice and relaxed so your horse can jump into the canter. Don’t pull back on the reins when your horse starts to canter, or he will stop. If your horse is lazy or slow you may have to be pretty firm with your leg. Some school horses are also used to voice commands such as clucking or even the word “canter.”

Riding the Canter

The canter will feel much different than the side-to-side motion of the walk or the up-and-down motion of the trot. The canter is more of a smooth (hopefully!) rocking motion. It is imperative that you sit while your horse is cantering. Don’t stand up as you would in the trot, and try not to bounce. You can help cut down on bouncing by sitting deep and tall and relaxed. Take a deep breath and just let your seat rock with the motion of your horse. Don’t fight it.

Transitioning Back to the Trot

As fun as cantering is, at some point you are going to want to transition back to the trot, and then finally to a walk.

To prepare for your transition, take a deep breath and sit nice and tall.

Squeeze, then relax, your hands on the reins. Do this gently at first, and then more firmly if your horse doesn’t clue in. When all is said and done, you should squeeze as firmly as you need to in order for your horse to come back down into the trot. Using a quiet voice command like “trot” is also a good habit to get into. Don’t yank on your horse’s mouth. Instead, ease him gently from canter to trot.

When you have finally brought your horse into the trot, it’s time to bring him from the trot to the walk. Post for a few steps, and then go into the sitting trot. Sit tall and deep, and take another deep breath. Again, squeeze with your hands until your horse slows to the walk. The amount that you will need to squeeze will depend upon your horse.