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Post by neighlass on Mar 12, 2009 12:47:33 GMT
Just been reading up on cantering and it keeps talking about making sure it is on the whatever leg etc. Can someone explain this to me please?  |
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Post by spotti on Mar 12, 2009 13:16:13 GMT
Canter is a 3-beat gait i.e. the horse's rhythm goes in 3 beats (I always forget the actual combination of feet that touch the floor at once, but there is never more than 3 but is occasionally just 1). Because of the 3-beat rhythm, the horse must have a 'leading leg' i.e. the front foot it puts down first - this 'leading leg' is the leg that people talk about. Being on the 'correct' leg doesn't matter too much if you're just going straight, but if you're turning a corner, you want the inside leg (the one on the inside of the bend) to be the 'leading leg' as it allows the horse to balance - try running around a corner and consciously use the 'wrong' leg to put your weight on as you turn and you will notice how unbalanced it feels. Now imagine having a rider on your back while still feeling unbalanced...that's how the horse feels when going around a corner on the wrong leg...it's all about balance. By being on the 'correct leg', the horse can support his weight through the bend and feel balanced whilst turning the corner. I think if you're just learning canter for the first time then I wouldn't worry too much about the 'right leg', just get the feel of the canter and enjoy it! You never know, Major might be an old hand this canter malarky and sort his own legs out for you! I've probably not done a great job of explaining that have I? I'm sure someone else can do better, but I hope that helped a litte  *modified because I spoke absolute twoddle before lol |
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Post by neighlass on Mar 12, 2009 13:20:31 GMT
Aaaah that is making sense already  , I will go and read the thread I was trying to read with that in mind... How do you ensure that you ask at the right time for that leg to be leading? Is it just getting to know your horse and how he feels when moving as to knowing when the right leg is forward (leading)? (Hope that made sense  ). I will go re-read the thread and get back to you to see if I understand it now |
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Post by spotti on Mar 12, 2009 13:35:14 GMT
I think a lot of it comes down to experience and feel (the more you do it, the easier it is to tell if you got it right or not without having to look) but I think its the way you ask that determines which leg goes infront... *coming from someone who hasn't cantered in well over a year and even when I did canter, we sort of just followed the one in front so isn't very good at canter aids lol* If you are turning left, so want the left lead, you need to keep your left leg on the girth, put weight in your left seatbone and slide your right leg slightly behind the girth and squeeze and you SHOULD get the left canter lead. Like I said, not cantered in over a year and was never very good at the aids anyway so I could be wrong! |
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Post by Becca on Mar 12, 2009 14:05:25 GMT
Horses well usually pick up the correct leg if you ask on a bend, but like people many of them have a prefered leg. I was always taught the basic idea is to slide your outside leg back slightly when you squeeze for canter as it will encourage the outside hind to push up into the canter (this may not be technically correct, i am thinking back a few years to my last lesson ) easiest way to tell the first few times is to clance down (naughty i know) you will see the inside leg reaches further forward, once you learn to recognise it you will begin to feel when it is wrong |
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Post by fimacg on Mar 12, 2009 14:18:07 GMT
I can't really add much more to the above, but if I am ever unsure of the leading leg I glance down and you should be able to see one leg more clearly than the other, thats the leading leg, and it should always be on the inside.
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Post by duckles on Mar 12, 2009 14:56:40 GMT
Spotti- for someone who hasn't cantered in a year, I think you did the explainations really well.
Neighlass, a lot of people recommend cantering as you go into a corner as the horse and rider will be positioned in a way that will help the correct lead. My advice would be to keep hands nice and quiet, don't tip forward and keep the inside leg firmly on the girth and the outside leg back, but all the time sitting upright. If you look toward the inside direction it would help as well.
As Spotti says, I wouldn't worry too much about the correct lead at the moment, Major sounds a good horse who will help you out and indeed, possibly go back to trot if he is unbalanced on the incorrect lead. As Fi says, you can see the leading leg from the shoulder and you will also learn to feel if its correct or not.
And believe it or not once you have mastered all this, you will then go on to learn counter canter which is deliberately cantering on the wrong lead!!!
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Post by spotti on Mar 12, 2009 17:00:32 GMT
Ha ha ha - thanks duckles! To be honest, I know the theory behind lots of riding-related stuff, even know the aids for some fancy dressage moves, but if you asked me to do it then I wouldn't stand a chance! I think that in my life I've had about 5 riding lessons...most of those were when I was little and they only got to rising trot (never how to get the horse to trot in the first place mind you). Cantering I sort of picked up by doing it. Galloping came second nature to me and I think I'd be quite good at jumping as I have (atleast used to have) a really secure lower leg and good balance out of the saddle. Everything after rising trot I sort of figured out myself...so if I know something and it's actually the right way to do it (and not just my way ) then that's a bonus!!!!! |
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Post by fleabitten on Mar 12, 2009 19:25:09 GMT
All the above advice agreed with!
Neighlass - I have always been taught to ask in a corner and whichever direction you are going the horse will pick up on the right leg for that direction. For instance, if you were going in a circle to the left then the inside foreleg will be reaching furtherest forwards. So basically all you have to do is go into sitting trot for a few beats and then squeeze on with both legs, looking where you want to go and sitting tall and the horse should canter on the correct leg for the direction youre going in. Some horses find it difficult to canter on a certain leg so I would advise getting an instructors help to work on any cantering problems.
On a hack I dont really care what leg you canter on but you should try to have canters on both legs - some horses are easy to get to canter on any given leg but others you might have to practice - I would get an instructor to teach you how to do this as I dont know myself. But generally, you just go onto a bend or circle to ensure you get the right leg.
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Post by neighlass on Mar 12, 2009 22:29:34 GMT
Thanks for all of the advice guys, I woudnt attempt it on my own but am no sure at what point my RI will introduce me to it and would like to have some thoughts in my head to keep me going! Will let you know when I get to try it |
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Post by fleabitten on Mar 13, 2009 15:50:16 GMT
;D Youll probably not do it for a while yet - I worked on trot a whole lot; you might have to practice trotting without stirrups and sitting trot with stirrups (although this is quite hard, but I can do it now on most horses) My RI also got us to do riding with one hand and without reins at the trot.
Funnily enough, we actually learned how to jump before we learned how to canter - if I was the RI I would get all the flatwork basics in first! lol!
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Post by neighlass on Mar 13, 2009 20:15:02 GMT
Hehe I think you are right, I just like to read up on stuff and if I can research into stuff then it wont be so strange when I attempt it! Thank you for the advice |
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Post by maximum on Mar 15, 2009 21:37:41 GMT
Just to really confuse you the 'leading leg' is actually the last leg to leave the ground!!
the sequence of legs in canter is outside hind leg, then inside hind and outside for together as a diagonal pair then the inside fore. The inside leg doesnt actually go further forward but because it is a split second later it looks as though it does so a quick glance down will confirm this.
The reason we put our outside leg back is that you are saying 'ok strike off with that hind leg matey'
While most horses do prefer to be bending to the inside I have found that is a horse is always on the wrong strike off then bending it to the outside can help as it opens up the inside shoulder. When you ask for the canter make sure you are not leaning over the inside shoulder. so ofetn you see people almost leaning over the front shoulder to look and the poor horse cant pick its shoulder up off the ground!! think of the horses four legs as the four corners of a raft, if you put the weight onto the outside leg ( i.e the back outside float) it allows the inside front to come up.
As to knowing whether its the correct leg or not, it will come in time and eventually you can feel if a horse is about to strike off on the wrong leg before he actually does.
A good way is to watch horses working - go to youtube- and ask yourself if they are on the correct or incorrect lead. ( I dont say right as it gets confusing with left and right and right and wrong!)
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Post by spotti on Mar 16, 2009 10:18:24 GMT
Ooh, now that's interesting! I always thought the 'leading leg was the one that 'lead'...but apparently not! I've learnt something new today  |
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Post by spotti on Mar 16, 2009 18:45:49 GMT
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Post by neighlass on Mar 16, 2009 19:08:46 GMT
Ooooh thank you!! will have a gander at that later after my tea !  ) |
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Post by maximum on Mar 17, 2009 14:12:16 GMT
ooh spotti am stealing that for pony club dismounted rallies! much better than my matchstick horse drawings!!
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Post by spotti on Mar 17, 2009 19:48:37 GMT
Good old comparative anatomy lectures 'eh?!? I thought it was rather good...having the leg they're talking about in bold is very helpful!
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