Slowing down in canter

[xxxhorsegirlxxx]

Jester is quite a fast horse, especially in canter. So how can I slow him down and collect him more?

He is also a fast horse on a hack and today he didn't want to come back down to trot. He kinda scared me - it was the first time I'd cantered him on a hack because I had a feeling that he wouldn't slow down! So what can I do to stop him?

[kaitlyndzn]

i have the same problem!!! i still do sometimes but it helps to sit really deep and relax as best you can...while trotting talk to him and just remind him to slow...sit if you have to...you may be tensing without knowing...i think i do.

[xxxhorsegirlxxx]

Yeah I think I do tense a lot!! Could be the problem!
But it's not so much a problem in trot even though he does speed up on a hack. But I can stop him in trot. It's harder in canter!

[BriLeigh]

A ton of half halting. You don't want to be continuously pulling on his mouth to make him slow down. Just half halt even when he is just going a little too fast. Sit deep, talk to him, and squeeze your outside rein a little with some leg. If you practice getting him to slow down this way at home in an arena then he should get the hint lol

[Chester]

Watch the second video in this thread

Found an interesting video

[horseguy]

it helps to sit really deep and relax as best you can...

Sitting deep will help a horse balance fore to hind (front to back) and this improved balance helps a horse relax and slow down. Many horses that are “fast” are merely falling forward into their forehand. This is like when you are walking down a sidewalk and trip on a crack and “fall” forward. The imbalance of tripping makes you go faster forward until you regain your balance. This is how horses feel when they are unbalanced on the forehand.

So, sitting deep will bring the hind legs under your horse and balance him so he feels more relaxed. This will allow him to canter more slowly in a relaxed manner. Just be sure not to bounce in the saddle in the canter because bouncing will drive the horse forward. Ultimately you want to be able to “sink” into your horse and rotate your hips in the 1-2-3 beat of the canter, and then slow the rotation of your hips ever so slightly so your hip movement is working in a subtle way against the tempo of the canter 1-2-3 beat. This is the best way to slow a horse’s canter, but it is more advanced.

Most green riders treat the reins like “brakes” and haul on the bit to slow their horse’s canter. This can actually speed up a horse because the horse will often lean into the bit and experience that “on the forehand” imbalance that causes them to “fall” forward. If you use the reins to slow you horse at he canter try hard to use them briefly (and repeatedly if necessary) only on the 1 beat of the canter. The 1 beat is when you feel the butt drop, and it is when the first footfall of the three beats is well under the horse. At this time a simple brief check of the reins combined with a deep seat can effectively slow a horse. If you hang on the reins through the 3 beat, that is when a horse “falls” forward onto the forehand and thus speeds up. This sort of hanging on the reins should be avoided.

Good luck.

[Zypheir's Ring]

Get rein contact, sit deep and back, breath, relax, get him in a nice,balanced trot,ask for a canter, and do circles, until the horse calms, then let him walk. I only say do circles because I've found it makes them focus and balance, also if you are turning it doesn't really give them a whole lot of space to run out.

[wyldterv]

All of the below has been great advice... I'd add, do a TON of transitions so that your horse starts to wonder what is going to happen next and this tends to naturally slow them down because they're getting ready to have to go from canter to walk or canter to trot or canter to whoa every 2-200 strides

[Zypheir's Ring]

All of the below has been great advice

All of the below...really? I don't see any...does that mean no advice has been great yet?

JK Sorry I just couldn't resist

[wyldterv]

Oh BU GGER all of the posts befor mine, on my set up you're all BELOW, LOLOL