How To Ride The Canter (EASY STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE) 

I like your style of teaching. Not snooty or with a "superior horseman" attitude. Its clear you have knowledge but dont come across as a 'know it all'. Helpful pointers.

Thank you for explaining the three options. I took dressage lessons for a year and was told "Sit! Sit". I never understood nor mastered the canter. Now I'm taking hunter/jumper lessons and they don't have me sit. I was told "Don't sit like a sack of potatoes." I didn't understand because I was told to sit when taking dressage lessons. Thanks for explaining there are three different ways and how they're used in different disciplines.

A BORN teacher! I have absolutely no possibility of ever reaching my lifelong dream of owning a horse. However, I love that you have taught me sooo much about everything I would need to know… if I did. I’m 72 and just waiting for my beautiful white one that comes with the Rapture!

Used to have a trainer 20 years ago and said that this is the most secure riding way. You are so right!! And its extra safe way for beginners. Never fell like this. Never!

OMG! Thank you! So helpful. You have a beautiful horse and ur a pretty girl with lots of knowledge, I've recently found ur channel and U are so helpful to me! I love Tucker. I've ridden horses all my life and I love them with all my heart!💖❤️🙃

Thank You! Your teaching style is excellent. I learned more in those 8 minutes than in 2 years of lessons as a 12 yo. I would never have given up horse riding if you had been my teacher. I am 55yo now and thinking about learning to ride again. You have given me the security / confidence to try again and nail one of my bucket list items. Bless you lovely one!

Thanks for the tips! When I used to ride as a kid, they had us do a full seated canter, and I remember feeling very comfortable with that. I loved cantering! I recently started taking lessons again, and each week my trainer says we're going to canter, but we always run out of time, so I'm glad to get an overview here in the meantime xD

i have never heard cantering positions described like that before ... meaning that there are three options ... THANK YOU!!! that makes SO MUCH SENSE! YOU ARE WONDERFUL and i learn so much from your videos ! plus you are too cute! (I'm a grandma so i can say that :-)

i took a long break from riding, and while some things get stuck in your muscle memory and are easy to revoke, sitting the canter and sitting the trot are definitely those things you will have to re-learn ground up. i started from two point too, slowly going to a full seat, and the first time i sat down it felt so easy, because of how long i practiced in two point. i have to say that even though i’m confident in my full seat, i prefer the light seat, it’s just more comfortable for me personally, and i love the feeling - truly feels like you’re flying.

i broke my arm when i first cantered now im going to take lessons again, thanks for this guide

This was immensely helpful, thank you! My instructor is doing just what you showed, starting at two point and working up to sitting, I am getting there, but the first few times I was definitely all over the place!

Thank you! I took lessons in English Hunter/Jumper aaaaages ago and never quite mastered the canter even though it's my favorite gait. My instructor always told me "keep your heels down" but never really helped me deepen my seat and find that balance I needed.

I'm learning to canter today! I'm nervous but from support from youtube,friends,and family, I feel ready...😥

fantastic demonstration and description! i love how welcoming and friendly you are about teaching riding, there's no snooty-ness or anything. very encouraging to learning riders! i will try these next time! i have always seen driving seat canter, as i've been around a lot of dressage and jumpers, so its great to see that there are other ways to canter comfortably. 😁 and probably different ways work on different horses too! very good to know! thank you so much for making these videos!!

I’ve been riding for just over a year now and have only ever been taught to sit the canter but it took a long time to be able to stop just bouncing around but to actually move with the horse

Your teaching has brought me to feel safer about starting riding again! I did it for about 2 years then took a 1 year break… due to fear of the saddle! A feisty pony took off on me and randomly jumped a setup someone hadn’t taken down- I flipped over the top and injured my tailbone, soon after I tried a sitting canter- but was stiff and slipped off again😂 I’m hoping to get back into it! You’ve earned yourself a new sub

Tucker is just so dang cute!! 😊

Great tips! I’ve been taking lessons for a few months and have been cantering for a few lessons but man, the hardest thing to do is to get those dang lazy school horses to actually canter! 😭 “kick… kick… KIICCCKKK!” is all I hear from my instructors and when the horse finally decided to canter, there go my arms and butt all up in the air. It’s so hard to focus on the canter positions and your form when 99% of your energy was used to get the horse to canter in the first place lol.

Thank you so much for all the pointers! I have been struggling quite a bit in my canter and one thing you pointed out that really helped was not to lean on the neck in 2 point. My first fall was while cantering I leaned on the neck and my horse put their head down so then I rolled off. After watching this video I really kept your tips and tricks in mind and it generally helped a lot. Thank you so much for the amazing video you pretty much just made a huge difference in my riding lol thank you so much! 🥹

I have been riding for a quite long time and yes i started with the 2 point and now i use my full seat for showjumping i love your videos

So helpful, I just started riding days ago and learning how to canter really helped me! Thank you for making this!

I'm so scared of cantering. I rode canter for years then stopped riding for years and got older and heavier. This is by far the best video I've seen on cantering. I will try this and master it. This was fantastic. Thank you.

I have my lesson tomorrow and I found this really helpful I've been 2 pointing my canter for a while but I think it's time to try the have see so I will try tomorrow and see how it goes thank you so much

This is great, I only learned the two point very recently but have been cantering for a while and only ever learned the full seat so this is really interesting. Thank you

I just now started cantering and this is very helpful!

This so useful! Thanks so much camella!!

Thank you so much. I'm just beginning my riding journey in my 64th year. You've given me much to think about here, and some solid principles while I try to put it into practice. I really appreciate your clear instructions, imparted with such a lovely manner.😊

Thank you so much, I can tell this is going to help me improve my canter so much! I will try the light seat canter in my lesson tomorrow! 😁

Omg i commented on one of your most recent videos asking for you to make a video about this! Thank you so much for making this video and listening to your subscribers :)

Great advice. Well done, and thanks!

Your videos are to the point and straight... you are blessed for efficient communication.. keep it up..

First, I know how to do this but you are a big help as I might be getting a horse, beautiful horse btw

i had my first canter on a horse in 2019. the horse i rode was a 5yr/o chestnut mare who was still quite green and had a very rushed canter. i was in a western saddle btw. i was supposed to be cantering but since i had only been riding this horse for a few months and i also hadnt cantered since 2015 at this stage due to reasons. i got a canter but my coach made me go from a really fast posting trot to a canter so i was already half way up in the air when she went into a lope. i was bouncing so much and holding onto the horn the whole time. i didnt canter for a while after that but when i did, i was still bouncing but it was so much better. i had ridden alot of other horses in that time aswell. i dont ride her anymore since she got sold but i have my own horse now and have been cantering and her canter is soooo much more rushed than the chestnut and the videos ive seen of me cantering on her, they looked alott better to me. basically practice practice practice ok and dont hold the horse back either

SUPER helpful!💕🥳

I love your videos. I am rewatching this and I probably will watch it again a few more times before my lesson later this week. I started taking weekly lessons a little over two years ago. Most recently I have been exploring what it is like to ride on the different school horses. One horse that I ride in particular is extremely difficult to pick up the canter on. He is an extremely bouncy ride and his stride is very long. In the past I have tried to ask for the canter on him in a full seat, but it’s rather hit or miss. I hope if I try my ask in the two point I’ll have better luck this week ☺️. I’m bound and determined to master all the gaits on all of the school horses.

I’m riding tomorrow so this will help me so much and thanks for doing theses videos because they help me so much

You are FABULOUS! Thanks a bunch for sharing your knowledge. Lucky Tucker.

Favorite position is 2 point! Very helpful video. Thank you - just bought my horse and have been watching so many of your tutorials.

Thank you so much!This is my biggest problem when riding and riding felt I couldn't progress with riding until I learned it :this is so helpful!!

Awesomeness!! I'm really enjoying your informative tutorials. So wanting 2, in the future, to lease a horse besides just going to lessons. Practice and muscle memory is the center of sucess to everything!

Well informative and useful

Thank you super helpful and easy to understand!!! 👍

Thank you so much I tried canter for the first time in 22 years 5 weeks ago and I didn’t really know what I was doing. The 2nd time I gripped so hard to my reins while falling off I broke my right hard ring finger 😳🤦🏼‍♀️ got back on horse but not ridden since and my dream to ride a horse on the beach in June is getting closer now x

Thank you! This is an awesome description of horse cantering. And much more😃

Excellent video!! Thank you!

Fabulous tips, thank you 🙏

Iv'e learned so many things from just watching your videos. You are an amazing teacher and trainer!!

Thanks so much for this video! I am supposed to canter for the first time this weekend and I am a little nervous!

So I was so confused because it’s my first time cantering because my coach said that I have to do cantering today but now when I saw your video I said I have to do it like you teached us thank you so much

Very well explained

You have the best video to learn. And I've watched alot of others Thankyou so much. Very talented easy to follow. So blessed

Thanks Really helpful

So helpful ☺️

Your have such a great way of teaching. Thanks for spreading your knowledge and making videos. ❤❤

O m goodness thank you so much! Today is quite rough whether to be riding so I’m at home binging your videos to help for my next ride. I am quite lowkey with riding, i dont show or jump or anything i just like to ride as a hobbie rather than compete. Ive always had trouble with cantering userually getting my horse to canter, but I have always either ride in 2 point or deep seat, I’m getting into the habit of riding a canter in a 2 point but I ride by myself so I cant see what I’m doing wrong or things to work on but now I know I lean too far forward i always fall off down the horses neck and have always tried to fix it. This is probably the best explaining ive ever experienced thank you so much!

I love this way. I stopped riding bc I needed to focus on my health now that I wanted to start again I‘m watching some videos on things I feel less confident in. (Canter is one of them) here in germany in my city all riding schools teach the driving seat first… I think I will ask my new riding teacher which seat I should learn first but this video will be a great help for me to focus on the details on how to sit and maybe suggest the 2 pointer when I feel less confident in the driving seat. ❤

Thank you so much! I have never cantered in my life, and on Wednesday, my instructor said we're going to! I watched billions of tutorials but all of them came off as ignorant know it alls unlike you. Thank you so much, this helped a lot!

Good Explanation.

Thank you very much very helpful. I like riding in the 2 point but yes this is very true

Thank you so much!! Really helped

tysm x this rlly helped me tomorowi might do my first canter so this helps a lot tysm xx

Thank you! soooo helpful. i have balance issues when i am cantering so that will help me

This video was so helpfull! I ride a connemara called Cracker and he is only four years old and has a really bouncy canter so I'm gonna try this next time I ride him💖

Nicely done

Light seat.. very helpful your tips thank you soo much .

This helped me so much ❤️ thank you sm

Today I did my first ever canter and it was in 2 points, my left leg was wobbling a bit around, but I felt definetely more secure on the 2 points.

Thank you nice advice ❤

Thanks so much you are so easy to understand ! I just started taking lessons and I’m very intimidated by the trainer . She told me we absolutely do not sit the canter ever so I haven’t even tried it . I’m getting very good at 2 point tho as she has us stand in all gaits for at least two laps every time we start a lesson 😂

I have been bouncing and been all over the place in my canter since the past month ( yes I started to learn riding recently) Have been searching for so many videos to learn the right way. This video has been soooooo sssooooo soooo helpful, because I have been hard on myself because I mostly am doing my two point in my canter. And I honestly did not know that a half seat is also an “acceptable” way to canter 😊. I would like to get to a full seat canter. From your experience could you tell how much time it should take to get to a full seat canter. (So that I have a timeline around how long to be patient with myself 😂)

The frist time i cantered i went like a foot above the saddle lol

i learned a lot thank you

Thank you so much!

Awesome! Now I understand the three options for cantering position! I was wondering about that.

My instructor always tells us to canter in a full/driving seat, but one time I did the light seat and it was lots easier, so I think I'll try the light seat and do that with the horse I ride until I feel more comfortable.

Helpful thank you! :)

tysm!! this is so helpfull! im always rlly bouncy in full seat :/ though ive been cantering for a while,

I love your videos! I really want to take lessons with a proper teacher, but I can’t afford them yet, so currently I’m being taught by a coworker and she doesn’t often give me tips, she provides me her horse and it’s trial and error lol, she’s big into dressage so I’m learning full seat canter before anything and gosh it’s tough, but I get better every time I try and your videos help so much

this was actually very informative, I really need to try this next horse riding lesson

You are my favorite. You are just so easy to understand and relate to

I'm a fairly new rider and recently bought a show horse who is trained in Western Pleasure. I find it most comfortable loping in the full seat. I feel like I can make him go faster riding him that way. It is also very comfortable and smooth.

I've never cantered before, so this would be very useful if I ever do! We're still looking for a barn because my old barn closed a few years ago but I do think I did 2 point some there so that'll be useful!

I’m very glad that I learned my first canters in full seat, it’s very comfortable for me, and I do need to drive my horse on, it helps me a lot! Thank you for these videos, they’ve helped so much!!

Light seat is my best position. I'm still a beginner :)

this really helpfull

My horses really taught me to ride with some help from my father and a couple of Amish friends, I ride western and I’ve never used the kind of saddle your using Bc I don’t like not having a saddle horn.

I will definitely try this! (had one lesson to learn to canter then stopped being taught for some reason)

Thank you so much

thank you!

Yeah this is right when I started cantering I did the full seat and it feels like you are gonna fall off and now I'm doing 2 point bec it's easy and you don't feel bouncy. Thanks for the advice.

I have never rode the canter this will be helpful though! Thanks!

You make that look easy. At the moment I go straight from a walk to a quad bike. :) If I let my horse trot he says “let’s go Dave”. and I bounce around, so we mostly walk. Great video!

My old trainer never taught me to canter in 2 pointe she only taught me to canter sitting fully down and I would always feel self conscious about how I rode because of it. I’ve always wanted to try cantering in 2 pointe so I’m going later this month to do it. I’m also going to try western riding as well because I might like it better but idk. I’m super excited tho because I’m going to be leasing my first ever horse!

I'm an equine major. I just wanted to mention that the two point is the same as the half seat or jumping position. It goes two point, light seat, full seat, driving seat. great video!

I love 💕 horse’s and I am practiceing on canter

I have a gaited horse who won't canter. He did gallop once when he spooked. I instinctively got into the 2 point and managed to ride the gallop all the way back to the barn without falling off.

Just bought an English saddle, I will practice that!

I like the full seat the most with the difficult horses. Mostly because I like to be able to sense more of their movements and help them along if needed. There are more points of contact and with one of the older horses the extra contact helps him understand me with smaller movements. Although I have to say his canter is uncomfortable and if it really is not great to sit through or he needs to cough a lot I tend to move in a different position two point of half seat to give him more room to stretch his neck but remain in balance and control.

I was never taught how to sit the canter, my instructor more wanted us to find what was comfortable for us. I've found that I use a deep seat but was recently moved to a large horse who I cant sit the strides at deep and had to two point and wanted to know what seat is more used in jumpers as i always thought it looked much nicer, thank you for explaining the three types.

Thank you