Hi! So I'm watching the olympics and i've seen a couple riders cantering almost how they trot, seems like they sit for a stride then two point for a stride?? is there a purpose for this, can you tell me more about it? <3
so its called a âposting canterâ, it has not real purpose besides possibly getting rhythm and timing?
im not all that familiar with it as i only learnt about it in recent years from watching American ridersâŚ. so maybe someone else can jump in and tell us a little more if i havenât pretty much covered it!? lol
Iâve been told itâs used to help younger riders learn the rhythm of the canter, but eq and hunter judges apparently hate it.
Jumping in here (pun intended) - hi guys, Iâm from the east coast of the United States. Iâve been riding hunters/eq on USEF circuit competition for 12 years prior to IHSA in college, and I was taught NEVER to post the canter at any stage of my riding career, as it is rather unflattering, untraditional, diminishes contact communication at the pace, and yes, equitation (in particular, since the focus is on rider effectiveness and attractiveness) judges will mark you down and hunter judges dislike it as well, although they cannot technically penalize your tripâs score for it since the judging focus is on the animal, not rider style. Riding at my home barn with the show animals I put endless work into and school day in and day out, I would never post the canter. Hunter and equitation courses do not require blazing fast turns, unplanned tightly cut corners, or fast approaches to jumps. The animal must be with the rider quietly and elegantly at all times, and vice versa. Thus, I always half-seat, or if necessary, sit, the canter on the flat and over fences. However, since moving away to college and having IHSA competition guidelines force me to compete on random, less-than-responsive school horses âdrawn from a hatâ on show day, I find myself sometimes posting the canter around parts of a course, particularly if my mount is strong and quick but mouth-sensitive, leans heavily in the corners and then rushes jumps, because when choosing to post the canter, the riderâs own timed and controlled lifting and descending (posting) of the seat and consequent opening the hip angle to align the upper body straighter and taller with the vertical forces the horse to slow down, lighten his forehand, and connect in order to match his own stride with the slower, methodical posting of the rider. This may be why the technique is sometimes seen in strong mounts like Olympic-level eventers or jumpers to give them more paced, methodical approaches around tight turns and widen the options and time to âthinkâ to the fences. These courses and animals are designed and ridden entirely different from those of the hunters and equitation. I hope this helps!
