I hope this helps you feel more confident about cantering your horse. Let me know in the comments I love to hear from you

I taught a lot of beginners over the years. For those with some anxiety about it, I'd always just stick 'em on a bombproof lunge horse and let them hang on with one hand (usual outside) on the pommel; the other on the cantle. We'd chat about the rhythmic 'sitting on a swing' sensation, and then send them off. Usually took only one or two circuits on the lunge, the lightbulb would go on, a smile would appear, and the next thing I knew they'd be begging to canter.

This was so helpful! I just left riding today thinking - I wish I knew how to minimize the fear felt when my horse speeds up unexpectedly. I’ve cantered just a few times but realize I’m not there yet. I’ll give this a go next time and see how it goes. Thanks so much!

Some horses are very frustrated because they want to canter and their riders cannot. Its such an amazing thing to learn. My daughters horse was so frustrated and ready to GO. she got a solid canter now and they have been unstoppable. Its been great to watch😊

Hi. Just wanted to say thanks. All my life I have had a block about canter and here I am after a long break, now at 71 learning again. Loving your understanding and wonderful videos. Your videos make me look forward to the canter rather than being nervous of it. I am determined to do this - at last. Thanks so much.

Ive recently had a serious and traumatic fall off an ex race horse. I've been trying to find motivating videos to watch and give me advice. This video so far has helped so thank you

Omg you're the best when you tell rebel "Sorry mate!" 😂 He is a great horse!

I used to be terrified when my horse lengthened his stride and got a little fast- because he used to spook a lot when he was going fast. All it took for us was trust! My arena is next to a road, so it’s quite spooky, so I constantly walked him and praised him when he doesn’t get nervous at a car driving by. Now, Im able to canter speedy bareback without hands :)

Excellent video!! 👍🏻 This is exactly how I was taught to both trot and canter! 😀 My trainer did not encourage us to sit - bounce around on her horse’s back - until we felt balanced! It also helped that she taught us on her reliable trusty schoolmaster who understood that canter was a change in gait and not a cue to increase his speed. In my opinion, many people fear canter because they are told to go into it pushing the horse to go faster and faster until it canters from trot. This is so scary for adult beginners . . . both the sudden speed and gait change. Thanks so much for the considerate and compassionate way you teach! To horse as well as rider! 🥰😘❤️🐴

I wish I had these videos when I began! My trainer pushed me to far to quickly and it caused so much anxiety in the beginning. Now I’m fine and so is my horse. These tips are awesome !

"If you can do that in trot I promise you, canter is so much easier" yeeez lady, you have no idea how this sentence of yours helped me to get rid of the fear 🙏

As a new adult rider, I find your videos extremely helpful. I am definitely one of those scared to canter riders so I will try this exercise. Luckily, I am working with a great trainer but sometimes it’s good to get information while you are not on your horse. Now I can take this exercise and do it on my own. Don’t laugh, but I hear voice in my head when I’m riding. ❤

About a year ago, I had a bad fall during a drill team practice and I've been scared of cantering again ever since, thank you for this ❤

I just found your channel and I absolutely love it, thank you for the great advice! Wish I had a trainer like you 15years ago when I started struggling with fear when riding after some bad falls. The trainers I had only made things worse, fortunately I was able to gradually figure out these steps over he years and I must say, it feels great to have them validated! I always felt bad about myself for making things easier when I was too scared. Also, teaching the horse to canter on just verbal command is a great advice - I remember when I was really scared to canter, I taught my (now former) mare to canter on saying "hop!" and stop on saying "hooo" and it helped tremendously! Even when my body basically stopped functioning out of fear, I didn't lose control over my horse because she was 100% reliable even when I only used vocal commands.

This is really helpful! My horse is really green so far, so the tip on how to balance them in the canter was good confirmation that I'm doing the right thing. We've just been doing lots of canter transitions from the ground to help him find his balance

I have just found u and have binged watched. I am refinding all this after a horrific leg injury in a farm accident. And at times knowing how finding confidence using my leg now it's different I get frustrated at times and haven't broken it back down. There fundamentals for a reason and sometimes u get in Ur head and it doesn't work. Thank u for breaking it down and it's so great to see a trainer not putting all the grandiose in and setting you both up for success. It's amazing and thank you!

Josie I heard about you through Raleigh Link she gave you an A+ as a horse trainer, she said she loves you. She is so fun to watch. I've been watching horse training videos for 4 + yrs trying to learn as much as I can, when all I needed to do was watch you, your so soft with your horses and I absolutely love all the praise you give to them 🥰😊💙💜. I also have a trainer helping me with my 2 1/2 YR OLD, no riding of course but a ton of ground work. He even has walked down to the lake Lake Huron in Michigan, and is not spooky as my Arabian is but I ride him. Thank you very much for your lessons on its my fault it truly is hands up that's why he pulls on the reins. I love you too Josie 💗

Will watch your other videos. Great reminder about getting into a two point for walk/trot to find center. Thanks so much.

Thank you very much Josie , this is great I love how you talk & demonstrate everything & break each part down! I’m definitely going to try this Such wonderful safe advice as always 😄😊

This is great! I've got a 19 yo gelding that I'm totally comfortable cantering but then I also have a 4 yo filly whom my trainers working student has cantered but I've only done walk trot because of my block about cantering her. I'm now working with a coach that's helping me relax while riding her so I'm hopeful we'll get there. I love your statement about not being in a rush to canter!!

I love when my horse canters. It is like being in a large rocking chair.

Love 💕 love your videos! I could have done with this video 10 months ago as it just makes sense to me. I was doing exactly what you described - saying canter with my aides and don’t canter with my body. It’s how I ended up teaching myself. Thank you 🙏 as your videos break it down so it’s easy to understand and you explain it so well! I’m happy cantering now. Your other videos have helped me refine my riding so it’s very much appreciated! Thanks 🙏 😊

I’ve just managed to canter in my horse and this has boasted my confidences so thank you so much!

Thank you for your clear explanation. This lesson also shows how a well schooled and balanced horse would assist a novice rider greatly. Much appreciated.

Thank you for this video! I have my 3rd real lesson tomorrow and in the previous 2 lessons i had a lot of problems with the canter and feeling out of balance. This really helps!

thank you SO MUCH for this lesson!! i dropped horse riding a year ago because i started getting horrible anxiety attacks, even though practicing this sport has always been my life-long dream. my instructor wasn’t very kind and he just rushed me on canter even though i said multiple times that i was not ready. you gave me great comfort, and i will surely incorporate what i’ve just learnt if i ever go back to having lessons.

I really appreciate the clarity, concision and positive spirit in these videos. Thank you!

Thanks so much for this video. I can't wait to try these basic exercises to get more confidence in the canter

Yes! I remember this lesson now! Thank you so much for doing it, it helped bring back some of the stuff I had forgotten!! I want to be able to ride again!! But after my neck surgery I've been afraid, mostly because I have forgotten the things I've learned and the worry of getting hurt! So thank you, thank you, thank you!!! ❤❤

Thank you, thank you!!! I am scared to canter 😳. Your video post is super and has given me encouragement, plus the video on the canter transition-I tip forward and lock up. 🙏

Thank you that has been most helpful I have b been trying to master the canter for years. I always did the two-point as it came naturally but I thought I was doing it wrong by standing up a little! Now I know IK was doing it right!

Hi Josie! Thanks for the excellent lesson on cantering and balance. Also, saw KingsMom's comment about Grayson. I don't have a Facebook account so it had been a while since I had checked in on your page and just learned of his eye injury. Poor little guy. That is so nerve wracking and I'm thrilled he's going to be okay. Give him a scratch for me. I was very happy to hear you don't wean your little ones until 10 months or so and that his mom was with him. Had to help with his stall confinement. He sure looked happy to be home and turned out. Bet his mum was happy, too...both of them! Thanks again for getting a video out in the midst of all that. Don't know how you keep up with it all. Hang in there. Best wishes for all of you.

having a great horse like him is a lot of it.

Thank you so much for this lesson! I know what my horse and I are going to work on starting next week!!

Thank you!! I needed to hear both points, how to help the horse and the rider. I really appreciate you sharing this information!!!

Excellent demonstration, and a different technique that I believe will really help me with my OTTB! Thank you so much~

What a wonderful video! I always find your videos so helpful and encouraging! Thank you!

I got a wrangler horse roping cattle and stuff I’m a new westren rider my last barn taught me English dressage in a westren saddle she has a beautfuil canter but still getting use to it I thought this was very helpful I do stand in my struips and I will remember to hold onto the roping reins with a little bit of main

Many thanks for this excellent video and great advice ! I've ridden horses for 40 yers off and on. Self-taught, never had a formal lesson. Used to canter with ease when I was younger. Now as I'm older, I've hurt my back trying to canter due to stiffening up and not following the horse's movement. Result has been banging my bum on the saddle, prob also hurting the poor horse in the process. As I do a lot of riding in nature with other horses (and never in a riding arena), once the other horses are cantering, it's difficult of course to stop... Quite disconcerting, cause one can think that it's a bit like getting back on a bicycle after many years, when in fact you sometimes have to 're-learn' movements when it comes to riding a horse ! Will book a proper riding lesson with a good trainer to get my cantering fluid again. Will def take your advice to heart !

I have had surgery and hand problems so I haven’t been able to ride for awhile. Not to mention while I was gone my horse has retired and I have to ride another horse I’m unfamiliar with. I got really stressed so this video is really helpful ,thanks!

Thank you for this video. I especially like the bit about preparing your horse to canter. I've got a new horse that has not yet found his balance in the canter, and will prepare him well before trying to canter on him. I also just reset my own seat (on my other horse) from a bad habit of leaning forward (ejection seat). I'm still working on staying out of that forward lean in an "emergency." I expect I will find your exercises helpful.

What a beautiful arena! I love your straight forward instruction and support...very few teachers train riders in the Preparation that needs to be established to give confidence....Great Stuff! I would absolutely love you to train me & my horses....

Thank you Josie. Very helpful.

Thank you! This week I’m getting back into cantering after a 6 month break, and I’m nervous! This definitely helped

I love this! I'm working on two point now and transitioning from trot to canter. My trainer describes this almost to a T!!! Thank you for the visual!

Thank you. That was so helpful. I will definitely be trying that one 👏👏👏

Thanks for sharing. Well done. It was very helpful.

Very clear and specific instructions. Excellent

Love your video and how you broke it down into steps. You do a great job explaining.

Thanks Josie, this is great. Can’t wait to try it.

If only there were videos like these when I was younger 😅 I was very insecure and shy as a child/teen in general and ofc I was so scared to canter too. I only started to enjoy cantering after we were taught to canter right from the walk (so there wasn't at all that terrible and unstable trot part). Nowdays as a 30+ year-old adult I absolutely love to canter 💕✨ Seriously this is extremely important topic overall! Thank you for making this video and taking a part to this conversation! ❤️

I wanna thank you for this video. Recently I was at a horseback riding place where I loved the trainer but she wasn't teaching. I am 15 years old and I started riding about 10-11 months ago and I still can't lope. I started on an older horse who couldn't really trot for longer than a few minutes let alone lope. Once we switched horses the next one I was on was a rescue and spooked at a loud noise and I fell off as she sprinted away. I rode her again and fell off. This destroyed me. But I got on and never felt nervous during the trot, just the lope. We switched horses again and as I went to lope I must've pulled on the reins a little too hard because he started bucking. I don't remember much from the fall or even the drive home and--though the fall was over a month ago--my left hip still hurts if I lay on it or put too much pressure on it. Now we switched trainers and this new girl treats her horse extremely well and he is beautiful. I have a lesson tomorrow morning and quite frankly, I am terrified to even trot. I used to love trotting, but even thinking about it makes me feel cold and nervous. I just hope that someday I will lope like it is nothing and I won't get anxious the entire week before the lesson/ride 😭 I really appreciate this video.

Wow this helped so so much. The last horse I road she was incredible. I trotted first time on her and was a perfect trot. Let’s hope I ride her again and I can canter on that amazing girl

thank you. It really helps to prepare myself .. would start to learn canter next lesson

This was incredibly helpful!!! I am so grateful, thank you so very much!

This is such good & helpful information! Thank you!

Oh my gosh you make it look so easy. Thank you.

Thank you for that video!!

Thank you, will try it

You are brilliant. It helps so much!

After some time of light work because of some health issues, I'm trying to help my horse get fit again. I was just trying to canter and noticed that she was quite unbalanced and would cross canter (it's been a while and I'm not expecting perfection from either one of us). I'm going to try these exercises to help build our confidence as well as work on balance. Thank you, your videos are outstanding!

These videos are really nice with all the details. Often my education in riding have been that we do stuff but don't get it explained this deep on why we should do some of the things we do. (Understandable when we have been several students shearing one teacher) It's like, "sit like this" but with no explanation on why, so it makes it harder for me to connect to other situations where I can use the same movement or technic. I have been riding for several years but still think its nice to go back to the beginning and freshening up my memory on the details.

Thank you so much for this, I’m a young teenager and in my next lesson I have to canter for the first time ever, a few weeks ago in my lesson my horse bolted off and I was fairly calm when he cantered off, but ever since I’ve been scared of going faster, I’m scared and excited thank you so much for this 💗

So far the most helpfull video on this topic.

Thanks so much. I will have to try this out tomorrow. Those are very helpful tips.

Thank you for the advice

The first time I ever cantered I fell off. It was my first fall and it really knocked my confidence. I really appreciate these tips thank you!

I’ve been stuck in trot for a while and this helped so much!

Thank you that was a good point about trot to canter to trot transitions helping your horse find his balance

I will for sure be trying this on my horse! Though I honestly don't know how his canter is, though he is well balanced in his walk and trot

I was so scared to canter but i accidentally did during a lesson and now i am really confident at it. This video helped a lot as well thank you.

Nicely explained two point canter. Have seen polo players doing it

im probably going to learn how to canter soon so thanks so much for the tip!! :D

This is super helpful!!

Thanks for your tip. I love your video. Just subscribed 🎉

I used your tips to help my 11 year old nephew with his confidence which he lost after a couple of falls. Using your tips combined with natural horsemanship. He is not cantering yet but oh my gosh his confidence has soared. He will be catering again soon. Thank you so much 😊

So helpful, thank you. I have been learning to canter on a very choppy pony who is also very young. I'm not sure she has good balance, and the poor thing with me lolloping on her back! I'm not afraid to canter but I struggle to sit it for some reason, so this really helped. At least I know what I can do when I get thrown around lol.

amazing video, very helpful 😊

Wonderful! Going to try this today!

I’m going to hopefully use this soon! the last time I tried cantering (first time ever) I was all the stiffness in the saddle, but I’m pretty stable/soft enough while standing up in walk and trot, so this is actually genius!

I love the way you explain things! If you do actual lessons how much and I might just fly to Britain to do it haha keep up the good work!

תודה רבה

I love this I am able to canter in the school but wouldn't say I'm confident and have canter once outside but I think really working on my balance will really help

Love this!

I rode in a walk for two years just last month I cantered it is alot better it really builds confidence i now can canter bareback and in saddle I also learned how to canter bareback

Thank you! Im just learning canter and a just a little worried...will try this @ my lesson Monday 🤗🐎 very helpful! It looks so easy when I watch others canter!...in time I'll get there.

Love watching you ride Josie...awesome

Thank youuuu❤

I cant wait to use this. X thank you.

Wow, that’s fantastic. I’m going to try that! Thank you

Thank you this is making me a lot more confident for my ride tomorrow

I wish I'd see this video when I first started riding so many years ago! Also I really love your horse!

Omg your horse has such a beautiful canter, your so good together!!

Great tips!

Nice! Thank you

I am going back into riding after 20yrs of not riding and I am scared of cantering. Thank you for this.

Gonna try these out at my lesson in a couple hours, this will be my second shot at cantering 😁

Just awesome!!!!

This was so helpful. Thank you so much

What a great walk your horse has!