Shift your weight from your pelvis to your seat bones. You should never hunch forward when you signal for the canter. Make sure you can feel your seat bones resting against the back curve of your saddle as well as the horse’s back. If you cannot feel your seat bones on the saddle, you’ve shifted back too far.
You should be sitting up straight enough that your ear, shoulder, hip, and heel align. They should form a vertical line that is perpendicular to the ground. Keep your back straight, but do not arch your lower back. Remember, your shoulders should line up with your ear, so resist the urge to move your shoulders back, causing your back to arch.
During the canter, the horse’s inside hip and outside hip move up and down in quick succession. The horse’s hind feet will then push off the ground, causing both hips to rise. Allow your body to shift along with the horse’s shifting hips. You will have to tilt, shift, and then rise your hips slightly while keeping your buttocks in the saddle. This will not happen overnight. It will take a lot of practice, as well as you getting used to your horse’s particular rhythm, before you can sit the canter without trouble. Your core muscles will also build over time as you practice the canter. Strong core muscles help you maintain a neutral position, allowing your hips to move more freely.
Not hollowing or arching your back can help prevent your legs from swinging excessively during the canter, which can also happen if you’re gripping too tightly. [9] X Research source
You want to instead stretch your leg downward during the canter, allowing it to lie somewhat loosely at the horse’s side. Stretch your calf muscles and shift your weight into your heels. This should cause your knees to lock less, allowing you to more efficiently sit the canter.
Remove your legs from the stirrups for a moment. If they’re the right length, they should bump against your ankle bone if you’re riding with English stirrups. When riding with Western stirrups, your stirrups should be long enough that you can easily tip your toe forward and get your foot in the stirrup, while bending your leg slightly.
If you can’t seem to stay calm while sitting the canter, you may want to wait a few weeks and then try to canter again.
Make sure you only do so under the supervision of an instructor, especially if you are a young rider.
