Canter Transition help!

[mason]

Hi, I was hoping to get a little help with a horse I am leasing. He has a beautiful trot and canter and is fairly easy to get collected, however I need some tips on getting him to canter when I ask. When I ask from the walk or the trot it usually turns into "speed trotting" and I have to pull him up at least 2 or 3 times before he will canter right away. Any tips to make this upward transition smoother and happen on the 1st time? I have been riding for many years and I am sure my positioning is correct and I ask for the canter with my legs and seat and have enough contact with him so he knows he should not run into it! Any help would be awesome...thanks!

[galadriel]

Half-halt, half-halt, half-halt.

It's difficult for a horse to break into a canter if he's off balance; it's much easier just to trot faster. If a horse has been allowed to run into canter enough times, he never really learns (or he forgets) how to make a nice balanced transition.

So with a horse who's trying to run instead of canter, it's a good bet that he is (or thinks he is) too much on the forehand. Half halting before (a few times), during, and after the canter signal will help him to stay balanced through the transition.