Over active Canter transition

[Trilogy]

I have been taking lessons for the last 3/4 months or so and spending most of the time working on a good solid trot.

After months of bottling out of cantering after a few bad starts I have been trying again - I had my first 'proper' canter last week and have repeated it a few times since (proper to me being: actually being in control enough to steer! :rolleyes: )

I have found that cantering is devine!!!! I love the rhythm, and can't believe I have been so scared of it but I do need some advice on how to achieve a canter without losing balance.

This is what I do at the moment...

- Get a good forward going sitting trot. (good so far!)
- At a corner I 'ask for canter' ...and here is where I either tip forward as my outside leg goes back and I lose balance completely or, if I don't get the canter quickly I apparently turn into a 'cartoon' horse rider with my arms flapping and body all over the place in an bizzare kind of way (RI says it looks like I am trying to canter myself!) :D

I have tried holding onto the pommel to allow me to continue leaning back as I ask for the transition, and this does work...but I certainly don't want to carry on doing this!

Any advice?

[KentuckyLady]

I am new to riding and have only been taking lessons once a week for about a year. When I was having difficulty to consistently go into a canter, this is what helped me sort it out a bit. I read in a book, not sure which one (Sally Swift?) that when asking for the canter, bring your inside hip forward a bit (inside leg on the girth at the same time) as your outside leg asks for the canter. So you are sitting at a very slight angle instead of sitting straight ahead. This works for me most of the time now but I am not an expert by any means so you should ask your trainer about doing this before attempting to do it. I don't want you to get hurt.
Cantering is so much fun! You will get the knack of it before you know it. Good luck to you.