What exactly am I doing wrong when I fail the canter aids?

[Rivonia]

Some school horses which canter easily for others just speed up the trot when I apply the canter depart aids. Others strike off immediately. What am I doing wrong?

I generally stay away from playing with the reins because I don't know how to synchronize it with my seat and leg aids and it just leads to great confusion on both of our parts.

I have also noticed that once I get a "difficult" horse to canter, all following transitions during that lesson are easy, as if the horse wasn't sure what I wanted. But, on the other hand, there is a clear reaction in trotting speed when I apply the "wrong" aids which is very different to the usual "let's speed up this trot".

Any ideas where I'm going wrong?

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I find just applying the aids is not going to work unless the horse is balanced and ready for a transition at the instant you apply the aid. Difficult to be sure what is "wrong", it is unusual for a beginner to be given several horses to ride, but either way I think you ask your instructor [take a 45min private lesson] and if she is not experienced enough to explain and sort it out then seek out another school.
You don't play with the reins, but use them to keep a light contact and balance the horse. So it is no use saying don't play with reins, on all but the most well schooled horses with a really good rider, you need to use the reins.
Your seat must be independent of your reins and if you have the horse going nicely, at the trot you can raise and lower his head by moving your hands up and down an inch. It may help to get a lesson on a mechanical horse but it will not help changing horses on every lesson.
A good dressage rider will always be in the perfect position, you must aspire to this otherwise you will not progress from where you are.

 

[wkiwi]

I find just applying the aids is not going to work unless the horse is balanced and ready for a transition at the instant you apply the aid. Difficult to be sure, it is unusual for a beginner to be given several horses to ride, but either way I think you ask your instructor [take a 45min private lesson] and if she is not experienced enough to explain and sort it out then seek out another school.

Agree with this. You say that you 'stay away' from the reins, but some horses need a light contact to canter (otherwise they just think that the leg aid means to go faster) and this might be the problem. The horse might feel different to just trotting faster as it is recieving half a canter aid but not all of it? (Like someone giving you half of a set of instructions and leaving you to puzzle out what they really meant). Some horses try very hard to work out what the rider wants, others don't bother or get anxious. Another thing to check is to make sure you are not leaning forward to ask for canter, as this can shift the horses weight.
However, any advice you get on a forum like this will just be a 'possible' solution from a list of many. You really need your instructor to help based on what they see you doing (and they will know the different personalities/training of the horses too).

 

[Barnacle]

From what I've seen school horses don't need you to do anything special with the reins... They know their job and have carried hundreds of different riders. Just keep your hands in a steady position and make sure you aren't pulling back. Sit, apply your leg aids (squeeze and sit deep at the same time) and scoop with your pelvis. Then continue to move your hips with the horse as if you're urging it forwards with your hips at every stride. Most school horses will get that and it's probably that last piece you are missing. If the horse starts trotting faster, slow it back down to a steady trot right away, go back to rising, and repeat at the next corner.
But the people here are correct that your instructor ought to be able to explain what you are doing wrong and if you aren't taking private lessons, I think it's a good idea that you do so a few times to get the hang of it. Most likely the issue you have is related to your balance and hence an inability to coordinate the different parts of your body to motivate the horse to listen. It may be worth taking a few lessons on the lunge to help you with that, if that's an option.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I agree with the suggestion to have some lunge lessons with a really good instructor but in the meantime; aim to canter from a corner of the school, sitting trot to just before the corner, half-halt ( think "steady"), sit down, inside leg on girth, outside leg just behind the girth, which should put your seat-bones into the correct position, look where you are going, which puts your shoulders into the correct position and push with your seat. All that should be happening simultaneously and not take as long as reading it does. This should encourage your horse to strike off on the correct leg because he is balanced up to do so. You should be in canter before you exit the corner.