I was thinking about it.

You say that when you ask your horse to speed up, you let her get almost to the trot and then collect her to ask for some sort of gait (I know nothing about gaits). So that's probably what she's accustomed to. Maybe she's getting confused about you asking her to move all the way up to the canter... she might be expecting/waiting for the collection, and when it doesn't come she gets confused and doesn't know what you want. Horses that are accustomed to a lot of contact can get upset if they are "thrown away".

One of the greenies I rode had a crazy trot to canter transition. She would balk, and then rush into when I insisted. I would get startled and pull back, and she would break. She was so confused, I didn't know what to do. Now, I was lucky because she was fairly small, she was VERY sensitive on her mouth and had incredible brakes. And I had a saddle, which definitely helped me feel more secure. I started just asking her to canter, and riding out whatever I got. We ended up galloping sometimes... but she learned that forward means good, forward means no correction, forward is fun. Once she realized that, she naturally became more relaxed in the canter. That pony had the smoothest little canter I've ever sat...

I agree with the people who say you should try to get a saddle... although I know it can be quite the investment they aren't cheap. Even if you're not pulling on her mouth into the canter, when she gets uncomfortable and hollow and scooty, you probably tense up even if you don't realize it... to stay on, and just in case she does something unpredictable. Especially without a saddle, she'll be able to feel everything you're doing... if you feel unrelaxed, she'll probably feel the same way.

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