Feet going through when im going from a trot to a canter?

Question

when i go from a trot to a canter my feet slip through the striups and i fall forward. i also hav a hard time getting my horse to canter. HELP ME :P

Answer 1

You're not pushing your heels down and you're letting your balance get too far forward.

When you are about to transition into the canter, sit back deep in the saddle.  Push your heels down... push your feet down hard into your stirrups.  Push your heels down so hard that you feel like they're pointing forward instead of just down.  If your heels are down, your feet can't slip through the stirrups.  Sitting back deep in your saddle will help you not fall forward... your balance will be back instead of forward.

I think you're probably leaning forward to ask for the canter... you really want to do the opposite... sit back.  Your horse is having a hard time transitioning to the canter because you're letting your weight go forward.  A horse needs you to sit back and take your weight off of its front end... then it can transition into the canter easier.  A horse needs to rock back to start its canter... if you're forward over the front end, a horse can't rock back.  That's why you're having a hard time getting it to canter.

With your feet, you just have to work on keeping your heels down and your legs long.  It will get better with practice, but breaking your habit is going to be hard work.

Answer 2

First of all, make sure your stirpups are at the proper length. They  should be touching your ankels. secondly when going from a trot to a canter, make sure to squeeze with your knees for stability and weight shift, The ball of your foot should sit comfortably in the stirrup, with the   back of your foot at a slight downward angle. If you still need more practice try riding bareback using your knees and you will notice that your posture will change and your feet will adjust on their own. Remember to grip with your knees.

Answer 3

i used to always loose my stirrups after a little bit of cantering.  don't let it get to you though it may be frustrating.  with me people kept saying to sit farther back in the saddle and to keep my legs tight and heels down.  that is what you should do too.  but though people may tell you and you know what you're doing wrong it is very hard to fix the problem and that's what frustrated me the most!  to help with this try sitting the trot without your stirrups.  it forces you to use your lower leg and sit back, because if you lean forward you will fall off.  this will also help when you start jumping.  if you haven't yet.  because when you jump you need to keep your lower leg tight, so that the force of the horse jumping off the ground doesn't knock you off your tack.

also to keep your heels down practice 2 pointing as you trot or canter (it's easier to 2pt when cantering).