<<I also tend to believe people over - analyze way too much >>

Maybe I'm too sensitive tonight, but that kinda ticks me off. Who are you to judge how much I need to analyze something? People work differently. Personally, it needs to make sense in my head before it will make sense in my body, so I have to analyze it before I can do it. And, based on the popularity of "Centered Riding" and the use of balance balls for "dry riding", I'm not alone.

<<and it certainly doesn't need books written about a subject the horse does very naturally on their own >>

Just because a horse does it naturally on their own, doesn't mean there is anything "natural" about *riding. In fact, carrying a rider fundamentally alters the way a horse moves, shifting from 60% of their weight from their front legs (hence the larger front hooves) to 60% of their weight on the back legs (hence "collecting" or "compressing"). And a clever little "doesn't the horse know how to trot?" response isn't really the question--the question is, does the horse know how to carry a rider while trotting when the rider asks? Plus, not every horse knows how to move correctly. We all know how to run, but how many of us would need a trainer to know how to run a marathon with proper form? Our job as a rider is to train our horse to carry a rider correctly, lest risking injury to them.

And thinking of "picking up the withers" doesn't confuse my horse. It's the mental imagine I learned that, when used on my mare, makes the most effortless canter depart I have ever ridden in my life. I just think "up" and it's just breathtaking. I fail to see how that's any different from "watch the horse on their own and visualize you sitting on their back,,, ". That's exactly what I'm doing. My horse steps under, dropping her hips and lifting her withers. To sit that, my hips mimic her, dropping my hips and lifting with the withers. Starting that canter motion signals to her that "here's what we're doing next".

Finally:

<<its not the big deal most riding instructors make it out to be,,,they just want to seem knowledgable,>>

My riding instructors didn't make a big deal of it at all--and that was my problem. If mental images and descriptions don't work for you, fine. But some of us need to collect "versions of what's taking place" in order to find one that works for us. Telling us to "just do it" is basically just blowing us off.

I know where you're coming from, but I've been teaching bellydance for over 20 years, and believe me, if I could just say "just watch me dance & then you do it" that would be soooo much easier! For some reason tho, students keep coming back to class week after week LOL

Every now & then I actually do that, but it usually doesn't work for most people because of many things like being self conscious in front of the teacher or other students, unconscious body reactions (stiffening up, anxiety response), faulty body awareness & control, inablity to hear the music (I guess that might be feel the horse), etc.

You may be one of the fortunate few "natural" riders like there's natural dancers who CAN just watch & then do it.

BUT, I will watch the horses more closely when the more experienced riders are going into canter tho -
My teacher's told me several times that after someone learns the canter they love it & think it's the most fun. I can't wait!

misunderstandings happen,,,visuallizing how the horse moves,
and then visualizing sitting with the motion also teaches,,,

your above comment about staying out of the horses way sums it up,,,
a problem people have sometimes is they try to make something happen
or they get out of rythm with the horse,,,this leads to frustration, and getting
thru the frustration is part of the learning process,,,

too often when we try to remember every little detail and think our way thru
then the moment has already occured,,,thats why with people who look
congruent with the horse the thinking has given way to feeling thru the
process where it becomes second nature

with the ground covering walk and multiple transitions from the walk to the trot
and then right back to the walk, including changes of directions allows the horse to get in tune
with us, and the person with the horse,,,the horses back will be more relaxed and so will their breathing,,,
If the horses back is tight and their breathing is shallow due to uncertainty of the rider, then
all the talk about which leg should go where is pointless,,,a nervous horse and a nervous rider
make for a rotten canter,,,,getting congruent where there is less pressure and intensity will lead
up to the canter if the preparation and the communication is there,,,

I was looking at the canter from a horses point of view,,,,if the horse can go into a canter
on their own,,,then we should be able to duplicate it,,,