Teaching flying changes.

[Elvengirl]

Any good excersizes that would motivate the lazy and often bored 17.2HH lug? ;)

[Loopslou]

I'll swap you a fizzed up disobedient 4 year old who now appears to hate me unless I'm feeding her :D

Plenty of transistions, pole work, something to catch his attention and get him forward going. Check what you are feeding him as well. He may need a bit more energy!

Any tips on how to deal with a young horse who puts the head down to avoid contact/head up hollow back when trotting/hates working in the sandschool and is just being generally crappy towards me?

[Loopslou]

sorry, on the flying changes, start your canter and then verge in a large loop out towards the centre of the school (about 1 metre in from the side) and then ease back towards the rail. That normally gets them going on a flying change. Sorry, my description isn't great! :o

[cvb]

simple changes through walk ? Canter strike-off on your chosen leg - down the centre line ?

Oooo - here's a good one, if I can remember it right... not so much for changes, but..

4 - loop serpentine. Start the first loop on the "correct" canter. As you go across the centre line, maintain the canter so you are in counter canter. As you touch the long side, simple change to the "correct" canter. Do the same every time you touch the long side.

Thats not quite the exercise I did - somehow I ended up doing counter-canter to counter-canter simple change, but I can't remember how !

[Pickles]

You could try over a canter pole or small cross to begin with, ie start to use your aids to tell him to change direction as he takes off and make the aids stronger as he lands so he is clear which way you want him to go. He should come in on one lead and change in mid air over the pole.

In time take the pole away and just use the same aids to ask him to change legs. If you leave the jump wings up to begin with it may help him to 'click' with what you are asking him to do, though I would make sure you go over/through sometimes not asking him to change so he has to listen to you.

[cvb]

Lgd explained on a previous thread that if you are doing changes for dressage, then its not a good idea to use the pole technique as it tends to teach them to change with front legs first, which is marked down :(

Variation on the serpentine - 4 loops - canter first on correct leg and don't change, so you do the next one in counter canter. Change at middle of school, so next loop is also counter canter, then stay and do final loop on correct leg.

Its still not exactly the exercise i was doing - but good for accuracy etc. Wish i could remember that exercise ! :mad:

[helenc]

Are you trying to teach him flying changes from scratch or does he have a basic understanding?

The above suggestions are good but personally I'd steer clear of the change over a pole. Unless your timing is impeccable, there is a danger that the horse will change his front legs first & then his back when what you really want is the back lead to change first.

If you're teaching from scratch then you can use canter-walk-canter transitions. You could also do 1/2 15m circle then back to the outside of the school asking for a change a couple of strides before you get back to the outside track.

If he has an understanding already then there are loads of exercises you can do. Figure 8s - diagonally, accross the centre line, up the centre line. Serpentines, leg yield both ways down the centre line & then change, start asking for changes every 7 strides, once he gets the hang change every 5, then 3 then 2.

Loads of things really!

[Loopslou]

CVB's first post explained much better what I was trying to say :eek:

[Elvengirl]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Yes he is starting from scratch and not very graceful!! :p I'll start him off with simple changes right away. He does his walk to canter well now, so I think he is balanced enough to start trying simple changes etc.

Loopslou- he is just fed hay as he is still on the over weight side.

[Jojo_82]

Echo the above, I'd steer clear of teaching flying changes by using a pole/small jump... that's a good technique for the more established neddy, especially if you want to develop airbourne turns etc for jumping. :cool:

However, on the flat, as some have said, use the simple changes first i.e. on a figure of eight, come across the centre line in walk or trot, then pick up canter again on the opposite reins, with practise, you should be able to make the simple change smaller and smaller in order to achieve the flying change.

After lots of practise with the simple changes and when you start the flying changes, a slight, subtle shift in body weight to the rein you changing to helps to encourage the horse to change lead.

Jo xx

[Kanuma]

i was taught to teach them it by doing a figure of 8. canter a figure of 8, trot a few strides avross the diaginal and then strike off on the other lead, gradualy reduce the number of strides until you have just 1 stride of trot then add a pole on a brick to ensure they change, they get it eventually! then remove the pole and you should have it!
(this is probably not very clear but it is 1.30 am here!)

[tb_rider]

do simple changes first, slowly reducing the number of trot steps until he does a flying change at the cue of your leg :p