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Discussion on Changing Leads
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Posted on Monday, Jun 7, 1999 - 12:01 am:
I was wondering how you teach your horse to change leads and how you know if they have or not?
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Chris M |
Posted on Monday, Jun 7, 1999 - 12:15 pm:
Lora,
A lot of people use a pole on the ground in the middle of the figure 8. They canter on one lead, walk near the pole, step over it and canter on the other lead. After a while, they can do the switch over the pole, remove the pole and finally, take the change to other locations.
To determine when a horse is ready for flying changes, he needs to be balanced on both canter leads and accept the rider's cue to take whichever lead the rider requests. He needs to be more under himself and using his hind end. He needs to accept a half halt through the seat of the rider. The horse should have soft, obedient transitions from walk to canter and back, as well as trot to canter and back. He should be able to counter canter, too.
A rider needs to be able to "feel" which lead is which when riding and have very clear canter aids that helps a horse select a canter lead and helps him through the change. Intitially this rider "feel" is learned by checking the inside shoulder of the horse - it is forward at a certain time of the 3 beat canter. It helps to have an instructor that can tell you when you are on the correct lead and then as you are "feeling" the canter, look at the inside shoulder - you get a sense that it is "leading." Until you are very comfortable with "feel" the visual check of the inside shoulder is a good help.
Often a horse will only change leads behind and this is an ugly feeling, very hard to sit.
If you are working over a jumping course, it is actually easier to decide which lead you want to land on over a jump and cue for it with your weight and legs when going over the jump. This is also a good way to refine your aids and your horse's response to them.
Hope this helps.
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Lora |
Posted on Monday, Jun 7, 1999 - 7:51 pm:
That helped very much.Thank you!
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