Flying changes - at what age did you ask?

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moneypit1

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Harry is rising 5. His canter is his most established pace, correct strike off most of the time but not always. His canter is however, rhythmical and balanced. Today I asked for a flying change on the diagonal. He did change but late, on the corner. On the other rein he changed immediately I asked. I simply put my leg on and shifted my weight slightly and he changed. Do you think I should be asking for a flying change so early in his education? I only ask as a friend said i was asking a bit much considering his age. Got me thinking, perhaps she is right. opinions please..
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its people that get stressed about changes, not horses.....when i showjumped my 4yo's learnt them, now i dont jump but do dressage and dependant on the horse i introduce them between 4 and 6 usually.......previous mare started them at 5, horse before that at 6. current boy has been popping a change each way since last autumn (when he was 4).but he finds them incredibly easy and has a naturally off the floor uphill canter (he also finds counter canter easy).
i tend to do a few in each direction and then leave them for a few weeks.

theres a school of thought that you shouldnt introduce changes before the counter canter is established but i find if you get the counter canter SO perfect they struggle with the concept of changes and go late behind. so i get the counter canter just ok, then start changes, get them ok, then from there on in, mix them up so the horse learns to stay on the aids and not do either on auto pilot.
sounds like H finds them easy so i wouldnt worry about asking for them.
 
Thanks for that. Actually you are spot on. When Harry first started cantering it was exceptional, fluid and uphill. He could counter canter easily and often would even down to a 15 metre circle. He finds each lead as easy as pie. He is close coupled and uphill in all his paces and i guess i am suspicious of him! I must trust him more!
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depends on the horse, some are such naturals they'll do them easily when young, others take a lot longer.
i was told ages ago by someone who saw it that Toddy was riding somewhere and doing beautiful changes on 3 yr olds... i'd love to know if that's true.
 
If he managed it with no problems then I can't see that this is too much for him. I think the best way to work out what is too much and what is not is to listen to our horses... he's clearly telling you he's ok with what you are asking by happily obliging.
 
Its a natural movement for the horse, I often witness mine doing flying changes in their field when they have a little hoolie - unfortunately, when I am on their backs I can't seem to replicate the effortlessness
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I think it comes more natrually to some horses than others. At 4 years my mare was very athetic and balanced, and used to do flying changes naturally hen free schooled. When riding her i found she sometimes changed in counter canter by her self and was naturally collected. I played with changes and she got the hang of it very quickly. By the time she was 5 she could do one time changes (like skipping) She could also do canter half pass, all a lot of more advanced movements. Including canter pirrouette (sp) My gelding of the same age, was not as athletic was more on the forehand and found lateral work harder. He was nto as forward thinkign as my mare, and so we worked more on his outline and getting him off his forehand and using his bum. I think it really depend on the horse. My mare was id x anglo arab, my gelding was a warmblood x irish. He had a bigger frame and was just more imature. As it was my mare was also a more natural jumper and found gymnastic jumping very easy.

Its imprortant to have them balanced and off the leg, and working in a balanced outlien first. Some horses really do get in a muddle.

My current horse is 18, and he has been there and done it, and he will do changes very easily. I have a more novice rider ride him now and again and she has foudn that by learnign hwo to do them with him, she can now use what she has learnt with her younger gelding.
 
Id say its probably best to teach them early and before counter canter is really established, I could be wrong but Im baseing this on mine and my friends horses. She's got a lovely warmblood, done affiliated dressage on him and he has a super canter and great counter canter but because of this he cant change for the life of him. My section D however didnt have a great counter canter, he would fall onto the forehand but being clever he's learnt changes really easily at a grand old age and because he's listening to what Im asking he now does counter canter too, although admittedly he does often change thinking thats what I want
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I did the first few with mine this year, he's 6. Buuuut he can counter canter etc, and only came off the racetrack at 4 and a half...I could've introduced them earlier but my DR instructor was sort of against it..I started showjumping and my instructor just went 'ok now go through here and do a flying change' so I just...went and did a flying change :P No fusses or big deal about it, and he changed fine.

If he didn't find it an issue I wouldn't worry about it..I just wouldn't school them too much, considering he isn't completely established with his canter leads yet.
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I don’t know the answer but we have just started changes with my rising 7 cob. He is great at changing in front but currently a bit slow behind. We are working on it.
 
JoBo I've got a cobby coblet and he did eventually learn so stick with it, they're not grand prix stylee but the welsh version! Oh and I meant to say to OP, mine also found one way much easier at first, in fact I went about 18 months thinking one way is better than none but then one day decided to tackle it and now he does both. Like others have said, dont make an issue out of it because they can get in a flap, if he changes eventually then praise him, if he doesnt then don't make a fuss, its quite hard work so its not something I do a lot of, I dont do it for how it looks, its more to make my canter three-time because it gets his back end off the floor!!!!
 
A rider I worked for in Ireland had a 4yo (I believe) who he started teaching..he just was cantering him one day and went 'i think i'll ask for his first change', cantered very nice and balanced along the diagonal, and then asked very lightly in the corner, and hey presto -change.
He is a properly fantastic rider though, and he literally just sat there looking like he just telepathically commanded the horse to do the change.

Anyway my point is, its natural for the horse and if they're ready for it in their schooling etc, then go ahead and try
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