flying changes help please.

charlie76

charlie76

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Can anyone make some suggestions on how to develop and improve my horses flying changes? I have trained my other horse to do them easily and he is now starting tempi changes. But my second horse is struggling with them, he either doesn't change, changes in front and not behind , sneaks in a very small trot step or does a clean change but includes a monster buck! His other trick is to swing his quarters and go crooked.
His canter is good and balanced with plenty of gears, ie he can collect and extend, his simple changes are perfect and his counter canter is good, he can also pick up any lead leg I ask him for anywhere in the arena.
I have tried with exaggerating the aids, using less aids, across the diagonal, through loops, on a circle and from counter canter on the long side and he just doesn't get it. If I back the leg up with the stick he either swings away from it or bucks.
I would really like to crack it as other than this he is more than ready for an advanced medium as he finds the medium tests easy.
Thanks:-)
 
Have you tried out of leg yield? Someone suggested this to me as my horse really wasn't getting them at all and this really helped as I was able to use the leg yield to really get him into the new outside rein and get him really straight before asking.
 
Fuzzypuff said:
Have you tried out of leg yield? Someone suggested this to me as my horse really wasn't getting them at all and this really helped as I was able to use the leg yield to really get him into the new outside rein and get him really straight before asking.
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I have been doing it from half pass havent thought to try from leg yield, i also have the same probs as op, either she swings crooked or does a nice change it then pegs it! Once we have done one or two the tension gets so high inside her that as soon as we move off the track where she might have to change she tries to bolt. Its all rather tricky on a hot flighty horse!
 
Have you tried asking over a pole?

That is how I taught my mare, as it gives them a bit more "jump". Try to keep the horse forward to stop them jacking up to buck, but obviously not racing forward.

The other thing an instructor suggested for straightness is set 2 poles about 4ft apart on the diagonal and ask for the change through the poles to keep them straight.
 
I do counter canter round the corner, then ask for canter half pass on the long side. If that doesn't work, then counter canter on a 20m circle and tickle with the whip until I get a buck and change, then back to the half pass once they've got the idea.

I was always taught that teaching changes is more like a circus trick than proper dressage, so think about it like teaching a trick!
 
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