help with tempi changes

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blood_magik

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me and jerry are really struggling with flying changes at the moment. he will change his front lead but leave his back end behind he then finds it too difficult to change his back legs and breaks into trot.
I've tried using a placing pole to help him but it doesn't seem to be working. any tips? :)
 
You could try doing canter-walk-canter across the diagonal to begin with. Afraid I can't help more than that though; my flying changes tend to be unintentional :)
 
Are the hindquarters engaged enough?
Without the hindquarters really working a flying change is difficult for them.
Lots of transitions within the canter can help, so lengthening then shortening.
Try doing a small canter circle before you go for the change and really shorten the canter but there is still plenty of impulsion.

Hope this helps, I've been having similar problems as my boy canters long and strung out. :)
 
I'm thinking you've hit the nail on the head, kokopelli. I have great difficulty maintaining an outline in the canter - he usually sticks his head up in the air and naughty me let's him get away with it when we're jumping. I'll have a go collecting and extending when I ride later on and see how he gets on :)
 
well, that was interesting.. :rolleyes:
I spent ages collecting then extending down the long side in both trot and canter before attempting flying change..


we nailed it :D

We have sorted it going from left lead to right but right to left took a while to get - although we did get there in the end! :D

I had to really hold him in the canter and over-exaggerate my aids for the change to left canter but, bless him, he did it without leaving his back end behind.
He's knackered and dripping in sweat for the first time in ages - poor jerry :rolleyes:
 
tempi changes would be the goal - its very far away at the moment but the fact that he's mastered his simple changes gives me hope :rolleyes:

Give it a few days and i'll probably realise how high I've set the bar and panick when I realise it's probably going to be impossible
 
I have a sort-of plan for when we move yards as I'll be on my own until I find an instructor:

1) work on lateral movements such as shoulder-in, half-pass
2)work on counter canter
3) work on simple changes - probably starting with 6 strides walk, 6 strides canter(?)
4) work on extending and collecting in trot and canter (had some very nice extended trot today :) )

Is there anything else I should be doing to prep him? :confused:
 
You naughty girl you should really have all that down before starting flying changes! :p :D Still good dedication that you managed to get a flying change without even having taught him a simple change or counter canter first! Leave them for now...you know he can do them, until you have the above in his repetoire! :)
 
Consider my wrists well and truly slapped.
I have been doing simple changes - just not over such a short number of strides :eek:

This is why I love my boy - he tries so damn hard
s020.gif


I shall be back (in a few weeks) with the perfect flying change :D

no pressure :p
 
For the simple change, I wouldn't worry about strides as such - particularly not the canter ones.

I'd work either going across the diagonal or on a figure 8. Many horses find it easier on figure 8's because the circle shape helps them figure out what side they're changing too. Basically, I'd just canter until it's balanced and active, then come across either the diagonal or the centre (of figure 8), ask him to walk, and then canter on to the other side when he feels like he'll do a decent transition.

Slowly work into being able to do only a couple of walk strides, but really, as for the canter, it's not about stride numbers, but doing it at a marker. Normally in tests your simple change will be something to the effect of 'MXK change rein with simple change through X'

Well done on the flying changes :) Though I agree with Vizslak, try to get all the other stuff down before you work on them too much :) It's hard though, flying changes are a fun party trick, I was delighted when I learnt them with my ex-racer :)

Dunno what your canter strike off's are like, but an exercise that can help is leg-yielding to the track in trot, then asking for the strike off at the wall, gets their inside leg under them already.

Also, make sure you practice plenty of just walk-canter-walk transitions on a circle on the same rein so when simple changes happen, you know the transition part is easy, it's just changing legs :) Can also do the "simple change" but through trot to prepare him :)
 
justme22 - thanks for the advice. I'll give everything a go and see how he gets on before trying changes again.

shilasdair - I know I need lessons with an instructor. I need to find one who can come to me once I move
 
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