Old horse, new tricks

P4NN

P4NN

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27 January 2009
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13yo. I've owned her since she was a ditzy 4yo, so feel qualified to say that she has really only just come into her own (mentally and physically)

We are competing at Medium Level and Para grade 4 but looking at the next year or so I want to start changes with my mare. She has all the prerequisites for changes. She can extend and collect her canter and perform balanced 10 metre circles. Her counter canter is established and balanced. Perfect simple changes. And can canter depart from a halt.

My trainer seems to think that her counter canter is too established and her age go against her. He tried for the first time yesterday and I had a go today. But there wasn't even a whiff of a flying change. We didn't do anything too dramatic, just cantering 20 metre circles and then coming across the diagonal. Now I'm under no allusions that it will happen overnight, but I'm determined to follow this through. Even if it takes forever as I'm not wanting an overnight transformation..... I want a natural development so that they are correct. I've read so many books and articles that say age isn't a factor as it is something horses can naturally do, that they need to have the prerequisites in their schooling and it can vary in length of time, horse to horse to train them.

Can you share your stories, experiences, methods and support?! I know it's only been two sessions but that seed of doubt has been set by my trainer. Normally it is a red rag with me as I'm a stubborn determined so and sd o, but driving home today had me thinking of the prospect of being stuck at this level and not being able to progress further. Or even worse which is something I know I won't be able to face and that would be to sell my mare to get another horse.
 
For correct dressage changes, you want a balanced horse who changes on the aid, not a horse who changes from an unbalanced counter-canter. I don't think her established counter-canter will limit your mare's ability to change.

Can you ask for walk-to-canter on a straight line (the centre or 3/4 line)? Can you bring her back to a balanced walk within a few strides? Then walk-to-canter again on the other lead? And repeat. When this exercise is very established, it's not so hard to reduce the number of walk strides, until one day you simply half-halt and pop onto the other lead.

It leads naturally into tempis, too :). My trainer taught me to teach changes this way and it was a revelation...no stressful attempts to unbalance the horse or exaggerate aids or teaching over poles to end up with a horse who only changes over poles. It takes patience and timing (you have to know just where your new outside hind leg is) but it works.
 
Here's a way I say Gill Watson use to get a horse to change .
Put out two poles far enough apart to canter through .
Start making a circle going through the poles each time , do the is on both reins .
The start trotting and changing direction each time you pass through the poles .
Then go canter walk canter getting back into canter ASAP .
Do the odd canter halt canter and the when asking for the canter walk just try the change , the horse I watched it used on got the idea quickly of they were not perfect but he got the idea .
The other thing and I don't mean this in any way rudely but get a rider who is really really talented at riding the change to ride the horse the better your timing the easier it is for the horse to get it .
I had one horse who struggled but got it instantly when I tried going to wards the wall across the diagonal in medium canter , he developed very very nice changes very quickly once he got it .
You just need to have a go without being to precious about it .
 
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