Teaching a Flying Change...

[jcberry]

i have never ridden a flying change before (well one that i have asked for) , let alone taught one so i was so pleased when we did them today!
i have started over a pole, and he gets rather excited after a few and sort of rushes towards the pole then its hard to gather him up and get him under me, so 2 questionss..

1.how do i make him listen to me a bit more instead of going hollow and flat rather than springy underneath me like he is at the start?

2. and whats the next step after using a pole?

thanks

 

[Tickles]

I've never used a pole but did have a go at teaching them on a figure-8 wiht one RI.

Starting at the middle of the school (and of the 8) canter nearly a full circle on one rein and when you are getting back towards the centre make a transition to trot for a few paces (start with as many as you need - can be almost the whole 'diagonal' section). Then pick up canter on the other rein for the other circle of the 8.

You do this a few times gradually reducing the number of trot strides. Horse will be anticipating what is required and eventually you just give the aide for picking up canter on the other rein without making a transition in between.

Word of caution though: I have once been bucked off by a confused/excited youngster doing this. I was concentrating so much that I forgot to keep reassuring him (was the kind who was best being talked nicely to for the whole session) and he found it all a bit too much. So, take it nice and slowly. If you just get two part-circles on the correct leads that is great. Don't worry about having some trot in between for the first few times and don't go on for too long in any session.

Have fun! (I haven't done flying changes with share horsey yet - I know owner doesn't so will be doing this very carefully myself at some point soon.)

 

[Shazzababs]

The next stage after the pole is to do it without!

Good article here on teaching flying changes: http://www.classicaldressage.net/members/lesson_pages/flying_changes1.html

To stop him getting excited try doing the flying changes from other exercises, i.e. not just over the same pole in the same place, or accross the (same) diagonal.

Try this exercise:

Canter a half circle to the 3/4 (or centre) line and then ride a diagonal from there back to the track to change the rein. They used to call them 'tear drops' in my PC days. The circle will help to balance (and you can do a whole one or 2 if you need to before doing the diagonal). You can then pop the change anywhere on the diagonal, or just continue and do some counter canter, or ride down the line and do something else. When mine got good at this I changed as I came off the half circle and then leg yeilded back to the track. This helped to rebalence the canter.