teaching to change legs??

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hannah87

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hi guys - i need to teach my horse how to change legs in canter - wen we are show jumping and land on the wrong legs he wont change for himself i have to bring him back to trot and ask for the rite lead - which upsets the rythm - if i let him carry on on th wrong lead he get unbalanced etc. ive tried to teach him to change on the flat but he gets disunited so he is trying but not sure if im giving clear anough aids and he wont have ever been taught it b4 i had him. - wats the best way to teach him and the clearest aids?
 
Some horses just cant do it! They are not coordinated enough - my friends horse being one of them, and trust methey have tried!

There are lots of ways. What is he like if you do canter/walk walk/canter on the diagonal, asking him to pick up with the opposite lead?
 
canter walk walk canter is okay but i really would like to do it in canter for SJ - he has got a lovely rythmical canter so didnt think he shud find it too hard!
 
the easiest way i've found, as long as his canter's nice and balanced, is to do a smallish 1/2 circle and then canter back to 2/3 way down the long side, so you're meeting the track at a slight angle (not 45 degrees or more; less if you possibly can) in counter-canter. if you have a pole positioned there, at right angles to you, just off the track, then the corner coming up, the fact that he's on the 'wrong leg', and the pole to get him in the air, should give him the idea.
aids - rebalance, turn gently to new inside bend as you change your canter aid, swinging new outside leg back and using new inside leg lightly on the girth, keeping yourself as upright and still as possible.
tbh i'd keep the aids to a minimum and see if the exercise and the pole give him the idea. if not, just calmly ride round the corner in counter canter, back to trot, change rein, repeat.
or, a pole on the ground between 2 jump wings, and canter a figure of 8 with it in the middle, but i don't find this as easy for them tbh.
 
If you give him the canter aid as you go over the jump to tell him which leg he needs to use then he should understand. Practice over tiny jumps across the diagonal until he gets the idea OR canter a figure of 8 in the school as as you go across the middle bring him back to trot for a couple of strides then ask for canter again on the other leg, keep doing this until you can remove the few strides of trot.
 
Try popping a small raised pole in canter, as your horse takes off put your weight down into the stirrup on the side you want to have the canter lead & really turn your head to look in that direction. Your body weight will mean the horse has to lead with the correct leg to balance himself. Apply the aids to ask for the change of lead (inside leg on the girth, outside leg behind girth, flex your horses head into the direction you want to go) so your horse will begin to associate these aids with a change of leg.

When your horse has got the hang of changing legs like this, try it without the pole. Apply the aids in exactly the same way and your horse should understand what you are asking for. First few times you may need to come back to trot for a couple of strides but each time ask for a quicker change and you will soon notice an improvement.
 

Similar to what others have said, I find if you put a pole horizontally in the middle of the school and canter a figure of eight, the pole and your aids, (weight, body language as bove) should help the horse to change legs on the centre line. Then try removing the pole.

I also agree that you should be telling your horse which lead to take as you are going over the fence.
 
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