Many times it is said that flying changes are the most difficult movement for horse and rider to execute. Many riders struggle to get the proper timing of the movement. Some people learn by listening, some by watching, doing or a combination of those methods. So too, individual horses are unique in how they learn. A disciplined rider asks the horse the same way, with the right timing of aids, every time. Doing so allows a horse to blossom in its development.
A flying change happens at the moment of suspension between two canter strides. How can you tell that moment of suspension? If you were counting out loud, it would sound like 1,2,3 AND, 1,2,3, AND (the “AND” is the moment of suspension).
In a normal canter, regardless of which lead the horse is on, there is a 3 beat rhythm, starting with the stride of the outside hind, followed by the simultaneous stride of the diagonal pair, and finishing with the leading inside foreleg. It should be a forward, clear rhythm. The ideal canter comes from the hind leg jumping right underneath the horse’s body, which lifts the shoulders, producing a light front end.
When referring to the “AND” mentioned above, we are describing the moment of complete suspension in which none of the horse’s feet are touching the ground. It is during this moment of suspension, the rider can either ride the canter forward, OR can ask for a flying lead change. We will discuss how to ride a FLYING LEAD CHANGE below.
SOLID BASICS: SIMPLE CHANGES
The key is having solid basics which include solid Simple Changes. No Simple Changes means no Flying Lead Changes (also known as: Flying Changes)…Practicing walk-canter-walk transitions that are relaxed, balanced, and in which the horse has the ability to “sit” is required. They should be clean, balanced, fluid and easy. If your aids are given on the DOWN-BEAT, the horse will fall onto the forehand. Give the aids in the UP-BEAT (when the mane and ears come up). The stride before the walk has to be light in the hand, NOT pulled back to the walk.
Simple-Changes help the horse move towards carrying more of their weight behind. A good exercise for horses that anticipate or horses that are more forward thinking is: Canter-to-Walk—to—Shoulder-In (Shoulder-In in walk) in the walk, then canter again. This not only encourages the rider to put their legs on the horse, but also to NOT take their legs away at a time when the horse needs support. This also allows the horse to accept the rider’s leg.
Another valuable Simple Change exercise is: Canter-To-Walk—and after the transition to walk—then immediately ride a Turn-On-the-Forehand. This exercise gets both the horse to accept the rider’s leg, and the rider to learn to keep their legs on—not take them away.
BASICS OF FLYING CHANGES
You can start to introduce Flying Changes when your horse has an uphill, strong, 3-beat canter. (Beware: sometimes people who have ridden endlessly in Counter- Canter, may find it difficult to get the horse into flying change mode.) The most important things the judges are looking for in Flying Changes are: 1. Straightness, and 2. Forwardness. (if doing Tempis, proper-count matters as well). Side note: regarding Tempis: many horses find changing every two strides to be easier than changing every four strides because there are fewer strides in between for the horse to become crooked.
Practice the changes on the long sides, using the walls. At first it’s best to seldom practice on the diagonal because the use of the wall helps keep the horse straight. Also, teach Tempis on the wall to keep the horse straight. Once the horse is nicely forward and is having some lovely uphill, straight changes, then it is okay to begin practicing on the diagonal, where straightness is harder to achieve.
COMMON FLYING CHANGE FAULTS
Common Flying Change faults can include:
- late behind or in front
- slowing down in the canter
- speeding up in the canter
- hindquarters swinging
- hindquarters coming up
It’s best to try flying changes at the end of a training session. All you want is one or two good, clean ground covering changes for the horse to finish on a good note. This is better than trying early in a session, when the horse might be overly fresh, which will lead to uptight or tense performance. If the horse is well worked with plenty of transitions, is light on your aids, and off of your leg, the whole process will be a lot easier.
KNOW WHEN TO BACK OFF OR PUSH
Never force the issue of a flying change. If flying changes get the horse nervous and/or tense, do not do them every day. Instead, try schooling one day: just one or two flying changes, and then go back to basics—only ride simple changes (walk-canter-walk) for several days before going back to the flying changes. A rider who INSISTS when a horse is not catching on will create a problem. When riding with force and pressure, the horse quickly sours to the idea of flying changes and the horse becomes incapable of executing relaxed changes, thus making it very challenging for the rider and horse to overcome… REMEMBER: Less is more.
If the horse has big strides, it can have a potential to become slow, which as riders we need to encourage more activity behind. Work the canter at a medium gait to activate and “sit” the horse without doing a change. Then, when the canter is active and uphill, ride a medium canter down the long side and if the horse is bold and in front of the leg, then ask for a flying change.
On the other hand, if a horse is not as responsive to the leg, it may be beneficial to work on the changes more often. This might make the horse a bit hotter and more responsive.
At any point if the horse gets tense, or starts to anticipate, GO BACK TO BASICS BEFORE TRYING AGAIN.
Determine what the horse’s easier, more comfortable lead is—80% of horses will find it easier to change from right to left lead. Depending on how the horse learns, some sensitive, over-achiever personalities like to learn in “baby steps,” and they like to have everything broken down. For these horses, only focus on that lead for a week or two, before starting to introduce the other flying lead change. That way the horse stays more relaxed and confident. Never ask for more than two changes per session for one to two weeks.
Some horses are more naturally balanced and love executing changes.These horses will feel more pressure and will likely become very tense and lacking in confidence if you keep hammering away, working on change-after- change with them in a session. This causes more long term mental/trust issues, so remember: as keen as they are, by taking it slow and steady to gain their understanding, confidence and to keep them relaxed and balanced, you’ll have a happier partner.
AIDS FOR THE FLYING CHANGE
For a Flying Change:
- The rider flexes the head and neck of the horse slightly, and when the flexion of the horse is changed the rider’s legs are also changed…
- The leg which had previously been passively behind the girth now moves onto the girth and the leg that was lying on the girth, is moved behind the girth, where it is applied more strongly, encouraging the horse to change leads.
- When changing the position of legs, the rider must also shift the inside seat bone/hip slightly forward, so the horse is being pushed forward.
Slightly flex the horse’s head and neck: This flexion occurs only a moment before the other aids. Move the leg: The new outside leg moves behind the girth and it is applied more strongly to the horse to encourage the change. Be careful: if a canter aid is applied longer, the horse gets crooked.
- The new inside hip is pushed forwards slightly, with more weight put on the new inside seat bone.
- The inside hand becomes lighter. Please do not pull with new inside rein; it will block horse and throw horse off balance, most likely causing incorrect flying change.
- Rein-weight and leg aids are given almost simultaneously (the change of flexion occurs a short moment earlier than the pushing forwards of the inside hip).
- It’s important that the rider maintains a quiet seat so they can alter the position of their legs independently of the upper body. Throwing the upper body around, collapsing with the hip or lifting the bottom from the saddle are all mistakes.
TIPS & EXERCISES TO EXECUTE CLEAN, UP HILL, BALANCED CHANGES
If a horse executes a change and it is NOT Clean, please do not consider this as “almost there.” This thought process gets horses and riders into a bad pattern of thinking and learned behavior. As I’ve said, and all the Masters would say, “Go back to basics.”
Question For You: A clean change that is done with little impulsion, with too little ground coverage, and with a high croup—If this happens ask yourself:
- Is this horse solid on the basics previously mentioned?
- Can the horse be collected? Are the stride’s lively with “jump?”
- Is the horse straight?
RULES OF TRAINING
- Never punish a horse when he offers a flying change. You never want to punish the horse for something you will want later in training.
- The head stays in front of the chest in correct flying changes. Don’t ride a flying change from a tense canter.
- Never underestimate the need and power to go back to basics. Ride the change in the same spot that the simple change was ridden in, that way the horse won’t be confused.
- Once the horse has established a correct flying change, ask for it in different spots of the arena.
- One should ALWAYS allow the horse to relax after a flying change with a walk break. This is particularly important for tense horses that can get a little worked up with the first attempts.
EXERCISES
Exercise 1: Right lead. Turn onto centerline and leg yield right—leg yielding off of the left leg towards the long side and make the flying change to the left lead, AFTER arriving at the wall, to maintain straightness.
Exercise 2: If the horse has a solid counter canter, the flying change can be ridden from the counter-canter into the true canter. To execute: Ride a counter-canter on a circle, and ask for the change a little before reaching X.
BREED SPECIFICS
Breeds such as Arabians, Morgans and Friesians, have higher set necks and may require more active hindquarters, as well as more jump from behind in order to execute a proper flying change. Ground poles can assist to give more air-time, to allow for a proper change.
To develop more expression between changes on a horse that is consistent and correct in flying changes, ride a couple of strides more forward into a change—and as soon as the horse changes leads, bring the horse back with your seat. Essentially RIDING TRANSITIONS IN THE GAIT IN-BETWEEN CHANGES, sending the horse forward into the change maintains straightness, creates more ground cover, and establishes more jump in the changes.
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