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Apr/11 Q&A: How Do You Prepare Horses for Lead Changes?

By Glenn Stewart

Where to start? Lead changes done well are something I greatly admire and seem to be the talk of many trainers and riders. The how, when, where, and why are questions of great conversations. It is somewhat like asking how to you build a spaceship to land on Mars. Not an easy answer if you were to answer it completely from start to finish. I’m going to assume the readers know how to get their horses mentally emotionally and physically prepared and can get to the point of starting to ask for leads. I don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill but when you talk about lead changes there is a lot to talk about. Simple lead changes are basically as the name says, very simple to achieve even on the first ride on a colt, but from there we could discuss flying lead changes which can be done at a canter or a gallop. The changes can be done when you ask while riding a figure 8 pattern or on a straight line.

Right lead starting with the left hind then right hind/left front will hit the ground next, then the right front will be last followed by a moment of suspension (Genuine Jet Smooth)

They can be done randomly like once going across a field or on a pattern at a certain spot, they can be asked for every second stride, (two tempi) or even every stride (one tempi) on a concentrated rein or with no headgear on your horse at all. Lead changes can be a mountain of information to discuss.

We’ll narrow the topic down to simple changes and how you can prepare for flying. A simple change is when you ask for a right or left lead from a walk or trot. When riding you have to feel what the feet are doing. Looking down at the front feet only tell you half the story.

I would have a person start by trotting their horse and learning to feel when each foot left the ground and when it came back to the ground. The trot has two beats and the feet go up and down in diagonal pairs. If your timing is good and you can post right and left diagonals you will be well on your way to influence simple lead changes.

The first canter a fellow takes on a colt it is fairly easy to and important to influence the right and left leads. It is very important because you want to create well balanced horses that are comfortable with both leads. This greatly improves the horses’ chances of having an easier understanding of flying lead changes. In the canter a lead change refers to a particular change a horse does with their footfall pattern while staying in the canter (Flying change).

There is three beats at the canter, and the change of lead means you have influenced the horses three beats to land in a different pattern. The time the horse can do this is when his feet are in the air. I teach people to ask for the change on the second beat of the canter which gives the horse time to push off on the last beat of the 3 beats to land in the other lead.

Moment of suspension during the canter, when all four feet are in the air (Aveiro do Mito - Lusitano)

The whole process has to have time to get from your mind to your leg and or reins, to the horses mind and back to his feet so they can make the change during the split second their feet are in the air. You can probably guess that if the timing of the ask from the human is off, or if there is any resistance in the horse, it probably won’t happen, so preparation is the key.

I should also mention that there is a counter canter which is a right lead when you are going left or a left lead when you are going right. There is something called a cross fire which is when the front feet are on the opposite lead as the back feet. A horse can change in the front but not in the back which happens often and that would be considered a crossfire. Watch all four feet not just the front. What it will look like on a right lead is that the right front and right hind land in front of the left feet. Watching is the easy part but many are still confused by what they are seeing. Below is another example of a right lead.

Right lead – left hind, diagonal pair right hind, left front together, then right front in that order. (Sargent)

Starting from the left hind the footfall for a right lead would be: (See above picture) left hind, diagonal pair right hind, left front together then right front in that order. This is the pattern that the rider is asking to change if they want to get a lead change.

Horses without riders have no problem with simple or flying lead changes. Here is an interesting picture of a horse in the middle of a flying change.

Once a human gets involved many times the leads become quite a problem. You are trying to make your idea theirs with a moment’s notice.

We need to know what the feet are doing and be able to influence the weight, direction and shape of all body parts of the horse with no resistance and with responsiveness at any gait. If we ask them to move their feet when they can’t, it causes brace and worry. It is our job to know when they can and when they can’t. It is like asking a fellow to pick up his right foot when he has all his weight on it. It can’t be done until he makes some adjustments. Flying changes are done at the canter and happen in a millisecond, when the horses’ feet are in the air. I have seen where a jerk on the right rein gave a right lead a jerk on the left rein gave a left lead. This is not a method that I would put much thought into. We called that horse crazy legs because it didn’t matter what the fellow did it would change leads. I haven’t seen anything like it since and that was fifteen years ago.

A better approach might be to prepare a horse by making sure that at the walk trot and canter you can place all their body parts where you want them without resistance or worry.

I would suggest that no matter which way you moved the shoulders you could have flexion in the neck right or left. (See left photo, Cody) No matter which way you move the hip you could have flexion either way and that you could have it when travelling straight or on a circle.

During any one of these exercises it is important that the horse will move with a soft feel and be comfortable with vertical as well as lateral flexion. It is also very beneficial to be able move the hips shoulders and ribs without the need of the reins. You are having a conversation with your horse about yields and the response a person is looking for is: “Yes, I understand without worry or brace.”

If you are getting brace or increase of speed when you are asking for a yield of the shoulders or hip for example the horse is telling you there might be a lack of understanding. Consistently practising the yields are a good way to get rid of brace and what is understood and slowing it down to a slower pace or gait. Use the trot to make sure all the yields happen with softness and understanding before moving to the canter.

Can you do changes with less preparation? Yes, the better your feel and timing the more you can influence a change of lead by a slight change of direction at the right moment. Again this is leaving a lot to the horse gods or the horse to figure out.

If you prepare them and break down your requests so that all body parts will move for you when you ask, less is left to chance and the horse gods. Not to mention there will be a truck load of other possibilities you’ve prepared you and your horse for.

Here are two horses on a right lead, their legs are almost identically synchronized in a moment of suspension. (Jet and Dealer)

In this picture, where the horses are at in the jump is almost identical, but they are in opposite leads. See the differences in the front legs, and which hind the sorrel (Jet) is pushing off with.

If you get in the habit of carefully watching horses legs, footfall patterns, and weight shifts, it will help you to better prepare and understand what is happening when you are asking for leads and lead changes.

Here is a test a person might consider:

Can you sit on your horse and put your hands on the horn not touching the reins and move the forequarters and hindquarters separately full circle, sidepass, and back your horse up?

Can you walk trot and canter stop, backup - no reins?

Can you half pass – no reins?

Can you ride a weave pattern thru a row of six road cones, hip first, shoulder first, or straight, hip and shoulder cross line at the same time half pass at a trot between cones?

Can you do the above with reins and a soft feel with vertical flexion?

Can you ride right and left diagonals with 100% accuracy?

Can you tell right and left leads with 100% accuracy on or off your horse?

If the answer is yes, you are well prepared for lead changes. The no reins part I speak of proves that your horse isn’t trying to run off when you ask for a yield. Which means they have been mentally and emotionally prepared to move physically for you, without the need of a bigger bit mentality.

Lead changes done well are great to watch and a wonderful thing to try and do well. The ingredients that go into preparing yourself and the horse for the lead change is what is important. The leads will be there when the preparation is there. If you keep the focus to develop yourself and your horse to this stage of horsemanship there will be a lot more than just lead changes that you will be able to do.

Good Luck and enjoy the journey,
Glenn Stewart

ARTICLE ADDED SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2011
CATEGORIES: TROUBLESHOOTING, GLENN STEWART, Q&A, SOLUTIONS TO COMMON PROBLEMS, LEAD CHANGES

1 COMMENT:

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2011 AT 4:58 PM
Hertha says...

Hugely enjoyed this article and the excellent illustrations.

Shows how the prep has to be in the person's understanding so they can then prepare the horse's willingness and ability to move the body parts on request.

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