Solving Problems with your Flying Change

The flying change is an important part of the dressage, show jumping and eventing.  When problems occur during the flying change, the root of their cause can almost always be attributed to a lack of proper basic gymnastic training.

Here are some suggestions to help you overcome difficulties.

Changing late behind

This can be caused when your horse is stronger on one hind leg than the other, the way to resolve this is to return to the basics of strength, straightness, collection, transitions and enthusiasm to the work. 

Straightness

The horse's narrower shoulders must be properly aligned with his wider hips before you ask for a flying change.

To accomplish this use shoulder-fore to get your horse straight. If the late change is consistently from the same hind leg, say left to right, there are several possible corrections:

1. Strike off in left lead canter and ride an active medium canter across the diagonal. Two strides before reaching the long side ask for the change left to right.  This way you create sufficient impulsion to encourage the right hind to come through. If this doesn't work, then you can increase the flexion of the hindquarters.

2. Establish a very collected left lead counter canter go across the short side of the arena and in front of the corner ask for the change left to right. The idea is to engage and lower the horse's croup to its maximum by increasing the flexion in his stifles, hocks and fetlocks. This lowers his centre of gravity and places him in the ultimate posture to spring up and off the ground, making the engagement of his right hind leg occur.

3. Canter transition out of walk half pirouettes help to lower and engage

the hindquarters. This results in the increased thrust and improves the quality of the canter stride. Place the horse on a 20-meter circle in the collected walk to the right rein. Ride a half pirouette to the right and immediately strike off left as you reach the perimeter of the circle.

Walk two strides (eight steps), ride a half pirouette to the left and instantly strike off on the right lead. This exercise should be repeated without leaving the circle. You should ask for the strike off when the horse's outside hind is grounded during the second-to-last step of the pirouette as you regain the perimeter. This timing generates more energy from the outside hind, which is transferred to the inside hind, increasing its thrust.

This is followed by a period of suspension when all four legs are off the ground, and the horse lowers the hind leg that begins the new lead in the flying change. The opposite footfall occurs for the right lead.

4. If the horse is trained in canter pirouettes, late changes can be corrected by riding a half pirouette in the canter once you have ridden the canter piroute, ride one to two strides straight, and ask for a flying change. This is the same idea as in the walk half pirouette. However, this exercise leads to greater engagement and lowering of the horse's hindquarters and will encourage even better throughness of the right hind leg.

Crooked changes can be caused by several different problems. The most common problem is haunches that swing from side to side. This fault can originate from stiff hindquarters that cause the horse to raise his croup and shift his centre of gravity too far forward which disrupting his balance.

The problem is best solved by improving the quality of his canter. This can be accomplished by riding a very collected canter to increase the flexion of his stifles, hocks and fetlocks, which will lower his haunches and place him in a profile that will improve his self carriage. The development of your piaffe is also very helpful to improve the quality of the canter for the same reasons.

When the haunches swing only to one side--say the left--the cause comes from a lack of thrust from the right hind. This problem is best solved by cantering along the rail to the right hand and asking for changes. The rail will help restrain his haunches from swinging to the left. Asking for the changes on a 20-meter circle to the left rein is also an effective way to correct this problem. On a circle to the left it's very difficult for the horse to deviate his haunches to the outside.

In some cases, it's helpful to experiment with different tempos.  Sometimes a decrease or increase in tempo will improve the horse's thoroughness and keep him straighter. Also stronger use of the rider's inside leg to demand the change can help solve this problem as well.

Rushing and anticipating usually originates your error such as poor timing of your aids and poor coordination of your legs, seat and hands. When the aids are not correctly timed, the horse becomes nervous and unsettled. This causes him to hasten and shorten his stride, resulting in short abrupt changes. The best correction for this error is to transition to the walk and regroup both your horse and yourself.

You must relax and allow him to gather his thoughts. You may then canter on again, and establish a tempo and cadence which will best allow you a better feel of your horse's stride. By improving your feel, your chances of properly timing the changes will improve. It goes without saying that if you have not learned your flying changes on a well trained schoolmaster, you are at a great disadvantage. 

Anticipation comes from over exuberance from both you and your horse and repeated test riding. In the case of a hot tempered horse, it's best never to ask for a flying change in the same place. And when performing multiple changes, ask for them out of sequence by changing the count. Ask for very little at a time. It's best not to perform the changes at the letter where they are required.

In order to counter the horse's anticipation and early change, the

rider must hold the horse longer with the outside leg and keep the seat

and upper body very quiet. Your aids must be relaxed and soft.

Over and behind the rider's hands

Some horses tend to come over the bit when first learning the flying changes. This fault is simply corrected by going back and riding simple changes until the horse is back on your aides. In some cases your horse will come high in his head carriage when learning the multiple changes. This causes a tightening of his back muscles, which in turn gives his back better support to absorb the upward thrusts caused by the repeated changes.

You should not attempt to correct this indiscretion. It will sort itself out when the multiple changes gain maturity and your horse strength increases.

A horse that sneaks behind your hands and lacks impulsion, ride forward with increased energy.  You must give at the end of the third canter stride and lighten the contact with the horse's mouth as the change comes through.

This should help you through your flying change issues - good luck!

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