From: GC.GGG@forsythe.stanford.edu (Gwyn Gordon)
Subject: Re: flying changes
Organization: Stanford University, California, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 16:51:45 GMT

In article <92275.140650WEAHC@CUNYVM.BITNET>,
Wendy Allison <WEAHC@CUNYVM.BITNET> writes:
>Does anyone out there have a "trick" for cuing a flying change?  My horse
>knows how to do them, but I don't know exactly how to cue him, or more
>specifically, WHEN to cue him.  What I'm doing now is the following: I'll
>begin by circling him, then try to straighten him up, check (half-halt), and
>cue for the other lead (with leg, seat, & rein).  Sometimes we get it, but
>not usually.  And then he usually "falls" or rushes into it about half way
>around the turn.  I just have the feeling that if I can give him the right
>cue at the right time, he'll do beautiful changes.  Any advice on this would
>be greatly appreciated.
>
>Thanks!
>Wendy
>
>BTW, I ride western, using a mild grazing bit or loose ring snaffle.  My
>horse is an older, well-broke horse, not at all "green,"and in pretty good
>condition for his age (17).


I don't know if I'll be any help to a western person, because I only
know how to do it English; but I'll give you my description anyway
and you can see if you can 'convert' it to your style.

The item of most importance in a flying change is not the 'cue,'
it's the balance of the horse and his willingness to move his weight
AWAY from your leg. In order to do a truly balanced, quiet and fluid
flying change, he must be able to leg yield in both directions at
the walk, trot and canter. The important thing about the leg yield
is that the HAUNCH be leading, rather then the shoulder.  Here's
some really horrible aschii art to demonstrate the point:

View of horse from above (^^= ears, ()=haunches, *=your weight)


 ^ ^                      ^ ^                    ^ ^
  |                        |                      |
 *\                        |                      /*
   \                       |                     /
   ()                     ( )                  ()

leg yield                straight             leg yield
to the right                                 to the left


Really, the haunches should just be slightly curled to the inside,
or the direction that you are moving. The horse should be moving in
a diagonal path, looking slightly the direction he is going. MOST
IMPORTANT IS THAT HE DOESN'T THROW HIS SHOULDER IN. If he does this
you need to use more inside rein (right rein when moving to the
right, left rein when moving to the left). Use only enough outside
rein to support; don't try to use it to steer. In fact, 99% of your
"steering" needs to come from you leg.  Start at the walk, then
move up to trotting, then do it at a canter.

Once he is moving his HAUNCHES off your leg in either direction, at
all three gaits, you can start doing patterns that will naturally
flow into flying changes. My favorite is this:


 halt
   |
    |                        Canter around a corner, leg yield
     |                        across the ring, and halt at the end.
      |  leg yield
|      |
|       |
|        |
|         |
 \_______/
canter


Do this both ways, until he leg yields across the entire ring easily
and stays relaxed.

When you're comfortable with this, you can do a flying change. The
key is NOT changing the way you ride. Canter around the corner, leg
yield across the ring. When you reach the rail or corner, in
one stride straighten him, and the next stride simply change your
position to that of the OPPOSITE leg-yield. What you are doing is
cuing him to straighten, then shift his weight to the opposite
haunch. With some inside leg at that point, he will change behind
without even thinking about it, and since he hasn't thrown his
shoulder, his front change will follow.

Again, the key is not throwing his weight onto his shoulder, so
don't lean with your body or look down. If you move him with your
legs, and stay straight with your weight back, he will be free to do
the change.

I hope these diagrams make sense. I don't make any claims as to the
all-encompassing worth of this method -- but it's something that
works for me every time.

Good luck! Once you free him up, he'll probably do them quite
happily.

=gwyn
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian