This week in lessons...

First off, fingers cross we can be outside this week! Hopefully it doesn't rain too much early in the week...jumping outside it just so much more fun and has more options course wise.

This week in lessons we are returning to lead changes, either flying, simple or in the air. Those of you who have horses with good lead changes can sit by and gloat...

This lesson plan is a direct result of the horse show: we had some lovely jumping, but the lack of any type of lead change really made it hard to shine in the hunters!

Step one is to know if you are on the wrong lead in the first place, to know if you need to ask. If in doubt though, ride the end of the ring as deep as you can to give you time to sort yourself out, and give your horse a chance to do the lead change in case one is needed.

Lead Change type #1: Simple Change through trot. At the show, our riders seemed to know they needed to trot the change, but didn't actually get the trot, so it was just kind of a slow down then go again with no real purpose. To work on this type of change we are going to just trot at each first corner...so don't let them turn until the trot has been achieved! This will help in two ways: one, it will help you think of using the ends, and two it will help you learn to balance in the corners.

Lead Change type #2: Flying change. Some horses just don't have them...maybe they are sore, or just don't have the training, but most horses can get a change over a pole, or if really set up for them with a forward and straight canter. To get the flying change, keep the horse straight, push the horse into the corner with the inside leg back like a leg yield into the corner, then catch the horse with the outside rein and leg and ask for the change more or less like you ask for the canter from a trot/walk. Important to maintain the forward, and to ask for the haunches first so they don't drop their shoulder into the turn and loose their hind end.

Lead Change type #3: Change over the fence. This is easiest when the jump is high enough to require them to actually have all four legs off the ground and a good moment of suspension in the air. The rider needs to put their weight in the outside stirrup (but NOT lean) to encourage the horse to land with the outside front leg first, and open the inside rein off the neck. Looking in the direction of landing can also help, but if you don't want the horse to turn on the land, you have to be careful with this. Looking means turning the shoulders as well as the head! Here is a good video to illustrate this.

Likely this week we will working on lead change type #1 (Simple) and #3 (in the air) and that will likely be enough, but in some lessons we may also work on the flying changes.

Advanced flat/dressage riders will work on haunches in this week. Haunches in (Travers) requires the horse to look down the track with the haunches travelling to the inside and crossing over. The best way to set up for a haunches in is coming out of a small volte/circle. Just before the horse's front end reaches the track, the rider asks the horse to maintain the bend and step laterally along the wall rather than straighten out along the wall. Aids for the haunches in: rider looks down the track with their head/shoulders. Inside leg active at the girth to maintain bend and activity,  outside leg behind the girth to hold the haunch off the track and encourage the lateral crossing. Belly button looks to the outside so that the inside seat bone is forward. Inside hand supples and keeps the horse bent and soft to the inside, outside rein against the neck to keep the shoulder from dropping to the wall.

I really like haunches in as a strengthening exercise, but you need to pair it with lengthening and straightening so that your horse doesn't end up crooked and on its forehand as a result of getting overly tired as this exercise really works their hind end!

What else may be fun this week if riders took the time to clean tack before or after riding!

Karen