The
Dreaded Lead Change
By Todd Martin
Like
I have mentioned in past articles there are fundamentals that we must
have first before starting to teach the more difficult maneuvers.
For the lead change I want for the horse to have a good understanding
of leg pressure. Not limited to the side pass, but having control
of the hips and shoulders independently. Along with leg pressure I
want the horse to be moving off of rein pressure and guiding on a
loose rein, or with minimal bit contact.
First,
lets talk about the mechanics of the lead change. In order for the
horse to pick up a desired lead, the body has to be in the correct
position. By this I mean that if we desire to pick up the left lead,
the hind quarters have to be shifted to the left and the left shoulder
has to be up and open. Having the shoulder up and open allows the
horse to freely reach and stride out with the lead leg. If we attempt
this with his head facing too far to the left, and with the rider
looking down at his left shoulder, we are impeding free movement of
the left or lead shoulder. Let me explain in more simple terms. Get
on all fours, (hands and knees) put your child or some else’s
child on your back like you are going to give a pony ride. Have the
child whisper in your left ear and tell me which of your arms is easier
to pick up. Now have the child sit up straight and look slightly to
the left. Now you know what your horse feels. That is a lead departure
which is the same as a lead change. Now have the child pull on your
ears and say Whoa! Just kidding.
When
first teaching the lead change there is something that you have to
keep in mind, and that is that a proper lead change starts in the
hind quarters. In order for this to happen a young horse will sometimes
increase speed in order to attempt a lead change. The last thing that
you want to do is rush them into a lead change. The reason that they
will sometimes increase in speed is to gain impulsion with their hind
end, causing an increase in speed. If the lead change occurs and the
speed is still there then quietly bring them down to the speed that
you desire. If you continue to show them that slow comes after the
lead change, they will begin to relax all the way through the lead
change.
Now
for the hard stuff, the dreaded approach. Do I tip the head and hold
the outside leg then switch legs and kick my hips and do it all at
the count of three? No, the most important thing to remember is to
RELAX, don’t tense up your hands and impede forward movement.
Second, thing to remember is that change in lead does not require
a change in direction. In fact, if you constantly change lead and
direction you will eventually get your horse to dive his shoulder
into a lead change which will lead to dragging his hind lead. Instead,
approach the lead change (from left to right) by continuing to guide
the horse to the left with the neck rein all the way through the lead
change. You should be asking the horse to change from the hip with
the left leg. If you are going to practice in an arena, then I suggest
that it be done going down the long side of the arena. This will allow
you time to change and not rush you into changing directions. Remember,
you can stop at the other end instead of turning, especially if you
have a tendency to wait to the last minute to turn the other direction.
If your arena is not real long you can also practice doing this going
from corner to corner.
I am
starting a series of clinics that will focus on the elements of the
reining pattern, designed to aid the non-pro or rookie in their training
and showing. The format will consist of a three "class"
series, with a class being held and a week or two in between until
the next class. The reason for the design of this series is to leave
the rider with not only information, but implementation as well. In
other words, a one day clinic will leave you with a tremendous amount
of information. However, when you go home to work on it are you doing
it correctly, or did you just not get it? The idea is to not only
insure that you received the information and are doing it correctly,
but that it is in small enough pieces that you can implement it. For
more information feel free to call me at (210) 825-1114 or email me
at todd@toddmartin.net.
Back
to Top
