So basically, my trainer has been suggesting that I should try asking for more of a back-to-front lead change from my horse. I sort of have an idea of what it is and what it looks like, but how on earth do I ask for one? And second, my horse had an auto change all day long- is it really necessary to make him sit back on his hocks and make him back-to-front change when he just simply doesn’t need to? Is it supposed to look prettier or something? Thank you! 😄
Does your horse swap front and back at the exact same time, or does the hind change a beat later?
Many hunters swap the hind after they swap the front (they do it very quickly, not enough to call it cross cantering, but still technically “late”). This is not a clean lead change in the classical sense and is penalized in other disciplines. Very few hunter judges penalize this anymore. I would not be surprised if big eq judges do penalize it. Perhaps others know.
If a hunter does it honestly and reliably, 99% of trainers will call it a good change. You’ll have to ask your trainer why they are recommending working on it - perhaps there are other aspects of the horses way of going, or organization issues after the change, that would benefit from a cleaner change.
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^^^ What Redlei said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sAsJDeXpsA - here is a beautiful example of a well-executed ‘back-to-front’ lead change at the 1:45 mark, and it’s slo-mo, so easier to follow! Hester’s horse swaps his back legs first, making the change much cleaner. As Redlei mentioned, often times you see horses swap the front legs first, and they cross canter a step while the back legs catch up. Many horses will do this swap ‘auto,’ but it still technically isnt a clean change.
If your horse is doing ‘auto’ changes but is swapping front-to-back, he could be cross cantering a step or two - even though he automatically catches the back feet up (often called ‘skipping up’ the lead change). A back-to-front change is good discipline in that it creates a cleaner more controlled change versus what could be potentially a strung out and loose change, where one is just riding the horse forward without asking for use of the backs and hind end and that leaves those first few canter strides post-change a bit disheveled and hard to put back together. There’s surely a good reason - just ask your trainer ‘why!’
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Really good clarification by Blonde. A lot of horses “naturally” do a fast, organized, very comfortable front-to-back swap. You can see that the hind swaps immediately after the front. One stride later or less.
Once you get into needing more than one stride, or if the horse normally does a clean change but does this because the balance was wrong, you’re entering official cross-countering territory and you’re more likely to get or have a strung-out canter or an otherwise not-ideal situation. At the very least, the quality of the canter suffers and that’s likely to be something that negatively impacts the ride.
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What does your trainer say? I’m a big believer that if a trainer wants to see a change in the horse/rider then they should be able to coach you through how to make that change possible.
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The western world taught me timing on swaps. You ask when the horse is down in front just getting ready to reach up underneath themselves to stand on that outside hind leg, actually you push them over to that outside hind leg - then the front end is supported and open to the inside to rise up to start the change. But easier to feel on a western breed horse :lol: Also a point here - a horse ‘born’ balanced will naturally swap better.
But as spoken ask your trainer for clarification - it has always confused me as to why the hunter world frowns on lead changes over fences with a bending line…
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Next lesson, have someone video a couple of changes. Slow video down, put it on your laptop so you will have better ability to spot hoof placement and review with your coach. Once you can see what is happening, it makes it so much easier to work on.
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Good point. My hunter has always struggled with his changes. He’s one of those horses who is so unbalanced that he’s balanced. He can counter canter or canter disunited all day long while maintaining his beautiful rhythmic hunter stride. Even on the lunge line or at liberty. He doesn’t feel the need to change on his own so he needs to be set up properly for a back to front change, or he won’t change behind at all.
As far as the bending lines. Ideally one lands the lead for a broken or bending line. Typically a change will alter the flow when you have a related distance, and the “picture” isn’t as nice. And oftentimes in that scenario the horse doesn’t execute a quiet, clean, back to front change, it will instead swap one or two strides out from the second jump to regain balance.
OP can you hold a counter canter on this horse? I like this exercise because it teaches the horse to wait for you. I will often counter canter one end of the ring, then I’ll cross the diagonal so we end on the correct lead without doing a change.
Once they’re waiting for you to decide when the change happens you can start to ask. Like another poster said, ask just as the hind feet are becoming light, while the fronts are on the ground. Focus on straightness, don’t pull the head around, that will just cause them to catch their balance by changing in front first. Use your new inside leg to support the shoulder, and your new outside leg to ask for the change.
You can practice the back to front feeling by doing canter-walk-canter transitions.
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There are probably multiple videos on line from well-known western trainers covering this topic. Back to front lead changes involve shoulder and hip control, straightness and timing. There is a lot of basic body control training before you even ask for a change.
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Yes. This is why you are paying for lessons. Don’t be afraid to speak up and say that you need help with this. It’s the only way you can learn and progress and your instructor’s job is to teach you.
There is nothing wrong with asking the question here, but your instructor needs to help you first. He/She can see you and help you with the timing of your aids, until you can feel the timing for yourself.
Or watch the ultimate in back to front changes with a huge amount of contained forward energy…dressage tempe changes. Judged specifically on cleanliness of the change as a key element and I believe, if any error is made, it’s preferred that the back legs change 1st.
Chances are, if your trainer is asking you to work on getting your changes from back to front, your horse occasionally misses changes, has somewhat late changes, or is noticeably better in one direction than the other. Clean changes are much more pleasant to watch and an absolute necessity in big company at shows.
I think a lot of hunter riders struggle with back to front changes because you have to have some impulsion from behind, but then stop it in the bridle or the horse will never sit back on its haunches even that little bit to push its hind leg and front leg underneath at the same time. If you’re riding with the floppy reins everyone thinks hunters is all about, you can’t hold the horse’s mouth a little and tell it to squat down behind and lift both inside legs. Instead, it kicks the front leg forward as it tries to balance into the turn, then trails the back end weakly out behind and steps the inside back leg forward with its next regular canter stride.
As others have mentioned, this technically means that you can be cross cantering for a step or fraction of a step while the horse fixes itself. It also can make horses a little comfortable cross cantering and corner-dependent for balance. So in a big ring off a short line, your horse may cross canter all the way to the corner before it will change lead. It’s always most impressive to change your lead before you get to the corner or as soon as possible after the jump. Show that your horse is better balanced then everyone else’s. But FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THINGS HOLY don’t you dare twist your body to get the change!! EVER!
I wish you much success!
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so my fool proof method for proper changes is counting.
basically what I do is I come across the diagonal and sight out where exactly I would like to change. then i count three strides. during these three strides, I feel my horse’s mouth and ask them to focus on me with my hand to prepare them mentally that something is about to be asked of them, and then apply both legs evenly to increase impulsion.
basically in the course of three strides, you ask the horse to engage a little bit more each stride. so our rhythm is 1, 2, 3, swap!
to ask for the swap, I again apply slightly more even hand pressure to tell my horse that when I apply my leg I want more energy not more speed, and you want to ask at the same time in their stride that they would take off for a jump. practice getting that feel by counting the three strides before you jump. when I ask, I apply pressure with both legs to boost that impulsion energy, but more with my inside leg to ask them to put more energy into their new inside hind leg on “take off.”
If you ask this way and don’t get a perfect clean change, do not continue and try to get it. stop immediately. you want to completely remove the idea from your horse’s head that cross cantering or late changes are a fine thing to do. like literally bring them softly to a walk the stride after you attempt the change, reverse direction, and try again. or just try again later.
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A front to back change is incorrect. I wish hunter judges would start penalizing it.
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