I can’t ride “with” someone when they’re often doing something totally different than what I’m doing due to arena size or whatever. I ended up going to ridely, which lets me watch a video or two before my ride so I can work on the new stuff during the ride without someone randomly “talking in my ear”.
This thread reminded me of the time I worked so hard for flying changes, did alllll of the homework, rode the struggle bus a long ways, and then one day riding around jumping course…boom, clean changes 
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Copied off of @Libby2563 's homework and got 5 clean changes and also a very sore core the following morning thanks to about 50k transitions.
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Thats so funny you mention this, I had a jump lesson on my dressage horse last week and she isn’t doing changes yet in schooling, but we have played here and there. Sure enough the jump lesson really got her thinking about her leads and she was doing the cutest changes in her course work that day! I found the next time I rode her she also was finding it easier to get the left canter from walk.
Jumping did help our canter. It was going alright but it just feels as though he has more power and sit now. He used to find it a but difficult at times, and now it seems much easier. So now I feel like we have to keep jumping in our routine 
turns out he’s actually a decent jumper too!
I also think with jumping they might not think about it so much and it seems a bit more fun/different. I try to keep his work relatively diverse and this was a good addition.
But now…the problem…I only own 2 saddle pads for a jump saddle…so now I have to collect more. Hopefully not on the same level as the dressage pads because that’s just gotten ridiculous 
where does one draw the line at too many though? 
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Awesome! Spreading the c/t/c/t/c gospel
ohh…what a SHAME you need more saddle pads hahahaha
I think when it comes to saddle pads…there is no limit 
I’m going to keep jumping mine too, she also seems to be really good at it! I might have to take her eventing.
Question on the “canter trot canter” training approach.
If the horse’s specific issue is thinking that the “one step of trot skip change” is desirable, is the c/t/c going to reinforce that? The c/t/c gets him more forward and stretching into the bridle than c/w/c transitions, but…I’m worried the trot integration is going to further his confusion.
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Not currently in flying change hell, but here to share my favorite exercise for flying change hell. and it’s a core killer!
Better to have the ring to yourself for this one, but: start to canter at X on a circle at one end. Canter until A/C, come to walk. When you start to come off the wall, trot. Trot to X, pick up canter on opposite lead and continue pattern on the other side. up canter. Do whatever pattern of transitions you want, but the idea is to pick up the canter in the opposite direction when you cross the centerline at X, from whatever gait you are in. Keeping the geometry and the transitions right at the letters is harder than you would expect, as I’m sure we all know
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Depends on the horse, but the key to successful c/t/c translating to flying changes is that the gaits on either side of the (prompt and balanced) transition stay very clear. You land in trot and stay there for several strides (3-5 worked for me) before stepping into canter.
With a horse that is introducing the half-trot-step in between the canter to canter transition that is the flying change, I’d do a couple canter/trot/canter transitions to see if they can be diagnostic (does the bend change? balance? tempo? positioning of the hips/shoulders?) and then isolate that problem and work on it.
So, in summary: may help, but depends. Like everything in this godforsaken sport.
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My girl will sometimes try a trot step but more so does a short canter step first to launch herself into the change - it’s really from anticipating because she won’t do it when I sufficiently surprise her with the change aids.
T/c/t and w/c/w both help us, so long as I am adamant about instant reactions in the up transitions. When she shuffles/braces or isn’t the sharpest on the up, it translates into this hop business in the changes. I did a whole bunch of t/c/t the other day with very picky clarity and the mare definitely was feeling it - her butt was very sweaty. It’s helping, slowly but surely!! Rocket launch pic for reference 
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I think it depends on the type of problem you’re trying to fix. We could c/w/c all day long, and it made no difference to the quality of the changes. The c/t/c is harder for both of us, and once we could get that smoothly (I do about 3 steps of trot), the changes were much easier off my leg.
But I had other problems to contend with, one being a bit of a pissy kick-out response to the leg sometimes, that was easier to address with c/t/c than c/w/c.
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A few years ago when I bought my horse he was probably considered confirmed on changes but after coming back up through the levels with me and back down to an average ammy rider instead of an FEI trainer, we are back to working on getting clean changes. Key for me is having him really supple and laterally flexible but very straight. Our problem is early change behind often with a stutter step. Worst, meh, good of three L to R changes. In the worst and meh you can see me trying to supple him but I’m pulling too much and making us crooked. The good change we are straight. He just had SI injections recently and I’m excited to see how he does after that.
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Thank you! That’s what I’m dealing with right now…just a bit of pissiness off my leg that results in kick outs. We did a bunch of t/c/t/c/t/c yesterday on a big circle and the whole situation got better. I’ll try to work it down to three steps of trot…I think we were doing more like a quarter of a 20 m circle.
Trainer says to use t/c/t to fix the kick outs because it keeps his hind end under him better and he doesn’t get as stuck. Seems to line up and support the changes in that way.
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After a couple rides this week that felt increasingly like strugglefests on left canter, I realized I’m having saddle fit issues again. This is how it happened before and I felt so freaking guilty when I finally realized she doesn’t want to collect and carry herself because her back hurts 
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This is how I trained my first horse I taught changes. We were breed showing, but a change which happened in front first typically put you behind everyone with a clean change, so it was super important they be correct. His leads were off the outside leg, very little backward movement of the leg needed.
We would leg yield off the outside leg prior to the pole, then I would ask for the change before the pole. The leg yield put his weight onto that inside hind leg, so when I asked for the change before his hind legs came down for their last step before the pole, they would land on their new lead in front of the pole. The pole served as a visual indicator and encouraged him to sit back and lift on front, which helped get the hind legs to go first. Agreed if all legs changed over the pole it would be by definition front to back.
My current ride has a tendency to rush on the forehand or lean into my legs in the c-t-c, so we have been doing a ton of them in the last two months to keep her supple and listening to me. They have greatly improved our canter quality, self carriage, and straightness, as well as getting her just waiting on me and picking up whatever lead I want. The default improved canter has been key, and now she picks up whatever lead I ask for anywhere in the arena 95% of the time.
We have also been working on simple changes, and specifically the canter walk transition. We worked on getting her to lift in front to the point it was better for her to invert some than dive in front, and worked on getting her hind end really under her and in use in the transition. (I’ve attempted to add a picture… I don’t think pictures are working for me now, but just in case I tried!) We have started seeing her throw in changes as we request straightness because her added jump and lift in front mean she can change pretty easily. I’ve been asking her to change right back instead of trotting when she swaps on me.
Yesterday was the first time I planned a change. A friend was riding her mare who is PSG-ish, and I decided to just follow her. Half pass across the arena, about 5 steps of counter canter and straighten, change. Nailed it both ways, told my horse she was a genius, gave her some sugar.
While that sounds too easy, the last 3 1/2 years have been all about trying to improve her canter and responsiveness instead of her natural tendency to barge through aids.
The other horse who I taught changes, we had a gallop track out in the desert. I’d get in two point and ask her to change essentially with my knees. She was one who always changed too easily, so teaching an aid helped! I was on a 2 week vacation and my trainer put them on in the arena based off the foundation I set. She was destined to be easy about the changes, though.
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An excellent trainer I once had said to expect a s#it show, they will run, they will buck… for months, but they will get over it.
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That’s actually pretty helpful. My placid, no fuss, “willing” little guy kicked out zero time in 4 years until we started changes. He started kicking out instead of the left to right flying change, and now it’s his “go to” every time he doesn’t want to do something. I’ve had the vet look at him twice to make sure it’s not something else, but apparently it’s just the discovery of a new method of self expression!
After fixing the saddle thing we’re back on track this week, with one phenomenal change today that happened before I asked while trying to hold her on the diagonal in counter canter. The outside rein control kept her from bracing so her leap was a gorgeous, correct and expressive change, no hops, skips or issues. Now to find a way to get those at the moment I want them and not two strides early 
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Note - this girl is too lazy at canter and never used changes as an excuse to buck or kick. I did learn that we CANT do a downward transition so soon after a good change, since she loves to walk and decided changing + hearing me say “good girl” = 
(this is why test practice helps haha…the first time I asked for extended trot after the canter in 3-1 practice was hilarious as she tried to halt on the short side)
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It’s like you’re living my life. Yesterday we executed an effortlessly uphill and balanced change that was both on the aids and clean. “Good boy!” = cue for canter to statue transition. Which is how I almost fell off my extremely safe and well behaved QH gelding.
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