I struggle with these, big time. I am working on decent clean single changes, my mare is fairly accurate, but I am training her, while trying to figure out what I am doing as well. We can easily get three changes on a diagonal, I just cannot seem to count/cue to link them properly. I don’t have the option of learning on a schoolmaster, I am training my own. Any tips, any exercise, any tips on counting or cues, anyone else struggle with training your horse these? Would love to hear stories so I feel better about the long road ahead! Should add, I have a coach that I work with… just looking for ideas to help outside of my monthly lesson.
After I was just able to ride 3 changes on the long side, I rode with my mare tempi changes a 4 jumps, and its really just about counting… You really have to count accurately. change one two three change. I think for the horses the rythm is easier… My mare did not mind at all the rhythm…
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Definitely make sure the single change is 100% confirmed - consistent, clean, and of good quality - before you start playing with multiple changes. Then I prefer to start them on the wall, not the diagonal to help with straightness.
When counting I count (out loud is helpful at first) - One, Two, Three, Change for fours… One, Two, Change for threes. Aid where you’re saying “Change”.
Part of it is just doing it a million times. It also really behooves you to have eyes on the ground to holler at you about position issues. I am a percher anyway and I tend to really want to lean forward/anticipate if things get dicey. Helps to have someone there to remind you to hold on to those basics.
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Well, you seem to have an athletic horse that is capable. It was my horse’s rider inability to ride and count at the same time is what kept us from making PSG. So I would look to the rider/yourself.
If you told me to give a change at the Quarter Line, X, Quarter Line, and corner (which are basically 4’s)…I could do it. But if you asked me to count and do tempi’s it all went out the window. And I know it wasn’t the horse’s inability…when I overshot the centerline at the canter and tried to adjust, we got 1’s.
What I was working on for myself before the horse got EPM and knocked us out of competition, was to actually “skip” and do flying changes skipping left lead then right, then left…etc. It helped me become very aware of myself. Also, canter-whoa-canter at 4 and 3 strides…eventually leaving out the whoa.
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Huge question, that I plan on asking my trainer in my next lesson… do you change flexion before asking for the change. I do on my singles, but I might change it 2-3 strides out before the cue.
Nope…don’t change the bend…if you do that, the horse will “wiggle-waggle” the head. Changes are to be done straight.
But…I have had instruction from a Cadre Noir instructor who said that in a highly trained, sensitive horse, you can get changes by light changes of contact with the new “outside” rein.
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I count exactly how Redmond does - One Two Three CHANGE (where you cue) for 4 tempis, one less beat for three’s. I was taught initially to flex to new bend right before you cue, but that can create straightness problems and doesn’t work when you get to one tempis anyway (obviously, because there’s no time!), so might as well practice them straight from the beginning.
Agreed with schooling on the long side to help maintain straightness - somewhere between the quarter line and the track is good. Changes along the diagonal are hard!
Also what really helped me with counting was to learn the rhythm by just singing it and imagining when to cue when I was driving (in SoCal, that gave me a lot of time to practice lol). Just getting the rhythm down perfectly without the horse made it so much easier when I was back in the saddle - my brain already knew the rhythm, now I just had to focus on keeping the horse together!
Yes. The change is a stride. So 1, 2, 3, 4, change will produce 5-tempis. 1, 2, 3, change will produce 4-tempis.
Don’t start with counting though. Find a very large arena/field to work in. Make sure you have a reliable, straight single change, on your aid. One stride later is not good enough. Then there are two separate skills to work on: Counting, and multiple changes.
Counting:
As you warm-up the canter, just count strides out loud for every long side or diagonal to get used to the rhythm.
Then try counting up to your single change. Turn on to the diagonal, count 5 strides, then change on the 6th. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, change.
Multiple Changes:
Find a really long straight line. Turn on to it and get your best canter. Then do a single change. Then get your best canter back, and do another single change. Don’t worry about how many strides this is. It might be 3, or 20.
When you have both of these skills down, try to combine them. Do both exercises in warm-up to make sure you have them both, then turn on to your long straight line. Count up to your single change just like you were doing - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, change. Then do it again, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, change.
For some people, it helps to replace counting with words at first- for 4-tempis, I might count,“forward, half-halt, relax, change, forward, half-halt, relax, change.”
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Rather than thinking about switching the bend I think about it as pushing them sliiiiightly more into the outside rein before the aid and taking a little bit greater contact. It shouldn’t be perceptible to someone watching. They’re still straight but in terms of feel they’re a little more “there” in the outside rein and they’re ready and responsive for a little half halt and the aid.
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I feel your pain!! Straightness is soooo important on tempi’s and I have a big horse so I need to be very careful to keep the shoulders straight. My trainer has me walk the diagonal line and pay attention to what happens when I put the aids on for the change. I also practice them on the long side which really shows me how crooked we get in between certain changes. Trainer can bang them out because she is an FEI trainer and rides these all day long. My horse was not easy to teach changes but he’s getting there! I had not taught changes until this horse and I have learned a lot more teaching them than I did riding them on my schoolmaster.
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I think the 4s are the hardest actually and find 3s much easier. There’s just a little bit too much time in the 4s and I my timing gets off easily. I count my changes like I was counting measure rests for music - 1, 2, 3, 4 then 2, 2, 3, 4 then 3, 2, 3, 4… This helps a lot when you get to I1 and above and have a lot more changes on the diagonal.
For the 4s, a clinician told me to count with “and” in between the numbers - you change your aids for the new lead on the last “and,” which will get your timing correct so you don’t get a change on the 3 or a late change (I kept getting a few 3s in my 4s).
No change in the bend for the changes - the more you can reduce the bend now, the better and easier the tempis will be.
I’d start with just trying to get multiple changes on the quarter line with no count, then try to get a few on a count of 5, then 4, then 3.
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What a helpful thread! RTF, I’m in the same boat. Training my own horse to PSG, never been to this level before, “feeling my way” in between my monthly clinic rides. Add to that, I’m a tad long in the tooth and new skills don’t come easy!
Thanks for asking this question and thanks for all the great answers!
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Thank you, RTF, for starting this thread, and everyone who responded!
I trained a horse through two tempis in my teens - but he was a super uphill, super powerful, athletic guy who didn’t know better nor did I. 
Now that I am actually riding dressage and want the changes to be very correct and through as I get to them and have horses who adjust WAY more than that horse did, I will keep these things in mind. My mare and I have started very lightly playing with changes when we’re out romping around the desert, and these are all good points to remember especially when we take it to the ring.
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I cannot thank everyone enough for the tips! I do not get much time with my instructor, and so there are areas I just muddle through trying to figure things out. Maybe not the best way, but my options are slim otherwise. Honestly, I don’t even know if this horse and myself will make it to PSG. I would be thrilled to get out at fourth level next year and just learn another layer in training.
from reading the above, I am going to work on making sure she’s a bit hotter to change off of my intial cue. I do know she occasionally misses and is a stride late. I think it’s because I have not prepped her for it and rush my aid. I LOVE the idea of using words instead of number to say forward, half halt, relax and change. We just mowed our hay field as well so going out on a long line is perfect too! She can do single one tempis, it’s a favorite evasion of hers at times. At least I know it’s in there! Lol. Thank you again
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Update to everyone that gave advice. I really have focused on getting bigger, more forward, single changes. I have moved to the rail to help guide us instead of the centerline. Tonight we were able to link some 4 tempis down the long side. The biggest change that I noticed was that my mare was bounding together more at the canter almost in anticipation of the extra effort required. We are a long way from PSG, but I really hope that everything comes together next year for 4th level. I have also realized that when I count, my count is change, 1,2,3 then I wait a stride ( my brain goes numb) then I cue. She normally changes at that point and then I get upset that I was not quick enough. Definitely my issue not hers. Its a fun problem to have, and the advice was wonderful!
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Unless you want crooked one-tempis with quarters swinging all over don’t think bend or flexion. Ride your horse straight between two reins. Begin in as big an area as you can find (I got one student riding series changes in a quarter-section, where she didn’t need to count, and could go on for ages before needing to turn around), and just ride changes when your horse is balanced and collected. When those are easy, counting becomes easy.
Changes are easiest to teach to horses with really good quality canters with lots of jump. I think Pluvinel’s advice about skipping through changes yourself on the ground is very good - it’s usually riders who have limitations around changes. Finding your own timing takes time.
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