How many walk steps in the simple change? See Video clips Post 15

[JMurray]

So I finally broke 60% at my schooling show today with my big guy. 2nd 3 60% and 2nd 4 62%. Happy, happy since he is a nontraditional breed and conformationally challenged so it has taken much work and patience.

But my question is on the simple change. I always try for 3 walk steps but the judge’s comments say take more time with the simple change. Can’t tell if she meant take more walk steps or maybe don’t rush through it. I know my walk steps are clear from the video and don’t look rushed.

If I can get the video clipped into Youtube or photo bucket I’ll post it later on.

So how do you ride the simple change?

[Peggy]

At a clinic in honor of the new tests, a few test cycles ago, one of the two people (one was Hilda Gurney and the other was a woman from CO whose name I’m blanking on) said to get it done within the distance of a horse length.

It surprised me at the time since that seemed like it would correspond to more steps than I was taught. But that was me coming from the hunter/eq world where you are expected to get it done within three walk steps.

[slc2]

3

[narcisco]

Until the walk is pure, relaxed and good. It might take 3 to 6 steps, so even if the walk was clear, was it a good walk?

[mg]

Do you get severely marked down if you do it in less than three steps? My pony thinks he’s super hot stuff since he’s able to pick up the canter very promptly after transitioning down to the walk, but I don’t want to let him do that in practice if it will really hurt us.

Also, if you don’t get the change in the “ideal” amount of steps, which is better: fewer or more steps?

[slc2]

I’ve been told if you pick up the canter too quickly, it looks as if the horse did not wait for you to ask him, or is anticipating, and that it’s best to ‘establish clearly’ the walk, but i’ve also been told that six steps is too many, and makes it look like you don’t have the horse together enough or obedient and supple enough, to do a prompt transition.

as for 3 being a lot of steps, they are shorter steps, so i don’t think a lot of ground is covered by doing 3 steps.

[Pony_Fixer]

I’ve gotten a “9” on this movement twice, 2 different judges. I have always done 3-4 walk steps.

JM–can’t wait to see your video–congrats, btw, I still think 2nd level was harder than 3rd or 4th, and I never wish to revisit that “pit of despair”.

[Dressage_Art]

It’s 3 to 5 steps. 4 steps you’ll end up on the wrong lead. The walk should be clear and established. It’s should look like a transition, not a skip, not a jog. It’s more difficult to get a clear 5 walk steps, since most horses do anticipate and want to shorten the walk as much as they can, rush in to that or rush out from it = judges do look for that fault. Loading of the hunches is important as well.

[smithywess]

Hello,
I don’t know what a competitive dressage judge is looking for but the purpose of the canter to walk to canter transition is to teach the flying change of leg and a very good way it is. To begin with a few steps of walk between the canter departs are fine but eventually you’re going to have to transition through a single walk stride to teach the flying change. Narcisco had a good point in that your horse must be relaxed and I would add balanced and light as well. A good idea sometimes to pick up the same lead you just rode and this way you avoid anticipation. In other words don’t always pick up the other lead. This is a far better method than the simple change through the trot. It depends however on good canter to walk transitions and very good, straight, canter strike offs, anywhere in the arena as well as outside… Don’t do the transition in the same place twice and that also avoids anticipation.

[JMurray]

So going to my trusty USEF rule book, rule DR105-7 says…

Simple Change of Lead at Canter. This is a change of lead where the horse is brought back immediately into walk and, after a few clearly defined steps, is restarted immediately into a canter on the opposite lead, with no steps at the trot.

This may be why Hilda Gurney said to get it done within the distance of a horse length…I am thinking that would be the 5 steps, with 3 being the minimum. The rule not actually saying a number but few to me always meant at least 3…not sure where and when I heard that.

All very interesting.

Good points, Smithywess.

[PiaffePlease]

Ive been taught it was 3-4 walk steps

[papony]

I also believe that in an ideal world its 3 steps. To be honest I never really counted, although we usually scored well for this movement (7+). I focused on a clear, balanced and obedient transition to relaxed, clean and marching walk to a clear, balanced and obedient transition to canter, centered over the centerline. I asked for the upward transition when the balance felt right, rather than after a prescribed number of steps and it usually worked out ok.

Congrats on your sucess!!

[papony]

I also believe that in an ideal world its 3 steps. To be honest I never really counted, although we usually scored well for this movement (7+). I focused on a clear, balanced and obedient transition to relaxed, clean and marching walk to a clear, balanced and obedient transition to canter, centered over the centerline. I asked for the upward transition when the balance felt right, rather than after a prescribed number of steps and it usually worked out ok.

Congrats on your achievement!!

[ideayoda]

In order to depart to the correct lead it would have to be 1/3/5 steps. 1 is too little. 3 is optimal. 5 usually means unless down/tense back/etc. The rider has to clearly establish the walk from canter and depart, that means collection w/o tension/relaxation into walk and depart.

[FriesianX]

after a few clearly defined walk steps - I added the word “walk” to emphasize why some people are marked down. There is no definition in the rules, but one walk step is not “a few” and is seldom clearly defined either. It is not a SKIP into the other lead, it is a change through the walk. The goal is not just to change leads, it is to show some WALK too.

So if your horse gets unclear in the walk, or jigs, you may need to show more steps to show any clear walk. Ideal is 3 - but most judges would rather see 5 steps of clear walk rather than canter, jig, shuffle, jig, canter. If you haven’t established the WALK steps, you have not met the criteria of the movement. This is one of the toughest movements at 2nd level!

[JMurray]

Okay arm chair judges…I posted 3 clips of the simple changes in my 2nd 4 test. The score is in the title of the clip with the movement # in the test.

Judge was a small “r” judge.

Simple Change score/comments:
Test Movement #16 Score = 6 Comment = Heavy in down transition, take more time in walk
Test movement #17 Score = 7 Comment = Better
Test Movement #22 Score = 7 Comment = Well ridden

http://s358.photobucket.com/albums/oo24/jmurray_010/
Password = goodchoice

[chambe94]

I would agree with the judges comments.

See how in the first transition (the last clip), you horse kind of “crashes” into the ground. Then the rhythm of the 3 steps is very uneven (it gets faster with each step kind of 1…2…3.canter, rather than a nice 1…2…3…canter).

The second one is much nicer, the rhythm stays even and he stays “soft” and “above the ground” (rather than jabbing into it like the first one).

And the third one he almost halts, without being abrupt, as if he’s taking a breather without falling behind the bit or your leg, and then strikes right off into the canter when asked. That one is really quiet lovely.

[Fantastic]

OP - thanks for sharing this educational moment with us. Nice job! I like your horse! What breed is he/she?

Judge was a small “r” judge.

Comments were:
#16 Heavy in down transition, take more time in walk
#17 Better
#22 Well ridden

#22 Well ridden

I have to disagree with the small r judge. In #22, the horse too abruptly haults on the hind legs. Almost like he was going to halt square with the hinds.

[JMurray]

Thanks Fantastic. Cody is a 17h Bay Roan Nokota 11 yrs old. This is our second year at second level.

I thought the same thing about the #22 simple change and in fact, as the rider, I know Cody thought he was supposed to halt because of coming down the center line habit and he responded that way to my half halt and I had to sit into him to tell him to keep going.

Always a story within the story.

[ideayoda]

Taking more time is not going to make the transition better, having the horse more collected vs shorter (behind) is. Then the walk will be more ground covering/relaxed because the horse is less compressed in the front and the shoulders will be free®.

The first is the best depart, but not the best transition down. The other two are very muddy in the quality of the canter after, and tense in the walk.

The first two score 7s, but the ‘better’ is a 6??? That is backward even if we agree with the numbers. (Or is the better 6 vs another change where it was a 5 or ???) In any case: The horse is obedient, it does the canter/walk/canter. Yes. But, is the quality of collection/walk fairly good (7) in either? The strong point is that the horse is fairly straight. The taking of a hh which folds the hindlegs/keeps the forehand lifted is necesary to do a more fluid walk.