Tempi changes...please give me some tips! Help

[vivianakol_lusitano]

Hello,

So I am going to show fourth level test 3 in about 10 days. The goal is for me to debut PSG in January if covid situation allows it.
All the trot work is great. Half passes are great, pirouettes are the strong point of my test.

But then I get to the 3 & 4 tempi changes. I can’t get the count correct and I get so nervous about this.

Completely my fault. My horse is a Grand Prix Lusitano and he can make 1 tempis, 2 tempis and all other tempis.

This is the only thing stopping me from advancing more through the levels and now every time I practice tempis I get really nervous.

Any advice, ideas, tips, experiences…I would greatly appreciate them!!!

[Feathered_Feet]

What worked for me is just practice the rhythm all the time when i was away from the horse. I would be driving down the highway saying “1-2-3-change, 2-2-3-change, 4-2-3-change” (for 4 tempis) or “1-2-change, 2-2-change, 4-2-change” (for 3s) over and over until I got the rhythm (with the cue for the change being on the word “change,” i.e., on change I would pretend to swing my leg back to cue the new lead. Depending on your horse (and you), you might add a tiny pretend squeeze of the new rein for the new flexion the beat before you say “change” so on beat 3 for 4 tempis, beat 2 for 3 tempis. When I was first getting it down I would almost swing my whole body to the new direction (in the car) just to get the feel for the swing. Remember, this is in the car or out walking the dog, not on the horse. Just keep singing the rhythm until you hear it in your sleep. The name of the game here is you need the rhythm down pat. It should sound like marching in your head. Get a metronome app and play it while you practice if you have to.

When you get to the point where you sing it in your dreams, try it on horseback. Only stick to one count at first (e.g., only do 3s, don’t go into the arena and do 3s and 4s the same day until you are good at one of them). Importantly, start singing the rhythm when you turn onto your line - don’t start singing it after you start the changes or you risk getting off the beat (at least that’s how it works for me). For instance, I turn onto the diagonal, immediately start singing the rhythm, then cue the change when I hit my first “change” in my head.

Hope this helps you as much as it helped me. Great to hear that the horse has it down - that makes things much easier!!

[Badger]

Try counting different ways. I count “change, 2, 3, 4” for four tempis. It’s completely different from how my trainer does it, which I think was “1, 2, 3, change” but that never worked for me.

For threes I count “ change , 2, 3” for two tempis it’s “ one, and, 2, and, 3, and” etc (the number is the change and the “ and” is the stride before the next change.”

For one tempis I just count. You need to experiment and figure out the timing of you aids in conjunction with your count. You have to aid in advance of the voice in you head saying “change”. It can also help to do your count out loud while you are learning.

[Feathered_Feet]

@Badger

Try counting different ways. I count “change, 2, 3, 4” for four tempis. It’s completely different from how my trainer does it, which I think was “1, 2, 3, change” but that never worked for me.

I agree and think it’s totally true that you have to find what works for you. I think Amelia Newcomb has a video about counting/riding the tempis that is good and might offer more ideas. I will say the main advantage of counting the number first is that you can then keep track of whether you’ve done 3 or 5 or whatever - you count “1, 2, 3, change, 2, 2, 3, change, 3, 2, 3, change, 4, 2, 3, change, 5, 2, 3, change” and then you know you’ve done 5 and you’re done (or whatever count you’re a supposed to do). This is important for me otherwise I can do a line and just completely loose track if it’s anything more than 3 or I started them in the wrong spot and my arena markers for when it should be done are off

[lorilu]

SOunds just like me. I really do understand your pain! What works (usually…) for me is to give the aid for the change when I “say” the final stride count - for 4s, its 1-2-3-AID-he changes and that’s the next 1… and all those counts happen when the mane raises up (in the begining of the down phase, )
I am trying to learn to give the number of the change first, but tight now I am going by where I am in the arena. I know I have to get that before I get much further along.

Right now I am struggling with getting the timing for 2s…apparently I am aiding really nice 3s… (where is the rolling eye emoji?).

ANd its all complicated by my weaker/less “quick” left leg and HIS “slower to act” right to left change…

sigh.

[Dutchmare433]

I’ll take this in a different direction. Practice changes on a 20m circle, do them at 3, 6, 9, 12. But be picky about the changes being exactly at those spots. Then on the diagonal don’t worry about the count, do 1 at the quarter line, 1 at the centerline, and a 3rd at the 2nd quarter line.

Practice being able to move the body around in the canter. Shoulder in, shoulder fore, haunches in, baby haunches in. And back and forth between the two.

Improving the straightness in the canter fixed my issues in the counting, particularly when related to anticipation on the part of the horse.

[merrygoround]

Easy to say sometimes for some, hard to do. FOCUS!

And, if you are not to a point in your development as a rider, that you can perform a movement and be stress free, you shouldn’t attempt to show at the level demanding the movement.

Always set yourself up for success.

[theresak]

I count 1,2,3,4…2,2,3,4…etc. And if I’m having trouble getting the aid for the next change in the right moment, I’ll do 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 with the last “and” as the aid for the next change.

The 4s can be a little challenging if the horse anticipates and/or doesn’t maintain the same quality of canter. Make sure you still have a half halt in the 4s and 3s and if not, abandon the line of changes and work on the canter. But I also found I had to practice a couple of lines or diagonals in a row to really internalize the timing and counting - if the horse has good changes, don’t be afraid to practice a little bit more for your own sake.

[Mondo]

When I was moving up the levels, tempi changes came easy to me, so I’ve learned some tricks by teaching over the years because so many riders have trouble with this. In addition to all the great suggestions above, let me add: practice the tempis without your horse. Do you know how to skip, like we did as children? Start skipping along and change your “lead” on the 4th or 3rd stride. So start out skipping with your left leg leading and then do a “flying change” on the correct stride, then change back 3 or 4 strides later. Skip all the way around the arena like this. What happens is that your legs are going to change position just as they would in the saddle. Now, after you’ve done that a few times, and you get the count down, get back on your horse and ride his canter as though you are skipping. You change his lead just as you changed yours. Give it a try, it’s fun and it really seems to work! Good luck.

[vivianakol_lusitano]

This helped me so much!!! Great tips! Thank you!

[vivianakol_lusitano]

This! Thank you!

[vivianakol_lusitano]

This helped so much. Thinking Aid instead of 4 or 3. I tried this and I managed to get all my changes on time!

[vivianakol_lusitano]

Thank you. We are ready to show fourth level and PSG. Everything else has been going great. I believe you have to try to be successful, maybe I don’t nail them in my first competitions, but we have to try and get there

And yes! FOCUS is key

[vivianakol_lusitano]

Thank you everyone for your help and your replies!!! I practiced my changes this weekend and nailed them! I think my issue was finding my way of counting them. I really hadn’t tried other ways of counting and I was sticking to the way my trainer counts them.

Lesson: sometimes you have to think outside the box!

I am sure I will have to keep practicing and embracing my way of counting, but it really worked. I appreciate all of your help. Hope we nail them next week at competition!

[vivianakol_lusitano]

This is something I definitively want to try! Sounds really helpful Thank you!

How lucky you always found them easy! They have been my pain thankfully all the other lessons in the test are looking great.

[Feathered_Feet]

So glad the hivemind has helped! We expect a full report after next week’s show

Good luck!!

[Badger]

Glad experimenting with different counts helped. You have to find your own style and whatever helps you establish the prep and timing that works. I absolutely cannot ride if a trainer counts out loud for me, whether in tempis or jumping. Other people love it. Go figure.

My count for the GP zig zag, where you half pass 6 right, 6 left, and 6 right is: change two three four nose haunch, change two three four nose haunch, change two three four nose haunch. I incorporate the prep of changing the bend before I get to the actual change. This works better for me than change, 2, 3, 4, straight, prep; change, 2, 3, 4, straight, prep, etc that I tried for a bit. I think it helps me focus on preparing the new bend earlier and is more effective. Little semantics changes can reap rewards. So try different things if you are struggling.