It takes a year. Also, start your half steps now. Like yesterday. It will help the activity and the changes.
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I feel for you.
I have 2 lovely young barn mates who are new to showing, and are just killing it in the show ring at training and first this year on their well bred, beautifully moving 5 year olds with scores in the upper 70’s. Someone said to them at dinner the other night “and then they are going to make you ride second level…” They both looked a bit puzzled.
And then there’s Third… This has been my hill to die on this year.
I swore I wasn’t going back to 2nd level with my newish horse in our first show season together. I last showed on my now retired horse some 4 years ago at 2nd level with some reasonable success but we’d been at it for I think 2 or 3 years and were really over it, then he developed a chronic unsoundness, then Covid struck and that was that.
The long gap in showing time, combined with the big jump to Third have been incredibly challenging for me this year. Horsie is fine with it. Hes fit, sound and has done it all before. He thinks this stuff is pretty easy, but persuading him that he actually does need to demonstrate impulsion and collection while doing these piddly little movements with the old lady on top has been immensely difficult!
The long and the short of it being that every level is a pretty big step. And in my experience, The whole “one year per level” is hooey for most average adult amateurs.
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Half steps are good. But I find that working on going from collected to xtended within the canter is most important. For many riders the difficulty in changes lie within the rider. It again takes a lot of coordination and timing. Most horses change naturally.
Off Topic!
I had a horse who wouldn’t change, even for a pro. Galloping down a cornfield one day, a tree filled ditch lay ahead,and to the right. He was on the right lead. I prepared to die. 
Suddenly a switch to the left lead happened. 
He never was a stupid horse.
He did eventually as he grew stronger learn to change on command.
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They mostly all can change leads galloping at liberty. It’s teaching it on cue and with a rider that’s the challenge. If the horse never changed leads at liberty I’d hesitate to try to train it under saddle
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This is excellent advice. I will say that if you plan on showing, my FEI trainer recommends putting the changes on hold until show season is over. We were working on changes with good progress until about a month before our first show, then put them on hold until Regionals.
I am glad I did, because that little bit of extra tension at shows makes it so much easier to lose the lead in the canter loops, especially when my horse is like “well this would be easier, why don’t we just change?” Horses! So smart!
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Yeah good point. Definitly wouldnt practice changes with a second 3 canter loop but maybe op could school a lot of walk canter walk or only ask for the change over a pole and show maybe 2-1 where it is more shallow. 
Walk canter walk transitions are an excellent way to build the strength required for moving up.
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We do lots of those!
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This ^^! 
Good luck in your journey. I would add: if you have shown at 1st, go back and read and reread, then really take to heart the judge’s comments. If you are struggling with any part of 2nd, I can assure you it was showing up in your first level work.
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