Bravo and I are working on our twos. The biggest issue is ME, not him - my timing. I know he has them for trainers 
Our threes are fine, fours are harder (yeah, Ive been told that’s normal). We are beginning to get them not only to his easier side but also back to the harder direction. However, he is often late or together behind.
I know this can become an ingrained problem. But I really do not knw what the solution is…
More forward (but not on FH)? some sort of positioning? They come up so quick not sure what I can de between them… (like I said, it’s me…)
Open to all ideas. Thanks
Change your canter. The fours and threes can be ridden in a more “open” canter, make the canter smaller and quicker more towards a canter sit. Make sure each change stays “small” and contained.
This is my biggest challenge with the ones I tend to ride them more and more forward and loose control of the size of stride and it all falls apart. The twos the tempo makes more sense to me but I ride a very different canter then I need to do for the fours or threes.
Also not sure how you ask, but I find parallel aids work best for me.
Hope this helps.
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Building on what Guyot said - make sure the quality of the canter is impeccable. Get it collected, but with lots of jump (you need the air time for the change), and active behind. If he’s late behind, you need to think about really revving the hind end - it’s a collected canter, but very active. During the change, think about changing the hind leg first, and really get it to jump. Just try one 2 tempi, then back to regaining the quality. When he maintains the quality after just the one tempi, do 2, then back to the quality, and build from there over the course of days or weeks. After the last change, you need to be able to do anything at a moments notice - a pirouette, an extended canter, a walk transition, whatever. If you find that you can’t, you need to identify why - is he on the forehand? Too strung out? Not through? Then you need to teach him to maintain the balance and collection during the twos, starting with just one, and building slowly from there.
If you do a line of 3s or 4s, how is the quality of the canter at the end? Is it still collected, bouncy, round, and on the aids?
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thanks Guyot. What are parallel aids?
Ah yes Feathered Feet… the quality of the canter does indeed deteriorate on our threes and fours… and quickening the hind legs I KNOW is a challenge for us. Thanks for the reminders… I have been so worried about the quickness and accuracy of my aids… I let this slide. Back to the basics. ALways the basics, right?
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haha so true! Just saw a trainer on my facebook feed post something to the effect of “Beginner horsemen want to work on intermediate horsemanship. Intermediate horsemen want to work on advanced horsemanship. Advanced horsemen want to work on the basics.”
But in all seriousness, the activity and quickness of the hind legs is such a challenge for me too. We have a BNT that comes to our barn and I can always hear him in the back of my head saying “quicker!!”… the pirouettes are almost hard because I over-think the activity when I should probably just leave well-enough alone. You almost can’t win 
The most useful exercise I’ve found to increase the activity of the hind legs is the basic forward-and-back - medium/extended canter - collected canter - back to medium/extended canter, rinse and repeat as needed. Like you said, basics!
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The rider has to have the physical strength to keep the canter up and forward at all times.
The changes are just then a change of bend.
So the HORSE needs to be forward and up. It should not be up to MY strength to bully him up there. That said, I am strong - Pilates equipment session every week, and I own my small farm alone. “Just a change of bend”… well, Bravo, being a very balanced and handy Lusitano, is perfectly happy doing small counter-lead circles. Changing his bend in canter is NOT the cue he knows.
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I don’t know that I agree - there is no bend in tempis - you want them straight as an arrow. Not only is there no time to change bend in twos, and definitely no time to change bend in the ones, but you can inadvertently make the changes crooked, which is no bueno. (Unless you meant change of bend metaphorically.) Maybe a teeny bit of flexion when you’re teaching them if its helpful, but every trainer I’ve ever ridden with wants them straight straight straight.
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Yes, the horse needs to be forward and up. The rider needs to encourage and support that. It’s not bullying the horse up there, it’s riding the horse in such a way that allows this. My core strength really comes into play at the canter, and well, with everything really. My horse is sensitive and if I’m not giving it my all and engaging my body properly, he doesn’t either.
Your comment about “happy small counter-lead circles” made me laugh though, my PRE would gladly and easily do the same.
That being said, it does come back to basics as mentioned. When my horse was late behind at times when first learning flying changes it was sometimes because my timing was off, the half half wasn’t there, or that I needed to do some walk-canter-walk transitions to get him back on track and using his hindend. I did really quick simple changes (as in right lead, canter to nearly halt, then strike odd on left lead) on a circle, then went back to the flying change and he was much better.
It really is all about canter quality and timing of aids. No shame in bringing things back a few steps/going to basics or a simplified version of what you’re aiming for in order to get a better end result.
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Of course no shame in going back a few steps! I like your idea of an “almost” simple change. Keeping his ass working is our biggest challenge. Like many Iberians, he LOOKS like he is using his haunches, but in fact his back is down under the saddle. WOrked today on keeping the back feet quick, mostly using the trot. Just a bit of piro canter and a few uncounted changes and they were fine. Tomorrow will be a canter day again.
Yes! I had someone say how good my horse’s canter looked the other day warming up, and how he uses his hind leg, and I thought, oh no, he’s actually being a slouch, not properly using himself, and this is like 75% here 
Pirouette’s are useful to us as well as it gets me focusing on the outside hind leg and of course gets the horse really sitting in the canter.
The almost simple changes did really help. Also don’t be afraid to take a day off of it. Focus on something completely different. Hack out, do trot or pole work, then come back to it in a day or two. Then when you get back to it, you and/or the horse might be a bit more mentally fresh.
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While the horse may appear absolutely straight, physiologically the horse must change bend in order to change leads.This is why riders must accurately. shift weight, again hoping not employ big obvious moves., but slight imperceptible leg shifts
being a very balanced and handy Lusitano, is perfectly happy doing small counter-lead circles
I’m having this exact same problem! My guy will happily counter-canter 10m circles (with bend in either direction), so I can’t expect him to change just because I changed the bend.
So many things are easier with him, including collection, but the changes are much harder than with any of my warmbloods.
Fair. IMHO, thinking about bend in the changes misleads most people. I think of them as transitions. Just like I don’t bend in a trot-canter transition, I don’t bend in a canter-canter transition.
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Erm…ok…
Anyho, I will offer some other things in addition to what I posted previously. I stumbled across this video recently (it is sort of basic but sometimes i need basic reminders 
) and I think it is decent. Just about flying changes in general but focus on your straightness and not moving your body so much. Especially with sensitive horses (looking at you, Iberians) you only need a small timely signal with your leg. No need to throw weight around.
The changing of bend thing can be tricky, you don’t want to block the horse with your inside rein and this is a common mistake when riders focus on changing the bend (not saying anyone here makes this mistake, just saying in general).
Stay straight. Also try with more impulsion and from a more forward canter than you might usually use. This cracked an issue with my horse/helped him through a mental block. Riding more forward and a larger canter than usual. Also possible to “over collect” or block the horse and then the hind legs can’t follow through. Think power. Play with it a bit.
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I think many people confuse the terms “flexion” and “bend”. They are not interchangeable.
Flexion refers to the neck, bend refers to the body. A horse in counterflexion is a horse proceeding in one direction, with his head and neck going opposite. A horse can be ridden overflexed, counterflexed, straight etc. Bend refers to a horse’s body, which must change bend in accordance with the canter leading leg.
The purpose of all the gymnastic training leading up the correct flying changes is to strengthen the horse so that that bend change becomes almost imperceptible.
Thanks everyone. We have managed to find through and true two’s (mouthful!!)… not sure what happened, but It was suggested I think of getting “ones” - that made me quicker with my aids. New saddle has me in a better position. All your suggestions have really helped.
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