Best way to get your horse to do a flying lead change?

Subbing...I've been trying to teach my mare this. We also do hunters. (Tho she does alot of flying changes all on her own when I free lunge her... :P hahaha. Just gotta get her to do it under saddle!)

Honestly I've never tried!! Haha
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I would get her counter canter strong before asking for changes !

When my mare has days where im just not getting the good change I want, I go back to counter canter and get her really on and listening to my aids. When I ask for another change it is spot on =]

I'm not sure I understand the logic of the counter canter. Please understand I'm not disputing the idea of it working, I'm just not understanding the logic. I've worked for -months- to get my horse to pick up the correct lead going both directions. She is finally pretty good. On one or two occasions she will get the wrong one and I'll ask her to trot and fix it (Simple change) and she does. I am afraid that if I ask her to counter canter, even in a circle, she might think "going back" to working on the wrong lead will be ok. That is something I def don't want to teach her as, like I said, it took aLOT of work to get her to where she is now.

Thoughts? I see how asking her to do it wrong then switching it can teach a flying change, but like I said, I'm pretty worried that it'll 'let her get away with it'.

Well your horse should pick up the lead that you ask for ! Counter canter is a great exercise for obedience and balance. If they can't balance enough to do counter canter then they can't balance enough to do a flying lead change.

Oh I know that, I'm not really worried about her NOT being able to do it, I'm more just worried about intentionally asking for the wrong lead may lead to teaching her she can just pick a lead. That's my fear with using counter canter to teach lead changes and I just wanted to know options/opinions.

I have found that when you are first teaching counter canter they may offer it when you ask for the canter. The thing to do is shut them down immediately. They are trying to do something right, but they are not listening to you properly. So if I ask for the left lead and get a counter canter instead, I immediately walk, and then ask for the canter again.

Changing through trot is not a simple change, a simple change is through walk.

Counter canter is so that the horse understands to canter on whatevr lead asked. THE best way for a educated (in lateral work) rider is to ride a circle in renvers in counter canter (you have to wrap your mind around that first). And then change from counter canter renvers (figure 8) to counter canter renvers. It makes for absolutely united changes as well as straighter ones. But that predisposes a high level of timing/balance.

It should NOT take months to learn a lead, and if they do not clearly understand leads well enough to do true canter and cc, they they should not be asked to do flying changes (like they will be late/off balance).

There is NO wrong lead per, there is merely taking the one the rider asked for. First cc straight ahead, half halt, walk, true canter.

Wow thanks alot for basically telling me I'm stupid. I know what a counter canter is, thank you. I'm asking for reasons why it would/wouldn't teach her to do it wrong. Instead of telling me off like I'm stupid, you could have just explained it without all the "this is why you are wrong" attitude. Second, going from a trot to a canter to a trot to fix a lead IS a simple change. It is down-grading the gait to fix the lead. Also, yes, it WOULD take months to learn a lead when you are working with a horse that has not built alot of muscle tone, isn't used to consistent riding after being left in a pasture for years, and doesn't have perfect balance.

If it sounds like I'm annoyed/snapping, it is because I am. I'm tired of people assuming they know me and my horse and my riding on here. I get that alot, and I SEE that alot on threads that are not mine. I'm asking for help so that I can better teach my horse and by doing that I'm trying to educate myself. Normally I'm fairly calm on here and try to see other points of view. So please, don't give me an attitude for trying to learn more and find out just how that wouldn't teach her wrong.

Thank you.

Gypsey-that makes sense. Thank you for just explaining it in a way I understand. I will try it, I just am afraid to back track after all the work we have done together.