Lead change BOUNCE!
 

Ok.....so a little history here, not much....

My horse has fantastic lead changes......when I'm not asking for them.....if I just sit there, cross center, shift my outside leg back and kiss.....nice smooth lead change.....

However, today, (and I'm mad because I was in the arena alone and had no 'eyes' to tell me what was happening!) I was loping serpentines and changing leads. Well! Three of em near unseated me and popped me right forward in the saddle, it's like his back end flew off the ground......yes, just like a crow hop....but not quite. He still changed leads, but it was very bouncy and rough....he wasn't crossfiring either, just a big bounce and then flattened out again.....

Why would a horse be throwing his butt up like that during a change, and what am I doing to create it and how can I avoid it in the future???

I love learning.....:?:lol:

Infact, I just found this vid on YT....I'm suspecting it looked just like this:
(unfortunately there was no write up with the vid)

I haven't had that happen before. It just looks like he saw an opportunity to throw a crow hop at you and took it, lol. If he does it again, just smack him.. :)

Oh gee.....I guess that's better than a stifle issue.....great, now I gotta pop him after I change leads after he crow hops......gee.....could look like a cat in a roll of barbed wire rolling down an up escalator!:lol:

If it persists, I might make sure he's not in pain. But he probably was just feeling good and decided to throw some bumps at you! Lol.

Yeah he is feeling good....five days a week for five months of mid to hard work has made it hard for me to even break a sweat on him......counter-cantering seems to break a sweat!!!!

Yeah he only did it three times in about seven lead changes.....and when he did a nice flat one I loped three of four more strides and let him quit for the day....but gee I wasn't ready for him to pop me one! He only does that when I spank him!!! Then I have to spank him again....I quietly pray he decides to quit so that I don't have to do a whole round of hopping and spanking!!!!!

I have had Cassie do this. Most of the time I find it is more me then the mare. I get off balance or am not quiet asking at the correct time or something.

Yeah....it's most likely me.....he knows better than me what to do....he's finished, I'm not!!! I may be over cueing him.....used to riding youngsters where everything you cue has to be a bit more obvious......I'm trying my darnedest not to touch him with my spur.....maybe I will just sit there next time....and just kiss to him and see what happens!!!

Ya Give that a try. I find that I tend to over think it myself.

I wouldn't get onto the horse. I was having this exact same issue with my reiner, all along it was me asking to hard or asking wrong, or even just asking in too slow of a circle.