The Elusive Simple Change

The 2017 USEF Rule Book has this to say about the simple change of lead: This is a movement in which, after a direct transition out of the canter into a walk, with three to five clearly defined steps, an immediate transition is made into the other canter lead.

It definitely sounds simple. I wish it was. Speedy and I have been working on it for a while. What I've found is that it doesn't happen if your horse is on the forehand, if your horse is using his momentum to drive the canter rather than using rear propulsion, or if you can't keep your horse's haunches under control.

Ask me how I know. ​

Wild haunches.

Speedy and I had a great not-so-great-ride the other day wherein we discussed each of these problem areas. In our last lesson, my trainer gave me several good exercises and at least one thing to think about: Can we half halt here? How about here? And now here? And what about here?

You get the idea. A bazillion half halts will get Speedy off of his forehand and driving from behind.

That wonderful turn on the forehand exercise, half pass style, is getting Speedy's haunches in line. He isn't thrilled about it, which tells me I am on the right track, but it sure is effective.

During a ride the other day, I finally made a connection: Speedy likes to carry his haunches to the left which makes getting that walk transition relatively easy that direction. Recognizing that helped me see why we struggle getting it to the right.

Once I had that picture in my head, I half halted my sassy pony about four billion times, shoved those haunches over in a turn on the forehand another four billion times plus two, and finished it off with a fairly clean canter to walk transition.

Take that, simple change. We're coming for you!