Lead changes????

[minskeep]

I am starting Star on barrels this spring. We are just trotting the pattern at the moment but I have been loping circles, big ones and little ones, doing figure eights (at the trot mostly to work on her flexing) and trying to work on lead changes. I noticed that she has the habit of changing her lead in the front but not in the back. I have to slow her to a trot and pick up the correct lead. Its both directions and she only does it when I ask her for a flying lead change. Are there any exercises I could do to work on this or would you think its a back problem? In my opinion I think she is just unbalanced. She is improving at the lope by keeping a steady speed and a rounded body so thats why I moved to the next step, flying lead changes.

By no means am I an expert at training a horse for barrels so any advice would be appreciated.

I also noticed that she flexes one way better than the other. When we turn around the first barrel (the right one) she has to take it a lot wider than the other two. Shes also a little rougher at the lope on her right lead. I think she may need to have her back adjusted.

[minskeep]

No one has any advice?????????????

[JackieB]

No one has any advice?????????????

Someone will. Patience is a virtue, Grasshopper. :)

I don't know how to correct this problem, but isn't it about the roughest, most unbalanced think in the world when that happens?! I think it's called crossfiring. But it feels like riding in an old buckboard wagon or something!

[Reinmaker]

Go back to basics and get body control. Be able to push her hips around at a walk a trot and the lope.

When you push her hip keep her from dropping her shoulder. Make her stay straight with her inside (the side you are pushing the hip too) stood up. Practice at the walk and trot. Move up to the lope. Lope a left circle on a left lead and push her hip to the iside of the circle(this doesn't have to be a huge exaggerated move but it needs to yeild to your leg and move to the inside. Be very aware of her shoulders and make sure they are not dropping in, she is staying soft in the face and not speeding up. Work on that for a few days. Once she is good with that both directions. Lope her off, work that drill then counter canter off, soften her face and use your inside leg to push her rib out and stand her shoulder up, keep her soft, release your inside leg and ask for her to push her hip to the inside with your outside leg. This will engage her hip and she will change in back at the same time as the front.

[minskeep]

Haha you make it sound simple. I need a video to watch or something. I get what you mean about the hip but what exactly is dropping a shoulder?

[Reinmaker]

It is simple.

Dropping a shoulder is a horse leaning in to the circle with their shoulders, hence the shoulder dropping down and in.

[madelequestrian]

“dropped shoulder” is that moment when your horse turns and you go “oh sh**” and grab the horn. LOL. Reinmaker has you going in the right direction. Having a chiro look at her is definitely a good idea (we have all ours looked at every few months at least) but she probably just needs a lot more suppling on her off side. It is pretty normal for horses to do what your horse is. She just needs to get more flexible! Like a kid who is just starting gymnastics or dance lessons. They have to do lots of stretching and exercises to reach the next levels!

[medicine hat]

saddle fit? a screw sticking out on the underside, crooked construction? (i've seen both, and it was a nice saddle too! we found it when the horse had problems at the canter)
it can cause all sorts of problems

[minskeep]

I will work on moving her hips some more, shes "ok" at it but not great.