Changes? Trainers, etc

[kahjul]

So, I have a deep down fear of changes. Coming from H/J land my horses always (all but 1) had auto changes that came from the change in direction. The 1 horse who didn't 'just get it' I screwed up royally. So, now in dressage land, I know changes are approached differently and I know I need help when I'm ready (not quite yet). Because I have so much fear about them, I really don't want to be anywhere near my horse and would just like to leave her with someone for a month or so. Is that reasonable? How does one go about finding the right person for the job? There are several trainers here in town, most are good for lessons, but I wouldn't leave my horse with any one of them. I'm too afraid to have a trainer try to teach me to teach her. I'm only a few hours from Hilda and wouldn't mind the drive, but??? Recommendations? We have alot of options here in CA, and I'll send here wherever is best that I can afford. She is a draft X, so any trainers that don't like them will not be considered.

[Bronte]

Well, I think it is totally sensible to send your horse to a trainer to learn changes. I think the ten million dollar question is:

Is your horse ready to learn them yet?

If he is ready sure. If not the trainer would have a lot of preparation work to establish first ~ this could be lengthy and expensive.

What is your horse doing now?

[pintopiaffe]

Good Lord, if I were near enough, and could afford it, Hilda would be IT. I don't believe she has a breed prejudiced bone in her body.

Definitely would be sure the horse was ready to have them put on. And think it's not unreasonable at all to want someone to teach the horse first, then teach you on the horse that knows it. JMO, of course.

[rizzodm]

Sent you a pm

[kahjul]

She's not quite ready yet, but my regular trainer is starting to toss out phrases like, 'end of the year', etc. So since it's something that I know I don't want to mess with I'm trying to get my ducks in a row and figure out some options. I don't want to sound wishy washy when the time comes, I need to be strong and say, OK, great, I'll send her to so and so next month. Is it reasonable that changes could be taught in a month? I realize this is IF prior training is solid, horse is ready, horse is sound, trainer is good, and horse and trainer get along.

[honeylips]

one thing to consider is that a month won't do it. For most horses to have confirmed changes that you can't "mess up" will be a year - so that they are straight, correct and confirmed. A month will see them be super green and still require very accurate riding and help from the rider for quite a while.

[slc2]

You're going to have to get over being afraid of them. Even if you send her to someone for six months (and probably would have to), you eventually have to ride them, and it won't be any different whether you send the horse out or try to do it yourself, you will eventually, one way or the other, have to get over being afraid.

You would be much better off if you go thru the process of preparing the canter for the change work as you will learn better than any other way, what's involved, how to fix changes and everything else about them.

Do yourself a favor. Get on someone's pleasure horse and figure out how to teach it changes. Get on a schoolmaster a few times a week for a couple months, and do changes til your bloody sick of them. And get over it.

It is NOT a big deal. Little tiny children do flying lead changes on their ponies. My trainers kids were doing dressage changes on ponies they trained them selves before they were ten. One of my trainers swore he learned flying changes riding a horse and holding a magazine in one hand reading the 'how to teach changes' article.

IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD. Good God, if I can do it, anyone can. There's very little difference between a flying change and any canter transition.

[kahjul]

EXCELLENT ADVICE!!!!!! I'm off to look for a trail horse. Thanks.

[slc2]

YOU CAN DO THIS. You ride very well, and you have a nice horse who can do this. You will be just tickled pink - just be sure to get help from a good instructor.

[TSWJB]

Being from hunter jumper land, what is the difference between dressage changes that everyone is afraid of and hunter jumper changes that little 10yo's do on their ponies?
if your horse starts to do changes on his own is this bad for dressage?
i have been doing dressage to bring my coming 5yo along. he is doing really well. this winter i also started jumping him. at first we did simple changes with the occassional flying change that he did himself. (feels like hind end first. so smooth i can barely feel him change) if he didnt do them i did quick simple, one trot step back to the canter. i never asked for changes. then one lesson he suddenly decided that he MUST DO ALL CHANGES! if he thought his butt would get stuck he bucked into the change to get hind end going first and then landed on correct lead.
well last week he is doing fluid lead changes no bucking after the fences. i again do not ask for them. he does them himself.
so i know dressage people wait to do changes. what if horse does them himself? is this detrimental for dressage. i have persisted in not letting him do the changes on the flat (although he slipped in a couple himself) but over jumps i let him decide. quick simple or flying change.

[slc2]

It's a very long and complicated subject, will try to respond to some of those questions later when things are not so nuts.

But dressage changes are very different, done in a different position and balance, and different things are important - further, they are just a basis for what comes next, rather than an end in themselves, so they have to turn out rather differently again. The main difference is that we teach counter canter first, and master it first, then changes, and the changes are done from a collected gait, and need to be done in a very specific way. They aren't 'autoswaps' which are not aided for in the same way.

[egontoast]

It's a very long and complicated subject, will try to respond to some of those questions later when things are not so nuts.

So, everybody, just take a little break and a deep breath and maybe put your horse away for a bit.

[chukkerchild]

My advice?? Go to a polo trainer and hop on some polo horses and do some figure 8's. You'll get a really good feel for changes and feel much more comfortable about asking your own horse for them later. In a couple months you'll be looking back and laughing that you were worried about them :)

[slc2]

Better to work on a dressage horse. Polo pony changes are different and easier. Basically hunter style 'autoswaps'.

[Ambrey]

It's not so complicated- dressage horses have to be able to counter canter, including serpentines etc, in a balanced fashion. So they can't change when they would feel more comfortable, they have to do all work in whatever lead they are asked to do the work in.

So, yes, a horse that demands changes when he senses a change of direction would have trouble in dressage past, what, 1st level? Don't know when the counter canter stuff comes in.

Good luck, Kahjul! Can't wait to hear about your girl's progress!

[slc2]

The counter canter stuff starts at first level.