Flying changes are important in show jumping because you have directional changes in courses.

The easiest way of teaching flying changes is by using a cavaletti or a raised pole. Position the cavaletti or raised pole on the diagonal. Canter over it making an 'S' shape with a slightly exaggerated curl to the line. As your horse goes with an elevated stride to jump, slightly change the bend and adjust your leg aid. With the jump and the slight change of direction, the horse should change the lead leg and maintain the canter. If he doesn't make the change bring him back to walk and then ask him to strike off on the correct leg and pat him, then come again.

Your horse will begin to realise that when he lands on the wrong leg you automatically come to walk and change lead and when he changes the lead over the obstacle you keep going. It is important that you use the raised pole in your training to create the elevation to change.

It is essential that if the horse does not make the flying change always bring him back to the walk and ask him to strike off again on the correct leg. Do not ask him to then try and do a flying change because all he will do is panic. The flying change is not an acceleration, it is a leg sequence change. By asking the horse to do a little round jump as he does the change he should decelerate not accelerate for the change.

I'm often asked if there is a problem with horses learning to put changes in whenever they feel like it. The answer is no because you are consistently doing them on the diagonal and the horse associates the actual aids with the change. For horses that automatically change as they go across the diagonal this is conditioning as a result of two things: bad training and training that is done so that every time you go across the diagonal you change the rein. Once the horse gets used to doing flying changes you need to execute them in different areas of your schooling arena. It is very important that you remember the flying change is a leg sequence change.

Tim Stockdale