Simple horse question! for english riders!!!?

Question

ok now i have been riding for a little over a yr and a half! and this may make me sound really dumb, but i'm not i was just never taught what these things mean! i know what they are [or at least i think i do] but i'm not sure how to use them correctly!!!
Hear They Are...
Flying lead changes:
i know that the horse is supposed to change leads while cantering, as if going in a figure eight. but i'm not sure how to make the horse do that!
Collected Trot:
for this your supposed to bring the horse in at the trot, it's a sitting trot, and it's to be more of a slow smaller step thing!
Extened Trot:
posting, the horse should open up and take longer strides...

Plz don't think of me as a stupid horse rider...i'm not i was just never taught how to use these! plz don't be rude in answers. [i've had ppl call me stupid for asking questions before!]
thank you!

Answer 1

Ok...no question is stupid.



Next, your trotting is correct. Sometimes though we post the collected trot - it depends.



For a flying change of the right to the left lead.





- Confirm the aids of the right lead canter:



The horse is straight, calm and balanced,

The right leg is at the girth, relaxed.

The left leg is slightly behind the girth,

The left shoulder is slightly moved back,

There is a tad more weight on the left buttock,

The contact with the outside (left) rein is slightly stronger.



- Simultaneously invert all the aids:



The right shoulder moves back and the weight shifts on the right buttock,

The right leg lightly touches the horse behind the girth,

The left leg goes to the girth,

The horse is slightly counter bent to the left,

The contact with the right rein is slightly stronger.



Now...I would highly recommend that you get a copy of Sally Swifts book called Centered Riding. We used it in my college riding classes and it was great. It goes step by step through all sorts of dressage moves (that can also be used for over fences). It's an easy read, but is great for even the advanced rider.

Answer 2

okay so don't worry about the questions they are not stupid. In fact for the amount of time that you have been riding I am quite impressed. :) You pretty much got the collected and extended trot correct.



Collected Trot:

The collected trot is when you ask the horse to shorten their stride w/out losing the impulsion. You want to maintain the impulsion so that he/she will be able to move onto the next thing that you ask while being balanced. Impulsion is when you are basically packaging your horses energy. Collected Trot does not necessarily mean that you are sitting, but that is typical.



Extended Trot:

The extended trot is when you are asking your horse to open up their stride. Extended trot does not mean that your horse's legs are moving faster, their stride is simply longer therefore covering more ground.



Flying Lead Changes:

I have been riding for around 9 years (never owned my own horse therefore limited in what I am able to do based on the horses abilities) and I have only just been asked to perform the flying lead changes. True, flying lead changes are when a horse is asked to change leads while cantering. In a way, you can look at a flying lead change as if you were at the trot asking for your new lead. It is a good idea to start out learning to do a flying lead change on a figure eight so that you and your horse can see that you need to change leads in order to change direction. Pick up your canter going along the rail and then canter around until you are at the center of your figure eight and then begin the figure eight. Normally, you would be asked to come back to the trot and then swap leads. Instead you will ask the horse for a change in bend and use your aids to pick up the other lead. A flying lead change is typically used when jumping a course and your horse lands on the incorrect lead. In that case, ask for the lead change BEFORE the corner and then continue on. It is never a good idea to let your horse canter a corner on the incorrect lead because they will be unbalanced.

Answer 3

Flying lead changes- not all horses do them automatically (actually, most don't when riding), but essentially, you ask for the other lead canter cue at the center of the figure 8. The easiest way is to start with a simple change (through a few strides of trot) and then decrease the amount of trot strides inbetween.



Collected trot: You can post if you want, but by the time they ask for this in dressage, you are sitting most of the trots anyways. You are wrong however- it is not a slower smaller step thing- the horse is moving it's legs just as much as in the working trot, but they are more elevated and in shorter strides- you should feel a lot of energy in them, spring-like, not a slowing down.



Extended trot- hard to do (your horse has to sit way back on it's haunches, and is a 2nd level movement).

Your description works better for a lengthening trot- where the whole body (and strides) lengthen. You are not going any faster than you were at the working trot. Basically you ask for more with your leg, and half-halt with your outside rein to pick the horse up a bit more than a regular trot.

Answer 4

you're not stupid. my first year of riding was filled with loads of questions kinda like this!



flying lead changes- you've got the right idea for sure, but they are an advanced movement that requires a lot of practice and patience. it took me almost 5 months to train one of my horses to do them well, and if your horse doesnt know how to do them, then you giving it a cue isn't going to change anything. one of the previous posters has the technique correct, so i wont go into that. my horse and i can now do tempi lead changes- which is just doing multiple flying lead changes in a row (the horse looks like he's skipping! its so funny!)



collected trot- it doesnt have to be sitting- many horses learn it better if you post at first. the stride length is slightly shorter but not too much. the horse reaches under himself more with his back legs, and it is a slower gait.



extended trot- easily done posting but in high level dressage tests it is always done sitting. the horse again reaches under himself more with his hind legs but this time he reaches out with his front legs too and really opens up his stride. do not let the horse drop his head low and 'fall onto the forehand' (get heavy on the reins) this is not good. DO keep their head under control as you ask them to step out a bit faster and use teir back legs. probably the easiest thing to do of the three.



flying lead changes are very spectacular in dressage, but are very handy in hunter/jumper courses when you have to make tight bends around the course. the extended trot is a nice ground-covering stride if you like to go on the trails, and the collected trot can help a horse learn to balance better.



PLEASE do not try any of this without and instructors advice first! these are things that require a well trained horse and good technique so please have a knwledgeable horse person around to help you if you ever want to try any of this!

Answer 5

you're not stupid! these things are hard at first until you get the feel of them.



flying lead change: you need to make sure your horse has already been trained to do this. or else you're going to waste a lot of energy. haha. pick up a canter and once you get a good pace going and you don't feel like your horse will break any time soon, push your horse into the center of your arena (like your doing a figure 8) using your outside leg. You know how when you pick up an inside lead, you squeeze with your outside leg and pick your inside rein up and over? basically to do a flying, you just switch it. you're gonna wanna squeeze really hard with the leg you weren't using before. it's just really important to keep up a good speed!



collected trot: how you position your body is really going to effect how your horse moves. you're gonna wanna "sit deep" in your saddle. which basically means keep your butt under you (awkward sounding i know..). if you ever ride in jeans, just make sure your sitting on the pockets of them. next, you want to keep your legs down and still against your horses side. separate your hands and pull them back gently kinda towards your thighs. as you pull, gently squeeze on your horses sides with your legs. this should slow down the pace, keep their head down, and really help them push forward with their back legs (which can be more difficult for english horses).



extended trot: first, get a normal trot going. however you post, you're horse is going to try to keep in stride. so, if you stay up out of your seat a little longer by coming up a little further, your horse should start to extend it's gate. to get a nice speed going, keep squeezing (or even kicking). you can do this every time you sit in your post. also, keep a longer rein so your not pulling back on the bit at all.



it takes some practice, just don't give up.

good luck. hope this helps.

Answer 6

You aren't stupid :) just inexperienced.



Flying lead changes were introduced to me in my second year of riding. But it really depends on your level, your trainer, horse, etc



Collected trot and extended trot are more advanced movements. A lot of non-dressage trainers won't even teach it, which I do not agree with. Ask your trainer if she does and if she doesn't, look around for a good dressage trainer.

Answer 7

the first answer says it all!