Yes, yesterday I suffered a massive BFO (Blinding Flash of the Obvious).  So I know that a horse picks up his lead and pushes off of the canter from his hind leg, have known this for years.  BUT since most of us learn what a lead is by watching the forelegs reach out, I have always tried to help cue a lead by lifting the inside rein.  Don't ask me why, it's just what I did and I never had a problem with it over years (decades).  Well, for Solo, it just wasn't cutting it -- I could tell he knew his leads, because he mostly gets them or auto switches when jumping.  So yesterday was doing some work on canter/halt/canter transitions and I started lifting the outside rein for him to step into and VOILA, got it every time.  OUTSIDE REIN, you idiot lady, took you freaking long enough (I believe this is what my horse was thinking).  Anyway, just wanted to share that for my fellow riders who know the feeling of stumbling on something sooooooooooo obvious and simple yet something that had eluded us! 

I don't pick up either rein, I maintain a feel with the outside rein, keep the bend with my inside leg, soften inside rein, and cue with outside leg back.  I don't think it's a good idea to train by lifting a hand, just keep them quiet, and keep the horses jaw soft, but ride from seat and leg.  If the horse stays soft in the jaw, then they don't brace their jaw and go stiff in their necks and backs and can use their back end to engage and drive.

I would think that the transitions go through a process for horses and rider's though, and what you start out feeling is going to change as you get more balanced in your seat, and more connected, with a better feel of how your horse moves.   On more advanced horses, they might pick up the right lead with just a shift of the seat.  My 1st level horse will pick up canter from walk on a loose rein with just a little outside leg back and a light bump with my inside leg.  He schools counter-canters very nicely and can pick up a counter canter from walk on a 10 metre circle.  My green tb is at the stage where he needs a lot of help and preparation to get a nice transitition into canter, and his balance in trot is very irregular so I spend a lot of time on the 20 metre circle working on rythm, and engagement, and response to a half-halt before I can apply the canter aid and have him pick it up nicely.  It's coming, and when we really work through a schooling session, by the end of our session, he is picking it up from walk.  I do believe though, that he never was very good at picking up the canter under saddle until he was really getting it nicely on the lunge line.   In our last few sessions, his contact with my hand has gotten very steady, he used to curl up and try and avoid the contact, and was tense under saddle.   Lately, the light bulb has gone on for him, and he is so relaxed and calm under saddle, and his attention on me is solid, where he used to distract on everything around him.   I was soooooooo excited after our ride today, because I finished up by cantering over a cross-rail and he landed on the lead I asked for each time, and he's never done that before, and I haven't jumped him at all in the last month, so that is all about his balance and connection and responsiveness that he's gained from his flat work!!

Whoops, not wanting to steal from you and your thread.

Would like to hear more about you and your horse.

Robin

That is hilarious! I actually just learned that not that long ago from my trainer since I thought the same thing!

Lol, BFO! 

Thanks Robin -- you make a good point and maybe I used the wrong word.  It wasn't really lifting the hand, more just keeping him engaged through that outside rein and pushing up into it for his strikeoff while softening the inside rein, as opposed to trying to lead him into the lead with the inside rein.  And yes, I always cue with the outside leg back trying to keep that soft bend on the inside leg.  I guess I just think of it as lifting becuase they sort of lift into the gait by pushing off and up off that outside hind leg.

And congrats on your youngun, sounds like you've made some good progress!  :-)

 Thanks for sharing this and for the responses - I'm still working at getting the correct lead and it is all about where I put my weight at the moment. Function of the reins is important to add to the equation - or maybe I shouldn't use that word - makes it more complicated than it is.

Thank you Solaris! I was having trouble with changing canter leads especially to the left. Wolfy was never taught when I got him, I went in the big hay field last night and tried the lifting of the outside rein and it worked!!! Thank you!! Well we did it last night quiet a few times, but who knows if we will get it again!!! But we will try. It was amazing how it worked. I have never done changing leads in my dressage lessons (not that far along for dressage!) but we could never do it for jumping a course, now hopefully we will get it.

I guess it eluded me also!!

Oh my gosh, wow, you're welcome!  I never dreamed it would lead to anyone trying it -- I thought I was just way behind the curve here.  I'm so glad it helped you!  I really do think that helping the horse push up into that outside rein helps so much with that strikeoff.  Of course, if a person has a horse already custom trained to a certain weight shift or voice command or whatever, then it's a different story, but, LOL, I don't have that one!

I know what you mean, it was only about 6 months ago that my boss said to me... "to get the correct canter lead, a horse strikes off canter with his off hind leg so that is the leg you need to influence when you ask for the transition".

I don't know why I'd never thought this before but suddenly it was like a light came on and because I was thinking about that hind leg, I could *feel* it strike off and I could tell which leg I was on in the first stride, without looking down. Before that I would do two of three strides on the wrong leg before I would realise - and then I'd have to check!

I'm like "DUH" now cos it is so obvious really but I'd never really attached that bit of knowledge to how I was feeling the canter. Its funny how these little revalations just jump out at you now and again!

LOL! I've had those BFO occasionally. :D  I'm still working on my second horse and how he canters. My first horse just goes by weight and pressure. I can gently tap him with the outside leg and he will pick up the inside lead (ie going to the left I tap him with my right leg and he picks up the left lead) I have to help him with the right lead a bit, just pull his head slightly to the inside and ask for it. My second horse, Hank, I'm still working on cantering with him. lol I've only had him a week as of tomarrow, so it's all good. :D

 Glad you had a BFO! They make riding sooo much easier. xD

Wolfy&Victor:

 

It sure did help, have done it each time I have ridden just to make sure it wasn't a fluke and it still works!! thank you! its exciting we might be able to do a SJ course without going into trot now!!! I didn't have the already trained horse either!!

Great!  Yes, it is especially helpful with flying changes -- about a year ago or so I was having problems getting them on another horse and asked a very experienced trainer at the barn there and she said the same thing -- balance and ask with outside rein and he'll switch -- and he did!

Also, very well explained by the poster who described it as "influencing the strike-off leg" -- that's what I was trying to say only I couldn't do it as effectively!  ;-)