Hi!  Newbie here....

 I have a 5 yo OTTB who has been off racing for about a year now.  Super nice guy, pretty easy going, fairly light to the aids, no lameness issues, etc., etc., etc.  I've been riding for about 5 years now, so I'm a pretty solid intermediate rider.

My trainer and I are working towards Hunters (more likely focusing on Equitation and Medals) and taking things nice and slow, but I am having a bit of a problem, and I'm not sure if I should blame my trainer or my horse.

My horse doesn't do flying lead changes yet - ok, a couple of times he did it by accident going right to left, his preferred lead.  My trainer says she has been working with him and she feels he is not ever going to be able to do them.  Is this possible?  IMHO lead changes are a natural occurance for horses and they simply need to be taught the cues of when and where to execute them, of course considering they are in good form, etc. 

I've ridden everywhere, owned some and ridden a lot of school horses.  I've never met ANY horse who was unable of doing a flying change.  I know this is a question with a lot of variables involved, mainly level of training, but a properly educated and sound horse is capable of flying changes, right!?!?!?  So, is it my trainer or my horse??? 

Thanks for the advice!

Yes OTTBs can certainly do flying changes. 

 Horses change leads, when being ridden, for two reasons. 1) They are unbalanced and feel that they need to change. or 2) They've been TAUGHT flying changes and can do one when properly cued.  One thing I hate to see is when someone says the horse does "natural" flying changes or auto changes.  Yes, I understand what they mean, they turn their horse in a different direction and he changes leads.  He does that because in order to balance he must change leads.  When a horse becomes unbalanced in the canter you usually get a horse that is strung out and running or one that will break down to the trot or as I just mentioned one that will change leads instead.  Horse CAN and naturally DO change leads as they're running around the field playing.  The "trick" is teaching them to change when you ASK them to.

 Dressage riders and hunters have very different views on when to teach flying changes.  I ride first level dressage and had to do a quick warm-up at a licensed show.  So I cantered a 20m circle to the left, flying change in the middle, and finished the figure 8 with a 20m circle to the right.  I was told "that's not in your test".  Well, whoopee do, I also ride hunters and my horse knows changes.  It was fun first teaching them though, eek!  Now, I have to be so much more correct with my position and aids in counter canter or he'll want to switch.  It's so much easier to just switch then canter in a nice balanced counter canter...but I digress.

At 5, in my opinion your horse is young to be jumping 2'6" or higher and doing medal classes...but that's me and it's not a commonly held opinion so I say to each their own and don't begrudge you that.  (I know of someone who starts 2 yr old over fences DOH!)  But, the point to mentioning that is that your guy may not be in the correct physical condition to be able to do mounted flying changes.  A lot of balance and strength is needed to do a proper flying change.

 Are you attempting to teach him? Or is your trainer?  Or is your trainer teaching you how to teach him the changes?  Are you familiar with how to ask the horse for a change?  Or how to teach flying changes?  Also, somewhat off subject but in line with what you want to do...do you know how to encourage your horse to land on the correct lead so that changes are basically superfluous?

kc, you hit on exactly what I was implying about auto changes.  The horses know that to be balanced they should be on the right lead when cantering right and/or when bent to the right or vice versa to the left.  To me that means that the horse is smart enough (or lazy enough) to know it needs to switch to be comfortable or to make the canter easier. I know this, becuase Peanut is this way.  Yes, I can NOW ask for change and get it and I can ask for counter canter and get it, but it is hard when a horse knows how to do changes to get a countercanter.  For many horses doing a change is easier.  In dressage changes are taught much later than they are in hunters or jumpers (I know nothing about reining and so can't comment.)

So, while I know what people mean when they say auto changes to me it's very similar to "headset" and not something I think one should actually strive for.  (But as you said I guess that's another topic! )

 Oh and very good mention of on the forehand!  While I kept saying balanced I never did mention uphill.  As kc said if the horse is on the forehand getting a change will be very difficult if not impossible. 

 Can your horse do walk - canter and canter - walk transitions?  Can he, on a figure 8, canter a 20m left, walk one stride and then canter a 20m right?  Practice this until it's easy.  Then, place a jump in the center where your walk stride would be encouraging him to pick up the correct lead when he lands.  There's more to build on after that, but it's a good starting place.

Wow, a lot of information here!  Thanks so much to everyone.

I guess I few more notes on me and my experience might have helped narrow down my actual question.  I've been riding hunter/jumpers for over ten years and have owned several OTTB, so maybe I phrased my question a bit more like a novice than I had intended. 

I was specifically looking to see if anyone had come across, in their professional or training career (I'm not talking about back yard ponies, here) a large number of sound, fit, trained horses who are physically unable to do a flying lead change.  I know that I have not.  I've met many who did not like to do them, mainly for balance or ouchiness issues, but none that were not capable.  I simply wanted a loose sort of confirmation that 95% of horses are capable of changes and simply need more training if they are not becoming adept at them.

But you guys gave me a lot good points and I will focus on some of the balance and fitness issues - like counter canter, 20 down to 10 m circles at a balanced canter, as well as focusing on his regualr canter cues, which can sometimes be a bit finicky and obviously will cause problems when asking for a flying.

Again - thanks for all the great input - I've just discovered this sight and plan to stop by regulary!

Melinda

Melinda, I agree with you -- I've encountered a lot of horses and I've never seen a horse who was UNABLE to do a flying change.  Heck, most horses do them in the pasture or on the trail just to stay balanced.  I'm not even sure what would tell you that a horse WILL NEVER BE ABLE to do flying changes.  I'm scratching my head on that one...  A fit, sound 5 year old would be capable of doing them, but I wouldn't expect them from him yet because it does take a lot of muscle and balance to do a correct one.  I'd take your time with him -- I do believe that horse only has so many jumps in him in his life, so if you use them all up at first, he can't keep going as long.

 I've *never* had a horse unable to learn or perform a flying change.  Some horses took a lot of time, but did eventually get them.  It took a lot of conditioning and strength building, but we eventually got them.

I had a seven year old OTTB that was weak physically and was unable to hold a right lead canter when I first got him.  It took an amazing amount of time for him to get comfortable and fit enough to hold that lead.  I was worried that something was wrong with him and that he was never going to get it, but it just took time.  

I found that the "spiral-in, spiral-out" circles worked well with him to build up his strength.  We also did a LOT of lateral work from the ground to help.  It was as if he didn't quite know how to use his body, so these exercises really helped.  It also gave us time to get our cues the same.

It sounds like your guy is not quite physically ready for flying changes, not that he can't or won't.  You've seen that he can do them, so he's capable.  I think he needs a better level of fitness and flexibility and more work on some basics, before trying the changes. 

Good luck! 

I've never met any horse unable to do them either! :P I know all the horses around here do them in the pasture everyday! So, I'm definetly going to say it's both horse and trainer, reading what other people have posted. Trainer should be scolded for saying that. lol

I'm going to have to agree with people on here, that perhaps, although your horse is sound and fit, he may not be physically ready for them yet. It does take a lot of effort (both mental and physical) to get them. My 9y.o Paint is just now learning them, partly because I only recently got him and I don't think he was ever taught the cue. However, he'll do them in the pasture, and occasionally while I'm riding him (did it at the show I had this past weekend, and it threw me off. xD I was like "whoa...lead swap..oh crap! Jump!" lol )

 Just take things slow with lead changes with him for now. If he does it while you ride, praise him so he knows that it's a good thing. :P I'm not sure about other horses, but it may take a few weeks or months to get!

Good luck though, and keep us posted! 

I not a very experienced rider but.....race horses, when racing, go around a track that curves to the left. The people who train these horses work them quite hard and since they are ALWAYS going to the left, they are very strong on that side. Given that your horse has only been off the track for a year I would guess that he is really weak on his right side. I would suggest sessions of lunging on the right lead to build up the strength of that side. But thats just me.