Training flying changes can be difficult, so I broke down some essentials to help you out.
Prerequisites of the Flying Change:
-Good quality canter with three beats
-You can ride the counter canter
-You have stride adjustability in the canter
Exercise #1 Quarter line simple change to the counter canter.
-Come down the quarter line in canter
-Prepare and do a transition to walk
-Organize, ask for the counter canter
-Then before the short side, while still on the quarter line. Do another simple change.
Think about the flying change as being a simple change without the walk steps. The walk to canter aid is the same aid as the flying change aid.
So for exercise #2, do the same quarter line exercise as #1, but instead, ask for the flying change instead of the simple change.
You need to make sure that your leg positions stay clear throughout the exercises. If you find your horse struggling, you can go back and add in a few of the simple changes to help your horse understand the idea.
Happy Riding!
