Changing Legs

[nighthorse]

Maybe an odd question, but one that needs answering by a jockey, or maybe a trainer.

Today, watching Kack-Handed skip round Fontwell, I noticed his excellent flying changes of leg as he came into the curves, and again out of them. He obviously preferred the off leg on the straight bits but his changes to the near leg for the bends were so neat and clever, particularly at such speed. Impressive!

So, my question. Is it possible, given jockeys’ riding positions, to instruct a horse to change legs? And if so, how do they do it? (given that flying changes are normally something you see at a collected canter in the dressage ring, and achieved with legs far down the horse’s side.)

Or do riders have to hope that a horse will be clever enough to do it on its own to balance itself on bends? How could you teach a horse to do that when you are crouched over its withers?

[andyod]

Most horses naturally lead with the correct leg going round the bend. Many change leads in the stretch when tired to get extra momentum.Like humans swithing a load from one hand to another. I understand that the jockey can ask for a change by urging on the lead he wants.Sometimes the horse responds sometimes he does not.If a jockey has "good hands" he can convey much to a horse.I heard a jockey say once that he would rather have another hand than a whip.Since I have never ridden a horse this is all academic so please correct me where necessary.

[The Vintner]

Most horses will naturally change leads around turns, to the inside lead. It’s just easier. Then when they tire in the straight the will switch again. About the only way a jockey can ask for a lead change is by shifting his weight and throwing the horse off balance and into the other lead. If a horse isn’t changing leads, esp on a turn, then it’s more than likely carrying an underlying injury, though young horses can certainly be unbalanced.
Arazi’s impressive win in the BC Juvenile back in ’91 was all the more impressive considering he didn’t switch leads in the home stretch, see for yourself…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNZn919v6BU

[cjboy]

Just watch some dressage and you will see that the rider has total control of which leg the horse is on. They can ask them to change every stride to get a skipping effect.

Whilst jockeys don’t have the contact that a dressage rider does a good horseman will get his horse on the correct leg for the bends.

In fact horses that are repeatedly on the "wrong" leg round the bends are sometimes telling you they are uncomfortable in some way.

[jinnyj]

In the US, horses are taught from a very early age to change legs (or leads). When I worked in Maryland breaking in yearlings I think we taught them the second week we were riding them. To do this you shift your weight coming into a bend and off-balance them. At the same time you lift your hand. When you come out of the bend you ask the horse to change back. Horses will pick this up quite quickly and only the slightest hand movement is needed.

Changing legs is far more important in the US as they are both trained and run on tight tracks so you need to allow both limbs to take the strain. A horse can gain vablouable ground "switching leads" as they come out of the last bend into the home straight. If it doesn’t switch then there may well be an underlying problem.

In this country, trainers don’t pay much attention to this although most horses will change to the inside leg around a bend as it is more comfortable and easier to balance. For me, I think plenty of horses would improve for being taught to change legs when asked especially on tricky courses like Epsom, Brighton or Goodwood even.

[Miss Woodford]

Some horses are trained to do "automatic" lead changes where they naturally do so into the stretch (or, more likely, when going around a jumps course). Refusing to switch leads is often a sign of lameness. It’s odd to me that flying changes are so out of the ordinary in the UK.

[Author]

Posts