Flying lead changes.....

[Elaine]

Found on the internet.........

To achieve a flying change is all about timing. First you need to know the footfalls of the canter: outside hind, inside hind and outside front, inside front.

You then need to think about your seat, keeping your position as you pick up counter canter will help you to become aware of your seat.

Come across the long diagonal in counter canter, simply change your seat to the opposite canter when the hind leg is coming under you and hey presto . . . It may take a little practise.

When you are going across the diagonal, as you get to the center of the ring, your outside leg becomes your inside leg. Use this leg to push your horse over, as if you are leg yielding them over, and create a very slight bend towards the new inside. When you have your horse mostly straight through the body, with just a teeny weeny bend, slightly step out with your new outside leg, and kick, almost like you are asking for them to pick up canter on that lead.

The two most important things are having a nice forward canter, and keeping your horse straight. Too much inside bend will get them to change in front, but they must be straight to get the back. I would experiment with stright versus slight inside bend.

Importantly you must be soft enough through your body to allow for the change and you must give the small brained horse time to work out just what you are asking.

[hobbidance]

Another helpful thing if your horse isn't picking up on your change in seat is to introduce halting and half-halts.

First of you need to be able to get the horse to lead on the correct leg (left or right whichever one you ask) from halt on a straight line. Flying changes require some collection, training your horse from halt to canter gives the required amount of collection. Try do this away from the arena wall as it some times encourages horses to pick up the leg they would normally use on that side. When he can lead off on the correct leg everytime.
Introduce it on your diagnol changes across the arena. When you want a change go from canter - half halt (make sure it's a proper half halt as this will be the signal to start off with)- halt for only a moment - lead off on the opposite leg.
When you horse gets good at this remove the halt and ask him to change from a half- halt (the half halt gives you more collection and is a signal that you're about to ask him to do something else) evetually you will be able to ask him for a change without the need for a half-halt.

Flying changes are easy for horses all it takes is them to understand what you mean when you ask them.

Also make sure everything Elaine says above is also followed, it will make it so much easier, a good seat, being able to change that seat, a forward thinking horse and straightness are they keys to alot of things.

After some years of practice it might even get to look like this:
www.dressage.to/video_pages/olympicferro2_html