What is the correct lead?

Question

ok well this question may sound very stupid so please skip the 'omg your stupid' but could someone tell me the correct lead to pick up when cantering a horse, and how to tell if your on the correct lead or not? and possibly include a video of it. thanks!

Answer 1

To start the leading leg is the one that is the first to reach infont of the horse: (the right leg is leading in this picture and at the beginning of the video)

Pic - http://www.dkimages.com/discover/preview...

Video - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WDuJS1VeRe...

To be one the correct lead the leg toward the center of the ring must be the leading leg:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JwAiCLTcVF...

This horse is on the correct lead becuase it is tracking right and its right leg is leading.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=q1RiVNbxA4...

This horse is on the incorrect lead because he is tracking right and his left leg is leading.

To tell what lead you are on simply look at the shoulders. One will move forward slightly before the other. It might tak a moment to see but once you know what to look for you can see it in just a glance (or feel it).

There are lots of ways to do flying changes. My personal preferance is to canter into the coner and as I change the bend I stretch down to the outside and open my inside rein.

Hope this helps! If you have any other questions feel free to e-mail me ([e-mail]) And I dont think it is a stupid question

Answer 2

I think Katie pretty much said it all.

when i ask for my flying lead changes, i make sure my horse has a collected canter, and basically just ask for the new lead just like you would from the walk/trot, only you're already at the canter. so if you have a left lead canter, ask your horse for a slight bend to the right, and put your new outside leg(left)just behind the girth, and ask for the right lead. sorry if i made that sound complicated.