Question # 317: My mare ALWAYS lands on the right lead after a jump...

...Sometimes I can get the left lead if I am trying really hard but in a show environment I can't get it. She does not know how to do flying changes yet. It does not seem to help that she is quite balanced counter cantering on the right lead so she has little incentive to switch. Do you have suggestions of exercises we can do to practice getting the left lead and suggestions on how to go about teaching her flying changes? (Or should I worry about that? She's currently competing at novice but we're getting ready to move up to training). Thanks in advance! (Kayla)


Hi Kayla!

When a horse always lands from jumps on one canter lead they are showing you that they are using one hind leg more strongly than the other when they push off over the jump. Think about a car with one tire that is low on air. The car will tend to lean and pull one direction, no matter what you do as a driver, until you can make the tires even (straightness.) 

There are several different possible causes for a horse to push off unevenly behind when jumping... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)