Lead Changes Made Easy with Jonathan Field

This is a preview from Riding DVD 3, "Lead Changes Made Easy"
Using three horses, all at different stages in their development, Jonathan thoroughly explains the components that make up lead changes. He gives you a clear step-by-step process to go achieve clean and consistent lead departures, simple drop-to-the-trot lead changes, and ultimately, the flying lead changes.

[@MeganSaysRawr]

I absolutely love how you ride not only Western, but English as well. You have clear directions that make sense to the rider.

[@maravetgirl]

OMG I almost died when I saw him come out in the dressage saddle. A versatile trainer is hard to find and I love his method!!!

[@sharonvicky1]

I got a flying lead change today because of this video! Thank you! I've always done simple lead changes cause I just could figure it out. The way you broke it down worked the first time for us today.

[@hannahbeyers5454]

I struggle with lead changes in general and my horse love her right lead and wont change, this helped a lot I managed to change her lead for the frist time. I'm watching this in 2022 lol

[@ValCronin]

Oh wow your voice is a joy to listen to. I am here watching horse videos (completely unknowlegable on the subject) because I was scouring the internet to see if you can do a lead-change (or just a stutter-step or whatever) while a horse is WALKING. during walking there isn't technically a 'lead' foot so that's why I modified it to just changing the sequence/order of whichever foot is supposed to be next. Nowhere on the internet does anyone speak about doing this while a horse is walking. Is it impossible? You'd think somewhere it would at least say that if that's the case. I am curious what it would look like. 👍

[@justmew8ting]

I would love to see this in slow motion.

[@Lordsangels03]

haha i wish my horse would listen to this he doesn't lead change unless u collect him and then squeeze but u have to have a firm hand or it won't work this guys amazing

[@equestrianoutdoors3972]

Does anyone know an estimate to how much an indoor arena might cost?

[@abigailstanley8455]

I prefer western riding, but English is certainly an art as well. I would also like to take this moment to commend all English riders, because I feel like I would fall off of that tiny English saddle hahaha

[@UnicornFilms2001]

+Abi Johnson It's actually not much different from a Western saddle. I have a Western saddle that I sort of just inherited from an old friend when she moved, even though I'm an English rider. I prefer to use that on the hilly trails we have because it just grips my horse better, but I ride English and am a hunter/jumper. A Western saddle doesn't really give you any added support, you're doing that on your own. The saddle is designed the way it is for practicality--most Western sports require you to be able to sit deep on your horse and not pop out of the saddle, hence a little more added material to brace your legs, and you need something with a little weight when you want to do Western sports (I can guarantee that reining, roping, and barrels to name a few couldn't be done in an English saddle because it's just too light). However, you don't actually rely that much on the saddle to hold you up. The same is true of an English saddle. English sports are mainly about being light, having your horse come off the ground metaphorically in dressage or literally in jumping. A big saddle would impede their movements, so you want something small that you can sit into if you really need to, but it easy to pop up out of for a jump or to hold yourself up in for a passage or half pass or something in dressage. In both sports, you're really doing all of the support work yourself, the saddle is just there as a backup.

[@abigailstanley8455]

Cool! I actually have ridden for like a minute or two on an English saddle since I commented last, and it was really cool!

[@Alexa-gs7gp]

Abi Johnson haha i rode western for a whole then i switched to english you should give it a try

[@33CHRISTINA33]

Hi Jonathan, I bought this DVD and it was so helpful! I have a question for you. I’m teaching my horse lead changes and going from a right lead to a left lead my horse changes beautifully. But going from a left lead to a right lead she gets really upset and will buck intensely and get the change a stride or two after I ask. She anticipates the change coming this direction, will stick her head in the air, her rhythm becomes choppy and she gets so upset about the change going from left to right. I have gentle hands, don’t dig in with my spur and my mindset about it is positive and I’m happy she’s getting the change even though it’s stressful looking right now. Someone suggested I use a whip the moment she bucks but I don’t want to punish her because she does get the change. I can confidently ride through the bucking but it’s unpleasant and dangerous too. Any suggestions for a horse with one direction of change that is really difficult for them?

[@HerbMoore3]

I have a mare that will only roundpen on the left lead (counterclockwise), and she gets all defiant and out of sorts when I eventially get her to go the other way for a moment. I've heard some people say that some horses strongly favor one lead over the other but I don't know why and I'm not sure how to "fix" that without creating more problems. 🤔

[@493justinlover]

hes hella good

[@l.horseman5704]

You were riding white faced paint first in just a rope halter. Then you switched to a paint with a star on its face. Did you step up to a horse that has got the queues down pat.

[@tanakk9]

Wish I had the room to move as much as he can, but every big place I can ride has a firepit slap in the middle XD I need to find a riding arena!

[@hannahloesch1688]

you definitely know what you are doing, however.... heels down

[@dawnhelpinghorses799]

Hannah-heels down are not always the key to riding-especially if you think it is-you must ride unbalanced most of the time. Honestly, us western folk know how to ride.

[@sarahbarham8592]

His heels actually look fine. No, they're not jammed down like an English hunter/jumper (yes, I know they're not supposed to literally jam their heels down; it was just a turn of phrase), but they are slightly below the level of his toe. Heels down is not always the best position to ride in anyway. Depending on your discipline you may not want your heels down at all. Heels down is probably the most appropriate for jumpers, as it provides a solid anchor for maintaining balance in midair and upon landing. But for dressage riders, it's pretty much the opposite. They actually want to think toes down, so that their leg is relaxed and can absorb all the motion of the horse. Since all this guy is doing is flat-work and he seems really well-balanced, there's no reason for his heels to be down any more than they already are.

[@CristalcatXP]

My trainer won't teach her students how to do this.. she won't teach me how to lunge a horse either.. :c

[@hannahloesch1688]

dump your trainer.. she may be a nice person, but she doesnt want to be surpassed by her students as far as riding ability goes.... you deserve better than that, whoever you are

[@tanakk9]

I agree with Hannah here, toxic trainers will get you no where. Plus you should know how to lunge a horse anyway, I learned that before I ever rode my first horse. You need to lunge to gain respect on ground from your personal horse, or you'll get no where.You can also teach a horse many things through lunging, as well as get personal space respect from it.

[@CristalcatXP]

tanakk9 I know :( I'm looking for another person to teach me at the moment, but it's hard to leave her because we're kind of close now.