Side passing and the lead change

It has really helped my lead change program to become a religious side passer. I Side pass around the entire arena both ways and then back and forth. Nancy Cahill told me if you sidepass one way and then can boot them right back the other way with no resistance - both ways -then they are ready to ask to change.

When I side pass- after they have somewhat of a foundation of sidepassing I dont dilly dally. I ask them to move and if they dont I go to rolling my spur up their side, (not a sharp spur) where my foot hangs or a little bit back. - If they dont hustle I roll my spur but if they try I lay off- the more you do it, day in and day out the better they become and the faster they go and the more responsive to the leg they become. You have to do it until it becomes second nature to them. Every day both ways, around the entire arena. It doesnt have to be exactly perfect but I like them to be fairly straight and perpendicular to the wall but I let them find their way and if the hip lags behind I bring it back- the more often you bring the hip back in line with the shoulders which usually tend to want to lead the handier they get with their hip - but you have to have some hip control on them to begin with.

Then when you have some fresh side-pass action on them its amazing how much better they change leads. But they have to get real handy at it, day in and day out. They will get to where they really hustle and do it at a trot, just from the daily repetition. Its the best way I've found to work on the lead change without changing leads. I learned it from Bob Avila at a clinic I went to years and years ago. Never really implemented it until recently, whish I would have done this earlier, would have saved me lots of work and trouble in the lead change department.