Perfecting the Lope

Champion Western Horseman Bob Avila on How to Train a Horse to Counter-Canter and Change Leads While Loping

Get Control of Your Horse’s Body with the Counter-Canter and Flying Lead Change

Proper flying lead changes are one of the most advanced skills for Western horses. Learn how to top trainer Bob Avila teaches a horse to change leads in our FREE guide, Perfecting the Lope.

Briefly, horse trainer and horseman extraordinaire Bob Avila considered racecars over horses.

But when your dad is Don Avila, a former rodeo cowboy and in-demand horse trainer for anyone showing horses in the 1960s or 1970s on the West coast, well, the call of horse training is too hard to resist.

And that’s lucky for the horse world and all those who learned how to train a horse from him. Bob Avila, who was named the American Quarter Horse Association Horseman of the Year in 1996, has forged his own stellar reputation, earning more than 30 championships and reserve AQHA titles. In 2006, Bob Avila took both first and second at the Magnificent 7 competition at the Western States Horse expo, which features seven of the world’s most skilled horsemen.

If you want to perfect your lope, download our guide HERE

What did you think of this article?

Thank you for your feedback!