Strides for Success

Tag: Horseback Riding

  • How to Use Your Leg While Riding

    How to Use Your Leg While Riding

    .How to use your legs while riding

    Do you find yourself a tad confused as to what exactly to do with your legs while you ride?  Do you find that even if you know what to do, degree of pressure to use or how often to apply the aid is confusing you?

    You are hearing terms such as ‘Keep your leg on’, ‘use your leg’, ‘more leg’, ‘leg’, ‘soften your leg’, ‘support with your leg’, ‘back up your leg’… leg, leg, leg!!!  You find yourself thinking back to the days when you were just happy keeping one either side of your horse!

    [smart_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/SFA416-What-to-do-with-Your-Legs-While-Riding.mp3″ title=”What to Do With Your Legs While Riding” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”Confused about leg aids in the saddle? This will clear things up…” hashtag=”equestrian #deadtotheleg #horseriding” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    Knowing how to apply your leg, when to apply your leg and with what pressure and regularity is something that takes lots of practice.  It falls under the ‘feel’ category of horsemanship and riding skills.  However, you can begin to improve your use of your leg right now with a few simple steps.

    Why Your Leg Aids are So Important in Riding

    You leg is one of the riding aids you use to communicate with your horse.  It is used to influence your horses forward and sideways movement.  It also has a regulating influence when necessary. Couple this with being essential for bending your horse, as well as helping to contain your horse.

    Your leg will always be present on your horses sides while you ride.  It should never be absent or, for whatever reason, taken away.  This is often the aspect of the leg aid that confuses many riders; they initially only see the leg as a driving aid.

    Before we begin, it is necessary to understand that in order to use your leg correctly, you need to have developed an independent seat while you are riding.  Using your legs to balance or grip will make it impossible for you to use them to direct and ask questions of your horse.

    It is also important to realize that consistency is key to mastering the leg aids, for both you and your horse.

    If you wish to better your skills in the saddle, committing to being mindful and present as much as possible while you ride. This is particularly true when it comes to how, when and why you are using your legs.

    How Your Overall Position will Affect Your Leg Effectiveness

    The first aspect of beginning to use your legs as effectively as possible begins with ensuring you have a correct position in the saddle.  Many times an ineffective or ‘hokey pokey’ leg is caused by a faulty seat.  Make sure you are sitting on your seat-bones.  This will allow your legs to ‘fall’ down your horses sides.

    You ideally want to establish the first of the two all important ‘lines’ of riding; the head, shoulder, hip to heel.  What is important to point out here is that your hip is not your backside!!

    Another way to think of this line and really know if it is true and correct is to imagine that if we could click our fingers and ‘abbrakedabra’ our horse away, you should technically land on your feet; not your backside and not on your face… Your feet should be underneath you at all times in the saddle!

    Learning to ‘Drape’ Your Legs Around Your Horse

    Once you have established what is right for you, don’t squeeze or tense your legs to keep them in position, this will happen naturally if your seat is correct and your hips and pelvis is open and relaxed.

    Keep in mind that how your legs ‘fall’ depends a great deal on how you are actually put together!

    In fact, the fall of your leg will depend on many different factors, the most obvious being both you and your horses conformation as well as the saddle etc.  Sometimes taking a few photos of yourself in the saddle from the side and behind can help you establish if your position is indeed correct to the best of the situation.

    Different Situations results in Different Applications

    Next thing to begin thinking about is the type of leg aid necessary for a given situation, and the degree to which it should be used.  This depends a lot on the horse himself and the type of questions you are intending to ask with your legs.

    Generally speaking, hotter horses respond better to a consistent pressure.  Laid back, docile horses prefer to be asked and then the aid taken away.  This action can then be repeated as much as necessary to achieve the desired result.  

    One of the biggest problems faced by many riders is that both these applications of the aids almost seems to appear counter-intuitive when they initially begin working with a horse that may be similar to either of the two I just mentioned.

    A ‘Hot’ Horse Versus a ‘Laid Back’ Horse

    A hot or sensitive horse almost invites us to keep our leg off, training the rider to just apply a mere hint of an aid when they feel it is absolutely necessary…  Frustratingly, this will just compound the problem and condition the horse even more that the leg is something which they must run away from.

    Strangely these same sensitive horses actually respond much better to a steady consistent pressure or contact from the leg, rather than short bursts of an aid here and there…

    Similarly, the same is true for the more laid back horses of the world.  The rider feels like they must give continuous, strong leg aids, usually to the tune of squeezing or ‘pumping’.  Unfortunately, this often increases their frustration as their horse ignores them more and more… These types of horses respond better to short, concise directions that are given when needed…

    Like all things worth doing, learning which aid to apply to a particular horse for the best result takes time.  However it is well worth the investment in the long run.

    The Varying Degrees of Pressure

    The third factor to consider when applying your leg aids is the degree of pressure that you use when applying the aid.  Again, this depends on many factors.  These include those we have already spoken about and others.  The feed your horse is receiving, if he is stabled or turned out.  Look at the work he is doing, his fitness levels.

    Even outside factors such as the weather conditions at that time, the riding conditions…  The list is endless and as I mentioned at the beginning, this again falls under the category of developing your feel as a rider.  Luckily, all of these things, you can work on daily and become aware of every time you get into the saddle.

    In fact, only through increasing your mindfulness will you have any lasting success in increasing the effectiveness of your leg aids.

    When it comes to actually applying your leg aids,  we can broadly break the term leg aids down into three different and distinct categories.  It is important to keep in mind that within these three categories, the aids can be further divided up based on degrees of pressure and regularity of occurrence.

    Your Driving Leg Aid

    The first is the driving aid.  Terms to describe this particular aid can often be heard resounding around arenas, ringing in the ears of exhausted riders.  Exasperated instructors and trainers can be seen, turning red in the face and heard roaring “Put Your Leg On!!” or “Give Him Some Leg!!”.  Sometimes, a short, repetitive and quite often effective ‘LEG!!” will do the trick.

    What the instructor or trainer is trying to say is ‘Use your leg to create initial energy in your horse’… Hmmm, come again?!

    I suggest thinking of your driving leg as turning the ignition or key in your car, or just switching on the vacuum cleaner. You ask and it responds without having to be continuously pushed in or turned.  When your horse is truly listening to your aids, this will also happen when you apply this aid.

    I recommend  that you imagine your legs are going to wrap underneath your horses tummy and pick him up.  Try lengthening your leg and then imagine that using your calves, you are going to lift his barrel up underneath you.  Of course, if you do really imagine doing this, your seat and core will also begin to respond in the correct way to ask for the forward movement.

    Your Maintenance Leg Aid

    The second use of the leg aid is a more maintenance aid.  Once your horse is going forward, this will be used to keep him doing so in the way you desire.  This is often expressed as ‘Keep Your Leg On’ or ‘Hold Him with Your Leg’.

    There is confusion surrounding this application of the leg aid.  Many riders turn purple in the face from the physical exertion of squeezing continuously while riding… Which of course is not what this means at all!

    If you can think of your legs as being the barriers on the side of the road.  Except instead of keeping your horses direction on the straight and narrow (which of course your legs help to do) rather, for this aid, think of keeping the energy being created focused where you want it go.

    Its like when you use the accelerator pedal in your car to go faster (your driving aid).  Once you have reached your desired speed you lighten the pressure.  This is while still keeping your foot on the pedal.  You are now maintaining that speed (keeping your leg on).

    Your Relaxed ‘Leg Off’ Leg Aid

    The final term and leg aid that often confuses riders is the ‘Relax Your Leg’ or ‘Take Your Leg Off’.  Again, this does not literally mean what it says.  In fact, trying to lift your legs off your horses sides for any length of time will quickly tire you out! This often results in twisting your upper body to compensate.

    Rather this means that, given the situation, think of softening your leg in order to achieve a particular outcome  

    For example, often relaxing your outside leg while leg yielding will allow your horse to actually move to the outside.  It creates a ‘door’ of sorts for him to move through.  Again, the use of this aid depends a lot on the situation and circumstances of it being applied.

    Becoming more mindful as to how you use your legs involves paying attention to the reaction you receive from your horse.  Keep in mind that only through consistent correct practice will you eventually achieve a ‘better’ leg.  This will lead to having almost invisible conversations with your horse.  Quiet and soft, with the result you desire.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    You can purchase the audio trainings on this topic HERE

    Links to related content & freebies:-

  • Simplifying the Shoulder In

    Simplifying the Shoulder In

    [fusebox_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/SFA411-Simplifying-the-Shoulder-In.mp3″ title=”Simplifying the Shoulder In” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” ]

    Does the thoughts of riding shoulder in leave you feeling less than confident in your riding abilities?  Are you a little unsure about the angle, the bend, and the degree of collection required in order to successfully ride the movement?

    Shoulder in is super for encouraging suppleness and collection in your horse. However, if ridden incorrectly, things can quickly begin going the opposite way of your desired results…

    Shoulder in is a great movement to begin really flexing and strenghtening your horse.  However, for many riders it seems far too complicated to even consider riding.

    What is Shoulder In?

    Shoulder in is a lateral movement and when ridden correctly, will entail your horse bending around your inside leg. The shoulders will be at an approximately 30-degree angle to the side of the track or arena. With the shoulders in, you will then ask your horse to move forward on the line, moving away from the direction he is bent.

    It is also important to mention that the bend should be consistent from head to tail, not broken or over-bent in places.

    Simplifying the Half Halt

    3 Tracks, not 2 or 4…

    Normally when we ride our horses forward, we do so on 2 tracks; namely made of the inside hind leg following the inside fore and then the outside hind following the outside fore.

    However, for shoulder in, you will ask your horse to shift his shoulders more to the inside, off the track, which will result in your horse travelling on three tracks.

    Track number 1 will be the outside hind leg. The second track, number 2 or the middle track, being made up of the inside hind following the outside foreleg.  And finally, the inside foreleg on its own separate track, creating track number 3.

    Suppleness & Crossing Legs

    As your horse performs shoulder in, his inside legs will cross over and in front of the outside legs. This will be more apparent with the front legs, rather than the back legs.

    Also, as your horse becomes stronger and more developed and balanced, he will become lighter in front. This will lead to a more expressive movement through the shoulders while performing the shoulder in.

    Before Working on Shoulder In

    Before starting out teaching your horse the shoulder in, it is worth noting that he should have a good understanding of leg yielding. He should also have started showing some collection in the gait.  Additionally, the ability to make small adjustments to his stride while consistently maintaining the rhythm, tempo, forward energy, and balance throughout will help.

    The leg yielding is important for a few reasons. The most notable being that he understands the forward and sideways movement. This while remaining straight through the leg yield.  

    The straightness is important because it is this same straightness that will allow him to keep his hindquarters on the track while shifting his front end off the track and bending around your inside leg.

    Preparing for the Movement

    The quality of the shoulder in depends on the quality of the gait leading up to it… Preparation is key to a good shoulder in!

    I suggest introducing the shoulder in, for both you and your horse, in the walk.  This will allow both of you the necessary time to ‘figure’ things out in both your minds. It also, more importantly, gives you time to figure out how to move your bodies accordingly.  Often riders try to rush the shoulder in and this often leads to the horse remaining straight through their back and over bent through the neck.

    Shoulder in is only really shoulder in if the actual shoulders move in off the track!

    The Angle of the Shoulder In

    Before we go any further, I think we should look at the angle of the shoulder in.  What the angle means, is that of your horse’s shoulders to the original track you were riding on.

    Often riders try for too great an angle than the 30° that is required.  If the angle is too great, your horse will not be able to perform the movement.

    Simplifying the Shoulder In

    To help visualize 30° I suggest bending your elbows and putting your hands out in front of you, palms facing each other, about hip-width apart (like a robot!).  Pivot your upper body around 90° from your hips, so your arms are essentially creating a right angle to the line your hips are on and where you were originally facing.

    Now, once there, think about it like this… If this is 90°, let’s now move your hands back to 45°…  So estimate halfway and move your hands and shoulders there…

    Now, 30° is actually only 2/3 of the way to 45°… so once again, do a little estimation of what a third of the way would look like, and again adjust your hands and arms to there… And voila; the angle is not as severe as most riders first imagined it to be!

    It can also help to get out a trusty protractor and, using the straight side as the track, look at where 30° actually is…  Again, it is not 45°!

    Start on a Circle in Walk

    To actually ride your first shoulder in, I recommend starting walking a 10m circle in the corner. As you complete the circle, begin to ride the long side of your arena while asking for shoulder in.  Notice the bend in your horse and as you move down the track, focus on keeping the hindquarters on the original track where they should be, but the shoulders ‘in off the track’ at about a 30-degree angle.

    Ride this for 3 or 4 strides and then, to finish or ride out of the shoulder in, rather begin another circle where you are than try to place your horses shoulders back on the track.  This is easier for your horse to achieve and feels like a more natural conclusion when first learning about the shoulder in.

    Your Circle is a Tool…

    Use your 10m circle to begin your preparations.  Notice your position while on the circle and make any adjustments to correct it.  Pay particular attention to your shoulders and upper body. It is often tempting to ‘lean in’, which inevitably pushes your hips and seat to the outside of the saddle.   Use your half halt on the circle to balance your horse. And, also, tell him that something is about to happen…

    Use the natural bend created by riding on the circle to help place your horse in the correct position as you come off the circle and begin to move down the track.  The half halt will help keep you both balanced and, depending on your horse, you can ask for a degree of collection in the gait.

    As your horse takes the first step of shoulder in, pay attention again to your upper body.  Your shoulders must be kept in line with your horse’s shoulders. Also, take care to carry yourself and your upper body. This will, in turn, allow your horse’s front end to lighten a little as the weight is transferred onto the inside hind leg as it comes underneath him.

    Your Aids Through Shoulder In

    Although you should look where you are going, I suggest rather keeping your head in line with you and your horse’s shoulders. Look through the ears, rather than glancing out the corner of your eye down the school at the track.  The reason is that when riders first begin riding shoulder in, they tend to turn their shoulders to keep in line with their head…  Which, in the case of looking down the track of the arena, will lead to you shifting your weight incorrectly in the saddle.

    Your inside leg is what the horse is ‘bent’ around. It is used to keep creating the forward energy and the sideways movement happening underneath you.  

    It is your outside leg that controls your horse’s hindquarters and prevents them from swinging out, which is a common fault in shoulder in.

    Your outside leg also helps to keep the horse moving forward and keep the outside hind leg moving underneath the horse. This, in turn, will encourage better use of the inside hind leg, allowing the horse to lighten more in front and free up the shoulders for better movement.

    Your outside hand supports the outside leg and controls the degree of bend, It also helps regulate the rhythm and also controls the horse not to continue on with the ‘circle’ or become over bent.  Your inside hand asks for the flexion, however must remain soft and giving throughout the movement.

    It is up to you, the rider, to find and then maintain a balance between both hand and leg aids in order to maintain a consistent bend and angle throughout the movement.

    Trouble-Shooting Your Shoulder In

    The shoulder in can go wrong in many different ways…  Your horse may over-bend through the neck while keeping his back straight.  This is often caused by too much inside hand on the rider’s part and must not be mistaken for a correct shoulder in.

    Another way too much inside hand shows up is in the rider crossing their hand over the horse’s neck, from inside to outside… Your inside is your inside, your outside is your outside!!

    Riders can also become overly tense while trying to ride the movement. This causes them to ‘pinch’ their thighs and close their pelvis.  Which generally results in the rider getting ahead of the movement, slouching through their upper body, and being unable to correctly use their aids.  Particularly legs to maintain the forward energy.

    All too often, lack of preparation will result in too fast a tempo or lack of rhythm in the movement. This causes the horse to become heavy on the forehand and become unable to use their shoulders correctly.

    Developing Your Shoulder In

    Later, as you become more skilled at asking the correct questions at the correct times and your horse becomes more skilled at actually carrying out the movement, you can begin to ask for shoulder in down the centerline or across the diagonal.  However, initially, I strongly suggest you use the track on the arena. This will help you to gauge where the hindquarters must remain and the angle of the shoulders.

    Shoulder in can be performed in walk, trot and later, canter.  As your horse develops greater strength and balance, he will become more able to transfer his weight from the front end to the back-end.  

    It is also important to note that the angle of the shoulder in may vary slightly depending on the horse and the level of training and suppleness. However, all should be equal on both reins.  Any resistance on either rein should be noted and worked on overtime.

    Shoulder in often initially seems like a daunting task. However, if you approach it correctly, in a well prepared, patient, and relaxed manner, once your horse can begin to perform the movement, it will open many more doors. And, it will pave the way to further lateral movements and greater strength and suppleness throughout his body.

    Happy Riding

    Lorna

    Related posts, episodes, and freebies you may enjoy:-

  • Trotting Without Running

    Trotting Without Running

     

    Do you find that when you ask your horse for a more expressive trot, he just seems to begin running onto his forehand with you, becoming heavier and heavier with each stride? You’re not alone!

    Many riders set out looking to achieve an active, working trot… But due to lots of different factors, this can end up just ‘running’ around the arena. The horse resembling an arrow of sorts!

    The front end getting lower and lower with each passing stride, while the back end is getting completely left behind!

    Unfortunately, what usually happens next is the one thing that exasperates this ‘effect’ even further and that is hauling on the reins; dropping an anchor if you will.

    The reason this just makes the whole situation worse is by doing this, you and your horse begin to engage in a ‘tug of war’ of sorts. And, quite frankly, being involved in such a game with a 600 kg animal is an exhausting endeavor!

    Trotting Without Running | Audio Horse Riding Lessons

     

    Speed Versus Impulsion

    Often, as riders, we can confuse speed with impulsion…  We think that by asking for the trot to go 100 mph around the arena, we are really working our horses… Pushing forward with each passing stride.  The truth however is that while we may be creating energy, we are letting it all ‘fall’ out the front end of our horse, never contained and put to use in any form conductive ‘good’ work.

    The first part of mastering trotting without running is imagining in your mind that your horse’s back end is coming more and more underneath him… While his front end is becoming slightly higher and more elevated, as well as light in your hand.

    This is the picture you should work towards continually as you ride.  What is important to remember with this picture, is the ‘lightness in the hand’ part.  This cannot be achieved by hauling on the reins in the eternal tug of war.

    I challenge you to not only change how you think of working trot but also what you are physically doing with your body to ask your horse to begin using himself more.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Links to Help You:-

  • The Trot to Canter Transition

    The Trot to Canter Transition

    [smart_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/SFA296-The-Trot-To-Canter-Transition.mp3″ title=”The Trot to Canter Transition” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”A better trot to canter transition with your horse” hashtag=”horseriding #transitions” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    Do you manage to perform a ‘clean’ trot to canter transition every time?  This transition is often one of the most difficult to maintain balance and rhythm.  And this is true for both horse and rider.

    The potential for your horse to run into the canter, instead of actually ‘striking’ the canter when asked is quite high.

    In this episode of the Daily Strides Podcast, we cover an exercise that will help you become more clear with giving your horse the aids to canter.  It will also help to place your horse into a situation where he can transition from trot to canter more easily.

    Trot to Canter Transition

    Perfect this Transition?

    I want you to begin by riding a 20-meter circle, paying close attention to the quality of your trot.  Make sure you have a nice, active working trot; your horse moving forward from your leg.

    As you are trotting, notice how responsive your horse is to your aids…

    Are you having to ask two or three times for a specific movement or response? Use the initial trot on the circle to secure your horse’s undivided attention.  And to develop his willingness to do as you ask.

    Riding a Smaller Circle

    Once you have the trot moving forward as you want it, begin gradually leg yielding on to a smaller circle.  I say slowly, as I would like you to do this over a few rotations of the circle.  Continue to decrease the size until you are eventually riding an approximately 12m circle.

    Again, spend some time here re-balancing and establishing an active trot.  Pay close attention to your position.  Don’t lean or tip forward onto your horses neck. I also want you to be mindful of your aids.  Are your legs where they should be?  Are you asking the right questions?

    Trot to Canter Transition

    After 3 to 4 circuits of the smaller circle, you can begin leg yielding back out to your original bigger circle.  This is where you will ask for the trot to canter transition.  It is an ideal place to ask as firstly your horse is naturally flexed correctly.  And secondly, you are using a strong inside leg, riding into your outside rein, which you will use to balance the actual transition and the canter itself.

    As you near the ‘outside’ circle again, I want you to have a quick check of your position and after half halting your horse, you can ask for the canter.

    If your horse ‘runs’, bring him back, re-balance the trot, and then try again.  If your horse transitions into the canter, but then breaks back to trot after only two or three strides, you know that your inside leg is not being used effectively.

    You can continue this exercise a few times, paying attention to what you are asking, how you are asking and how your horse responds.  From there, you can try the trot to canter transition on the circle alone and see how you get on.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources To Help Equestrians:-