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leg cues, constant or rhythmic

2K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  tinyliny 
#1 ·
I am wondering which is the correct way to cue your horse for movement? When asking to go, speed up, turn or yield....do you keep the pressure on with your leg until you get it, or do you ask with a rhythmic bumping motion until you get the movement?
 
#3 ·
It depends on if you are asking a green horse that currently does not know how to move properly off of the leg or a trained horse that is being asked to do something that it has been taught.

Green horse: Start very softly and almost imperceptibly and gradually build to a stronger aid until the horse finds it too irritating to ignore. Then remove it and give total relief when it moves off of the leg.

Trained horse: Ask very softly with an almost imperceptible aid. If the horse does not respond with the correct response like it has been taught, use leg harshly two or thee times, settle horse back down and then ask very softly again.

This last part is why most amateurs never get really light and responsive horses. They use the first method on trained horses and the horse always requires far more pressure than a trained horse should have to feel. The horse never gets light and the rider does not either. A trained horse with a good rider will respond to those imperceptible aids like when the rider only tightens the upper calf muscle and never moves the lower leg at all. The horse learns to respond to a rein when the rider only slightly tightens the grip of a couple of fingers on the rein sending a slight vibration down it and does not move the hand.
 
#5 ·
I bring leg on to side and bump with calf muscles, and add light heel against side, just laying it there, not "bumping" it at all.

I will increase slightly if I need to, but rarely have to with mine.

Rein used to against neck at same time, but leg is the most of it.

The lighter you can keep you aids when you first ask with them? The lighter your horse will be.
 
#8 ·
:rofl: I'm far too immature to ignore this! In response to your original question, try to think about the timing of the aid. Let's say for example, somebody asked you to jump off the ground right as you were landing from another jump. You couldn't do it because you're still on your way down, right? You want to time your aids according to what's called the engagement phase. If you're trying to ask for canter, but apply the aid when the outside hind is on the ground, the horse cannot respond. There is no point on keeping the aid "on" and asking continuously because the horse can only answer when the leg involved is available. You would have to ask when the outside hind is off the ground and about to come back down. Same with the walk. If you want the inside hind leg to step under more, you can only ask when it's about to land. Take a few minutes each ride to feel where your horse's feet are, which leg is off the ground when. Only then will you be able to properly apply the aids. Hope that makes sense.
 
#10 ·
Think finess instead of bump. If you want more walk, you already know that's a 4 beat gait, so each leg hits the ground at a different time. So if you want more walk, each time a hind leg is about to back down to the ground, that's when you want to finess your horse on that side. If you ride the walk and really concentrate on feeling the horse's movement, you will notice that the belly swings away to the other side to make room for the hind leg on that side to come forward. If you belly is on the left, the right hind is coming forward. So when you feel that belly start to get out of the way, that's when you apply the aid. I guess you could use both legs, but it doesn't make sense to me since you are only asking one leg at a time to do something.
 
#11 ·
Imho the answer is really neither. The leg 'breathes' with the horse, is softly resting over the belly like a wet towel. When the rider then touches with the calf, the horse should move. IF it does not stronger leg merely teaches the horse to ignore the leg until there is more. IF the horse does not move immediately, then it is a whip/bat which backs it up. With a greener horse it can merely be the noise of a bat, the threat of 'ground support' (raising a whip), to a touch of a whip (behind the calf). But whips have an accelerating effect (touch/vibrate quicker or faster/or a twack). Never get lulled into more or stronger, it teaches the opposite of what the rider wants (which is a horse which keeps going unless acted upon).

Or the rider can lift the reins a little (which will cause the horse to CHOOSE forward), or even start to bend the horse. In either case of rein before hand, the leg follows WHEN/after the horse starts to move.

Rhythmic touches are to encourage action of a given hindleg. (ie the belly swings l/r as the legs on one side come together the legs on the other side are apart. By touching with the legs are together, the hindleg on a given side can be encouraged to move more or to push off the ground in a different way.
 
#12 ·
This is all very interesting as I've never given much thought to it.....with my horse I squeeze with my calves and he moves forward, however if he doesn't move immediately I do a succession of fast squeeze and release.....however today I experimented with my seat and found that if I ever so slightly shifted my hips in the seat he would lope off....normally I would slide my outside leg back...so I found a new button.....this came after reading a hip placement thread on the forum here last night....hmmmm so much to learn and only one lifetime to learn t all in!!!
 
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#14 ·
Any touch/release MUST be TIMED to the horse's ability to move because of it. I often see people touch/kick/spur double or triple time, but all that does is tense the belly...the horse cannot react/hop on that spur action.

Yes, as per Puck's good explanation, too. I liked what you, equitate, said about raising the rein, too.
When I was taking dressage lessons, I was told the way to freshen and strengthen the walk was by apply ing the correctly timed leg , alternating sides, to get a bigger, more step-under walk. It works, however, one can fall into the trap of doing it endlessly and then the hrose starts to require this just to maintain a good walk. Then, the beginner (as I am) can end up doing way too much contorting of the body to get that side this, side that squeeze and it all goes down hill.

With the mention of raising the rein, you bring to mind more of what I have been taught in recent years, where I pretty much just trail ride, and that is to "bring up the energy" in your body, and that alone will often be enough to increase the energy in the horse.j

I try to do that, then if no response , and I mean the response should be pretty darn immediate, I will tap the horse's sides with the inside of my ankle bone, and if that doesn't get a smart response I snap the whip against my foot. He leaps off!.

but, i would never cue every step in a walk or a forward trot. You might cue every step in a pirhoette, but not just walking down the arean.
 
#19 ·
I ride the same with a green horse as I do a trained one. Granted, all I do is trail ride. I squeeze my legs for forward movement. If no response, I cluck or kiss and finally whack with the reins. I keep constant pressure only until there is movement. If I don't have long enough reins to use, I would bump my legs instead.

To me it doesn't matter how trained they are. I want to use consistent cues. We have several different people ride our horses. I only want to explain one way to them.
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