Page 34 midwest horse digest April 09
towards the inside
nor cocked to the
outside. Allow the
horse to carry his
head in a natural
position, and do
not worry about a
headset at this
point!
When the horse
is properly posi-
tioned on the cir-
Communicating with Your Aids …
cle, prepare for an
upward transi-
Keys to Success, Part 6
tion. Increase the
weight in your
the English and Western Horse and Rider,”
seat. While follow-
In the last article, I shared the simple
available at my website listed at the end of this
ing the horse’s movement with the hips, give a
exercise of circles within a circle to help you
article.
light squeeze with the legs and open the fin-
improve the use of your seat, legs, and hand
gers. You should get a nice smooth transition
Using the Aids to Position the Horse on a Turn
aids. I suggested that you practice the pattern
to the jog/trot. If you do not, check to make
With the horse properly tacked and warmed
on a well-schooled horse so you could focus
sure the horse is properly positioned and that
up, ask him for a nice natural walk on a large
completely on learning to use these aids. In
you have used the aids correctly.
circle to the left. Remember to communicate
this article, we will incorporate into the pattern
your request to move forward by using the aids
Increasing/Decreasing Speed within the
the transitions of going from a jog/trot to a halt
together in the proper sequence—seat-legs-
Jog/Trot
and from a halt to a jog/trot. I will explain the
hands. As you approach either the three
Continue on the large circle at an easy
aids the rider should use to keep her horse
o’clock or the nine o’clock position, turn your
jog/trot. As you approach the nine o’clock
“straight” on the circles. I will conclude with
horse onto the smaller circle within the larger
position, turn the horse onto the smaller circle.
some tips on how to improve communication
circle.
Use the smaller circle to prepare for an
with a horse that does not have complete
As you do this, keep your inside or left leg
extended jog/trot because it will help you
knowledge of the rider’s aids.
“on.” By this I mean the leg is in light contact
organize the aid sequence. Try to time the aids
We will use the same circles-within-a-circle
on the horse’s barrel at the girth. Lightly turn
sequence so that the horse will be doing an
pattern that I described last month. For a
the horse using the outside (right) leg and rein.
extended jog/trot as you close the smaller
diagram of this pattern and a more complete
The horse’s head should be lightly positioned
circle and resume the pattern on the larger
explanation on effectively using the natural
toward the direction he is moving on the circle.
circle.
aids, please see my “Dressage Principles for
His head and neck should neither be over bent
As you complete the first half of the small
circle, put more weight in your seat and follow
the horse’s movement with your hips. Relax,
breathe, and get looser in your body because
this will allow you to follow your horse’s
motion. Apply slightly more pressure with you
legs and open the fingers slightly to allow the
horse to go forward. Continue on the larger
circle at the extended job/trot.
When you are ready to decrease speed, turn
off the larger circle onto the smaller one. Put
more weight in your seat and slow the motion
of your hips. Keep your legs in contact to
maintain some forward movement so that your
horse does not stop in response to your seat
aid. There should be little to no closing of the
fingers—just use them to keep the horse
lightly positioned on the circle. The horse
should give you a smooth downward
transition.
Transitions from Jog/Trot to Halt
Establish a jog/trot on the larger circle.
When you are ready to practice the halt, start
by bringing the horse onto one of the smaller
circles. To communicate the downward
transition, put more weight in your seat. Keep
both legs on contact with a light pressure, but
do not squeeze him forward. With seat and leg
aids active, close your fingers and the horse
should halt. Try timing your aids sequence so
that the horse halts at the point where the
smaller circle meets the larger one.
The opposite transition, from halt to jog/trot,
presents a greater challenge since you will be
asking the horse to go from a stopped position
to a much more forward gait. This transition
This transition requires a lot of energy.
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