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seat, legs, and hands. I always start my horses with ground training and incorpo- rate voice aids so that my horses have a basic knowledge of the commands I will give them under saddle.
Building A Partnership
with Your Horse Communicating with Your Aids - Keys to Success, Part 6
By Lynn Palm
In this article, we will incorporate into the pattern the transitions of going from a jog/trot to a halt and from a halt to a jog/trot. We will use the same circles-within-a-circle pattern that I described last article. Always practice in both directions and praise your horse when he responds.
Using the Aids to Position the Horse on a Turn
With the horse properly tacked and warmed up, ask him for a nice natural walk on a large circle to the left. Communicate your request to move forward by using the aids together in the proper sequence—seat- legs-hands. As you approach either the three o’clock or the nine o’clock position, turn your horse onto the smaller circle within the larger circle.
As you do this, keep your inside or left leg “on” meaning the leg is in light contact on the horse’s barrel at the girth. Lightly turn the horse using the outside (right) leg and rein. The horse’s head should be lightly positioned toward the direction he is moving on the cir- cle. His head and neck should neither be over bent towards the inside nor cocked to the out- side. Allow the horse to carry his head in a natural position, and do not worry about a headset.
When the horse is properly positioned on the circle, prepare for an upward transition. Increase the weight in your seat. While fol- lowing the horse’s movement with the hips, give a light squeeze with the legs and open the fingers. You should get a nice smooth transition to the jog/trot. If you do not, check to make sure the horse is properly positioned and that you have used the aids correctly.
Increasing/Decreasing Speed within the Jog/Trot
Continue on the large circle at an easy jog/trot. As you approach the nine o’clock position, turn the horse onto the smaller cir- cle. Use the smaller circle to prepare for an extended jog/trot because it will help you organize the aid sequence. Try to time the aids sequence so that the horse will be doing an extended jog/trot as you close the smaller
circle and resume the pattern on the larger circle.
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 con- tact 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 tran- sition, 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 requires a lot of energy. To initiate the transition, put more weight in your seat and be ready to move your hips to support his forward movement. Avoid exces- sive squeezing or kicking to get a reaction. Instead, use a “cluck” to ask him to move for- ward. When he does, move your hips with his movement. Open the fingers to allow him to go forward. If he gives you a few steps at the walk before trotting, do not make a big deal about it. Use the pattern I have given you to improve the transitions until your horse understands what you are trying to communi- cate to him with your aids.
If the Horse is Unschooled to the Natural Aids
What if your horse does not know how to respond to the rider’s natural aids? In that case, use your voice as an aid instead of the
Here is an exercise I use to help young or inexperienced horses understand my aids. It is done on a medium-sized circle with the horse standing on the circle. To teach him the concept of walking forward in response to my aids, I give him a com- mand in a deep voice to “walk” or “walk on,” and I reinforce it with a “cluck,” if needed. I do not use any leg aids, but I do support his willingness to obey my request by following his motion with my seat and hips and allowing him the freedom to move forward with my hands. I use very little to no rein aids to slow him and only use them to guide him on the circle. After he walks on for a few steps, I ask him to slow down using a lighter, soothing voice command of “easy.” I rein- force my request by stopping the move- ment of my seat and hips. As he slows, I once again give him the command to “walk on” and increase movement in my seat and hips to follow his forward movement on the larger circle.
To ask the horse for an upward transi- 2007 Filly, Spring Fever
tion from walk to trot, I follow the same procedure. I ask him to “walk on” in response to my voice command, reinforced with my seat aids. When I am ready to trot, I use a deep tone of voice to say “trot,” use my seat to support his forward motion, and use very little rein aid except to keep him on the circle. I trot around the circle sever- al times, and then I prepare for a down- ward transition to the walk. I do this with- out pulling back on the reins, but by using a deep voice to say “walk” while I sit deep- er in the saddle and stop following his motion with my hips. When he makes the downward transition to the walk, I allow him a few steps at the walk and then ask him to jog/trot again. I bring him onto the smaller circle and ask him to halt using the voice command “whoa.” I praise him when he does.
When your horse shows that he under- stands what you are asking, gradually add leg and hand aids and eliminate voice cues. For pattern diagrams and a more com- plete explanation on effectively using the natural aids, please see my “Dressage Prin- ciples for the English and Western Horse and Rider,” available at
www.lynnpalm.com or calling 800-503- 2824.
Pandoerava Dutch Harness Horse
Pandoerava is Arabian Breeder's Sweepstakes Nominated and a Renai Foundation Sire.
Perfect cross for all breeds. Add style, substance and motion to any discipline.
Standing at
Reflection Arabian Farms in Brantford, Ontario.
Stud Fee $750.00 Transported Semen Available
Shari Robbins (519) 442-7243 - home (519) 865-7244 - cell
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Email:
DreamOnAnOn@aol.com www.reflectionfarms.com
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