Equestrian riders and horse trainers utilize a combination of influences in which to communicate with their horses. Equestrian tradition refers to these as “aids” which are subdivided into two basic categories, “natural” and “artificial” aids.
Natural aids are those that direct the horse by means of just the rider’s body, which include the legs, shifting of body weight, the hands, and a proper balanced “seat” often referred to in many Equestrian circles as an “independent seat”. Riding crops, spurs, reins and bits are the most conventionally utilized artificial aids which are customarily used in correlation with natural aids.
The Seat:
We start out with the rider’s seat because it’s the most important required before you can move on to the next level of efficiently being able to communicate with your horse. Having an independent or balanced seat means being able to keep in time with your horse as they move and turn, without having to rely upon the reins for balance or clinching with your legs to stay on the horse. The rider ultimately sits on the horse without any tension in the body. It’s also important the rider is able to retain their center of gravity over the horse and go with forward flow and absorb the upward movement of the horse to minimize bouncing on the horse’s back. It is all about being able to maintain the correct position along with proper control over your own body in order to effectively communicate with the horse.
The Riders Legs:
A riders legs are fundamentally a driving aid that prompts the horse to move. For the most part a rider’s legs should always remain unpresumptuously against the horse’s sides. The rider then persuades the horse by using the lower legs with just the required amount of pressure and by applying the pressure to either one side of the horse with one leg, or with two legs simultaneously on both sides of the horse. A horse naturally always moves away from the pressure. Basically, by applying pressure with one leg to just one side of the horse’s side encourages him to move sideways, so if you apply pressure the horse’s right side, he will move to his left. Applying pressure with both legs most often encourages the horse for more impulsion. The objective is to only apply just the right amount of leg pressure that’s required to achieve the desired response from the horse. Once you become an advanced rider you can also use spurs to apply pressure for a ore demanding or quicker response from the horse. This is refered to as using “natural” and “artificial” aids in unison, with your legs being the natural aid and the spurs an artificial aid.
The Rider’s Body Weight:
Customarily, horses respond to modest weight shifts. The vast majority of riders try to physically lean too much to one side. Bending their upper body too far sideways and breaking the plane of the spine at the waist is a common fault. combination with neck reining will really cue the horse to move in the appropriate direction. This is using “natural” and “artificial” aids in unison to get a more potent response without being over demanding with either one so you aren’t irritating or punishing the horse into getting them to respond to your request. The key is to gradually apply only the necessary amount of weight and pressure that’s required to accomplish your task, no more, no less.
The Rider’s Hands, Reins and Bit:
The rider’s hands channel the drive or motion created by the leg aids into light contact with the bit through the reins. It’s vital that the rider develops a soft touch with their hands, and also have relaxed shoulders, elbows and wrists. The elbows are the fundamental joints that enables soft, elastic bit contact. The elbows should follow the motion of the horse, opening and closing in motion with the rider’s hips as they rest loosely against the rider’s sides.
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