25/10/2023
⁉️How responsive is your horse to your aids - be that on the ground or in the saddle - both are important? How do you get them to go forward?
In the photo above, Ballougar is asked to yield his hind leg through indirect pressure. There is no force pushing him or pulling him into this turn. If we can achieve this on the ground, there is a better understanding, allowing for greater response while under saddle.
My experience with getting a horse to move forward off a lighter leg aid often comes with getting a rider to look at things in a different light. You need to keep an open mind with horses, listen to them, and allow them to teach you.
Just food for thought:
It was just the other day that I heard a coach describe the type of leg aid needed as an 'electric shock' kick. Now I know they don't mean that they are going to give the horse a shock, but this puts such a negative view to training. Unfortunately, there have been trainers in the past who have used an electric shock to force horses to do things they were afraid of and did not understand. So, even more reason not to use that to describe the type of leg aid.
The more this type of terminology is used, the less we open ourselves up to listening to the horse.
You can learn from everyone in the horse world, but this can be learning how NOT to do something. Don't be afraid to go against the grain and disagree when you feel there is a kinder way - even if the other person is looked at to be a professional.
