How the aids work, and the aids to turn

An aid only ever does three things: it acts, it resists or it yields. Once you understand this language you can ask clearly — and explain how to turn.

In the exam programme

Explain how the aids work: act, resist, yield.Common module B
Explain the aids to turn.Specific part

A reminder: the natural aids are the seat, the legs, the hands and the voice; the artificial aids, such as the whip, back up the natural aids. At Galop 2 you saw the aids to go forward and how to grade them. Here is how each aid is used.

Act, resist, yield

1
Act
Make a request. The legs squeeze the horse’s sides, the fingers close on the reins, the upper body grows taller. The action is clear and measured, made of repeated squeezes rather than one long, held pressure.
2
Resist
Hold the request, without increasing it, until the horse has answered. A resisting hand stays still: it does not pull any harder; if the horse leans on it, the horse is the one that meets the resistance.
3
Yield
Stop asking as soon as the horse answers: the fingers open slightly, the leg relaxes. Yielding is not letting go: the contact stays. It is the reward that tells the horse it got it right.

An example, slowing down at trot: you sit taller and close your fingers — you act. The horse pulls a little: your hands stay still and your back stays firm — you resist. It slows down: your fingers soften at once, without losing the contact — you yield. At Galop 4 you will learn to use several aids together: that is the coordination of the aids.

Remember

A clear request, resistance for as long as it takes, and a yield at the exact moment the horse obeys. A horse that never gets anything back soon stops listening.

The aids to turn

To turn, everything starts with your eyes and your upper body: look where you are going, turn your shoulders so that they stay parallel to the horse’s, and let your hands go with the movement. The aids are then shared out like this:

Left hand: opening rein — it moves out, without pulling back
Right rein: indirect rein, against the neck
Left leg, inside, at the girth
Right leg, outside, a little behind the girth
The eyes look to the way out of the turn

Fig. 3.16Turning left: reins, legs and eyes

Opening rein: The inside hand moves out towards the inside of the curve, without pulling back. It shows the way and leads the inside shoulder; it is the simplest rein effect, the one you have used since Galop 1.
Neck rein (or bearing rein): The outside rein lies against the neck: the hand moves towards the withers without ever crossing over the mane. It pushes the shoulders towards the inside and stops the horse drifting out of the curve.
The rein corridor: Both reins work together, one opening, the other lying against the neck. The horse is framed between them as if in a corridor: that is how you turn with precision.
Inside leg: On the girth, it keeps up the impulsion: the horse turns around it without slowing down.
Outside leg: A little behind the girth, it stops the quarters swinging out.

Tip

With both reins in one hand — out on a hack, or in western riding — you always turn with the neck rein: the hand moves towards the side you want to go, and the outside rein pushes the neck across.

Common mistake

Pulling the inside rein back towards you: the horse turns its head but carries straight on, shoulders drifting out. An opening rein moves out to the side; it does not pull back.

Ekidemy

The Galops^®, from the first step to Galop 7