Dressage riders

[peanut]

Watching a dressage rider school her stunning horse yesterday, I noticed that her lower leg hardly ever seem to touch the side of her horse. Only in canter half pass did she clearly put her outside leg on.

As a bog-standard rider, I have to wrap my legs around my horse to get her to go even vaguely well.

How do they give aids/impulsion etc when there appears to be no contact?

 

[MerryMaker]

some horses are very light and sensitive and require very little leg. However it's a different matter if a lot of hand is used.

If the horse is very well trained, you literally have to "think" walk, trot, canter etc and you don't need to do a huge amount.

A true dressage rider will mostly use the seat, lower back and hips etc, with little reliance on hands and legs.

 

[Sparklet]

A lot of it is done from the seat and also from the slightest pressure of the calf muscle. I had a lesson with a GP instructor last mon and it focussed entirely on making one request with my leg and the horse sustaining the movement without any further request....fraid to say they dont (well ordinary horses like mine dont) because they are used to a nagging leg so you have to go through the process of backing up the initial request with a sharp leg aid or schooling whip until they get the idea.

They look fab dont they?

 

[chillidragon]

Well, I'm certainly not a super rider by any means but I've brought Brandy on to be very light off the leg (easy enough since she's a top-speed pony) so from the ground it's impossible to see the very tiny squeeze, and when she gets warmed up and tuned in, it's really only a matter of shifting weight. Sadly it's not quite as effortless coming down the gears, but we're working on it.

 

[Judie]

Hi Snowdrop

If you are needing to wrap your legs around your horse, s/he isn't off your leg enough, s/he needs to know that s/he must stay in the pace until you say otherwise, with a lazy horse you much teach it to go with no leg on and a sensitive horse to go with the leg on (so it is not a shock when you do need to use it). If your horse is like mine and takes the lazy option you need to put the leg on, if not a sharp enough response, gallop, bring s/he back and repeat until you only have to squeeze your calf muscle and you're off!

As for invisible aids on a well schooled horse who is infront of the leg, it is more a about using your calf muscle, seat bones and hips and very quiet hands.

When this is all in place it is a lovely picture to watch isn't it, as you observed yesterday.

 

[harrihjc]

I think it's just lots and lots of schooling to get the pace with the slightest ask and for the horse to maintain it until you tell them otherwise, without the need for legs. Easier said than done with most horses!

 

[peanut]

[ QUOTE ]

When this is all in place it is a lovely picture to watch isn't it, as you observed yesterday.

[/ QUOTE ]

It certainly is. Good riders make it look so effortless.

I fear we (or rather I) have a long way to go

 

[pennyh]

the idea is that only a subtle aid is needed & the horse has to respond immediately

it does take rather a lot of schooling to get to this standard with many horses

in general riding think along the lines of the legs should be gently sat at the horses sides with a loose knee allowing the legs to 'brush' the horse as opposed to pince in

 

[GlamourDol]

If you are on an advanced horse, and have to use alot of leg aid to even make it do a simple movement what will happen when you need to ask for Ones or similar?
I can assure you, her legs would have been wrapped around the horse, but alot would have been seat, thigh and calf rather than an obvious spur aid.

How much leg do you need to use to get a simple forward movement like walk to trot? If its alot, then Transitions Transitions and yet more transitions.

The horse should move off your leg at a light touch and if he doesnt then a little remider is needed, until he stops and starts when you want.

K x