Getting horse to move sideways from the leg

[DiamondSR]

Morning everyone. Can anyone give me some tips on how to get my horse moving sideways from the leg? At the moment he tends to fall in on the circle, but if I use more inside leg he thinks it's just an aid to go faster

I have done some turn on the forehand which he sometimes does brilliantly and other times just ignores my leg completely. Does anyone know of any other exercises that might help him understand better? He is very willing but I think sometimes he just doesn't know what I want him to do!

 

[humph]

I've just taken on my husbands hunter to educate over the summer and had exactly this prob - leg, even the tiniest amount, meant go faster and a LOT faster. I found that out hacking on quiet roads i would push him from the right side of the road to the left - which he did naturally because of habit of hacking on the left of the road. Then, when he moves over, I make an enormous fuss out of him. I then try doing it back to the right side of the road so as to keep the balance although they dont' find this as easy because it's going away from where they want to be. After 3 days of doing this he now does a perfect leg-yield and doesn't get in such a paddy about having leg contact. Low pressure and loads of reward is the answer - i think that being out of the school can make it feel less pressured as well.

 

[DiamondSR]

That's great, thanks. I will try it when I go out hacking at the weekend. He's quite a fast learner so hopefully once he understands what I am actually asking him to do it will click into place!

 

[Pixxie]

ive just solved this problem with my lad, when he went faster i just closed my leg and sat deeply and kept asking him to move over as he clearly understood i wanted him to do something but not sure what. so if he answered with trot and i closed my thigh, he understand thats clearly not what i wanted,, so he found a different way of answering me, which is what i wanted and then pat and good boy :0

x

 

[mygeorge]

often people have too much inside rein on a circle which results in horse falling in. ride from a firm inside leg to a secure outside rein and keep the schooling whip on the inside. it always helps to use the same word as you do when asking the horse to move over/sideways in the stable (I use 'over') which helps with other lateral work. You can get the message across by facing the side and using a strong left leg, feeling with the right rein and saying 'over' until the horse steps sideways away from the leg and gets a pat as a reward.

 

[HelBel]

over the summer last year i was bringing on a very green fell gelding, he only thought that leg meant go, and would not move from it at all, so a friend of mine and myself used the following excercise.

have a helper on the ground with a schooling whip, get them to hold it the opposite way round so the handle is pointing out, walk round them on your horse on a 10metre circle and get your friend to move forwards and touch the horse with the end of the schooling whip behind the girth where your leg goes at the exact same time you put your inside leg on, the schooling whip will get the horse to move away from it and your leg will be put on, the horse will then associate your leg with the schooling whip so will want to move away from it, do this a couple of times on either rein in walk and trot, you may have to do it for a few sessions for it too sink in but it should work, it worked absolute wonders for my fell!!
hope this helps
x

 

[Thunderbirds R Gone]

All advice so far very good, especially schooling on a hack which I think if fab and makes life more interesting.

The only other thing I would point out is to make it very black and white as to what you are asking, so if you are asking for your horse to move across from the leg and it isn't happening, don't just keep asking and letting him do it wrong because he will think he is doing the right thing because you are letting him continue - does this make sense?

If you ask and it's not happening, I would halt and start again. If he still doesn't get it, halt and ask for a turn on the forehand, and then walk on and ask again etc etc, until he realises that you actually want him to move away from the leg.

When he does it, even if he offers just a little bit, make a big fuss of him

and then ask again.

Always leave it on a good note.

 

[DiamondSR]

Thanks so much everyone, lots of things for me to go and try now!
x

 

[Kenzo]

Teaching them this from the ground is good way to start, as you can see exactly what they are doing, and if they struggle laterally one way, or if they are even.

Apply the aid from the ground to get your horse to move over will teach him the move over not move one, because its natural from him to think leg on mean forwards.


If you horse is quite sensitive on his sides then this will make it a lot easier. Have your horse listening, walking on, stopping and standing square etc. Then with your hand in a fist shape with your first finger bent round (like spur so to speak) apply this to his side and save over, if he does this it correctly (without forwards or backwards movement) praise and stop, do the other side, but only ask once, so your not confusing him, as he may get fed up and start moving off rather than over. If he does not move, apply the force with the end of your whip, so it’s more of a poke. Once he is used to doing this you will find it much easier when applying the correct aids with your hands, body weight when leg yielding and turning on the forehand etc.

 

[Faro]

I did exactly as Humph did - schooling whilst out hacking. My endurance horse was exactly the same - the slightest pressure of the leg he took as a cue to go faster.

Practising along the quiet country lanes near me really did work for him.

Remember, though, to ride from inside leg to outside rein - it's often the outside rein contact which gets forgotten.

 

[millitiger]

teaching it from the ground first makes a huge difference imo. i always start in hand with a dressage whip to tickle the horse where i would use the leg.
first we do turn on forehand/haunches etc and they progress to leg yield and shoulder in. if you show them clearly what you want even the most stubborn horse with understand after a few sessions.
i use the word 'OVER' very clearly as i tickle with the whip, so when i progress to sideways with me on board they know exactly what i am asking.

 

[BeckyD]

I taught Ronnie this from the ground to start with, nudging his side, saying "over" and walking sideways with him. I taught him this as soon as he'd turned 4. After a few months I moved on to using this when ridden, "over" and a nudge with my foot rather than hand. He's never questionned it or done anything other than obey it. Then just use it whenever you can - hacking, mounting, schooling etc.

Haven't had the same luck with "back" though. Tried for a year and gave up

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I also work from the ground and school on hacks (not much choice for most of the year) I use manhole covers, lamp-posts, road signs etc as markers and find that horses understand more easily because they can see a reason for the movements, which of course are merely arbitrary in a school. I drop my weight into the stirrup on the side I want to move to, so weight into right stirrup to go to the right and left leg on the girth. I also find that it helps to visualise the movement, the horse picks up on this (or it may be tiny body adjustments on the rider's part which the horse feels). Hope this helps.

 

[hollyandivy123]

bending poles or cones set them up at a relatively long distance in the school and start in walk, and try and bend through them without any influence from the reins as this becomes clear to the horse start doing it in trot, pushing from one side then the other with just leg aids. you will be teaching him to move away from the leg, but he shouldn't associate it with go faster and also its something slightly different for him to think about.