He doesn't go off the leg? help?

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ellieplatt

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Basicly, my ex racers working really well know, on both reins :D! No falling in and my inside hands alot better, have done a fair amount of stirupless work to help.

But when he's working in an outline he doesnt go off the leg whatsoever, although warming up he seems alot easier. I've tried a schooling whip, it does seem to make him shoot forward when i give him a tickle with it (i hate riding with whips always have, just feel like they get in the way i spose) but i didn't know whether it would be worth trying spurs? I mean he is fairly fit so it cant be that, and i've always thought that spurs are fine as long as used correctly, just because your wearing them, doesn't mean you have to use them right?
 
I would personally persue the whip route.
You ask him to do something, if he doesn't respond from a squeeze, tickle him with your whip. Loads of transitions and really get him forwards. Remember not to sock him in the gob if he shoots forward because you will be giving him mixed messages, try and go with him and give with your hands, even if its gone from standstill to canter! At least its forward movement!!
 
Phillipe Karl has a bit about that in his book. He calls it teaching your horse the lesson of the leg. You have to use the leg lightly then if you don't achieve the response back it up with the leg again and the whip in order to get a response. He says it is better to use a schooling whip rather than spurs because the whip makes more instinctive sense to a flight animal. If the leg isn't meaningful then spurs won't be meaningful either so you have to teach them later to a more advanced horse to get more refinement for lateral work.
The book is Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage and I found it had lots of really useful schooling tips.

But I do agree with you, you don't have to use spurs just because you're wearing them.
 
No, spurs are not the answer and if you are against using a whip then try this:

Never nag with your legs. Ask with a gentle squeeze and if he doesn't immediately respond then give him a big (and I mean big) boot. He will shoot forward, keep your leg quiet. Then when he slows again, ask nicely with a gentle squeeze and repeat. Most horses don't need to many repetitions of this. Three is usually enough to get them respecting your leg. Putting spurs on will only make him even more dead to the leg even if they work the frst time you use them.
 
I don't entirely agree with the above statements.

I have to say that I had never used spurs my life, just used to resort to a riding or schooling whip, asking for a transition and giving a tickle if no response.

We have got a horse on loan, who's owner and mother ALWAYS rode in spurs. Me and my sharer have never ridden him in spurs and I've always persisted with schooling without them. He is VERY dead to the leg and only responsive after 20 minutes working on transitions - and getting him to go forward while in an outline was practically out of the question!

The other week I tried spurs for the first time and the difference was amazing! Now, i'm not saying that I am now a die-hard spur fan. I don't plan to use them much at all. I only really practised using them as we had our first working hunter class on Sunday and would rather have subtle leg aids and have him go nicely than having to boot him (as no schooling whip!).

Spurs were really a last resort for me and will hardly be used in the future, but it seems he had 8 years being ridden with spurs before he came to us and he didn't seem unresponsive to them with the old owners at all.
 
Will he move away from your hand on the ground?

Try this - when you are on the ground, gently touch him with your hand where your leg goes on the side of his tummy. Gently tap him with your fingers, increase the pressure until he 'gets it'. Then stop - make a fuss of him. Repeat as necc both sides for a couple of days, then get on and try again...??

With your leg - v gently squeezes to start with, up the pressure until he moves...then stop! Make a fuss, repeat as necc ...
 
If you can put a couple of cones about 8 strides apart in the field, or use the quarter/half markers in the arena, you could try practising going on say 6 and then 8 strides, and mixing it up really randomly. I use this for my horse and while he's a bit useless at it to begin with, he gets to the stage where he can go from the corner to E on 7 strides, then from E to the next corner on 5, and it really sharpens him up. I call out the number of strides before I get there and then count out loud and I think he listens, and it doesn't take too long before he feels like he's really trying to get that number!

Another thing I taught him was the 54321 countdown they use in the startbox and when he hears it he goes straight off into a fast canter. I do occasionally use it in the arena if he's being lazy in canter to sharpen him up for a length, then settle him again. If you're just kicking and getting nowhere it's really frustrating, but sometimes if you have an aim e.g. get somewhere 2 strides less than before it sharpens you both up!

And I will admit that at times I have screamed out loud 'OH MY GOD WOLVES ARE CHASING US, MEDIUM TROT!!! MEDIUM TROT!!!' to make him get a move on.... that works too :o Perhaps not one for a dressage test though...
 
An exercise I was taught (without spurs!) is place a trotting pole in the middle of the school so you can 20m circle over it. Start in walk on a 20m circle and ask for trot just before the pole. If your horse does not go straight away its kick, tap with a schooling whip and occasionally loud voice. Come back to walk halfway round the circle and repeat. When walking, do not nag with your legs at all, sit really relaxed. Our horse learnt after 2 goes over the pole. Instructor said practising transitions over a pole is good as there is a definite marker when you should be asking for, and receiving trot. Using letters in a school can be left a bit open to interrpretation!
 
When my horse ignored the leg through laziness we did a lot of work on turn on the forehand to get him to listen to the legs individually and move away from them. Then into leg yielding. I have never used spurs on mine. I asked with the seat and a light squeeze, then a sharp kick then a schooling whip. No nagging, just a tap on to keep the pace. It took months and months for him to get the message tho!!!
He now moves off a touch behind the girth with outside leg.
 
Have been having this issue with mine, basically backing off my leg when going away from stable end of field. Had lesson today, I asked him with a quiet squeeze of leg and got no response, so he got a big pony club kick, he bucked but I just stayed quiet, walked him on forwards and he then stayed in front of leg
 
Elbie said:
An exercise I was taught (without spurs!) is place a trotting pole in the middle of the school so you can 20m circle over it. Start in walk on a 20m circle and ask for trot just before the pole. If your horse does not go straight away its kick, tap with a schooling whip and occasionally loud voice. Come back to walk halfway round the circle and repeat. When walking, do not nag with your legs at all, sit really relaxed. Our horse learnt after 2 goes over the pole. Instructor said practising transitions over a pole is good as there is a definite marker when you should be asking for, and receiving trot. Using letters in a school can be left a bit open to interrpretation!
Click to expand...

I also have used this method though with the pole alongside so you do your transitions at each end of the pole e.g on a circle in trot, reach the pole ask for walk, reach end of pole, ask for trot.

Alternatively each time you pass over x change the pace within a gait for 1/4 or 1/2 a circle then move on up again.

Think transitions are key to getting them moving off your leg.
 
pmsl frumpoon the big lad was dragging hie feet coming in tonight so i always do what you said - hand niggling ( not harsh)where leg would be and pingo a reaction - both mine work brill from a light hand on ground and when riding daughter needs lightest of leg aids its great :)
 
Make sure that whatever forward movement you get you immediately stop using the leg. If you keep the leg on when you get even the iniest bit more forwardness the aid doesnt mean anything. You can then work on getting more
 
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