How can i get my horse to move off my leg

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robynandTilly

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As the title above really. i have an exracer who you would never believe is an exracer she is soo backwards. she also used to event and is incredibly strong and forward xc and now and again sj but that is it any other time. be it hacking, schooling, showing, competing dressage and now and then sj she is lazy and idle! As a result my leg position is seriously suffering i have noticed after viewing pics my leg can be quitr far back, heels are up and if they are down are turned in to her side. i took my stirrups Away today which almoat finished me off but did improve my leg position. as i am wanting to compete dressage which i am already doing prelim i do not want to rely on a whip i want to make her come off my leg. i have tried transitions but tbh i have to use sharp leg aids atm to make her work and canter although reasonably established is an uphill battle if i am not working to keep her going she will break back to trot.

Sorry for the rant just feeling abit disheartend as to where to go from here. An instructor at my yard i have occasional lessons from has also rode her using spurs and found not a huge deal of improvment although i do have spurs i dont often wear them. she is happy working and not in pain etc (back teeth etc done in last 3 months) she is just a lazy sod so any ideas, views, methods are more than welcome
 
Mine is exactly the same! He's lovely to ride in summer, but in winter becomes a real lazybum!!

Interested to see what people will suggest.

I struggle with the canter the most. But do have to get after him all the time in trot & walk aswell! Walk to canter transitions do seem to help a little.
 
Fairly fit i would think although u may disagree. she does 5 days a week work; usually 2- 1 hour flatwork sessions a week. 1- 1 hour jumping session either sj or xc a week and 2 days hacking for around 2 hours road work hill work and fair canter work. She is fed on ad lib haylage, fibrebeet, mollichop, oats and mix
 
Sorry to be a pain but to get him really of the leg the main solution is transitions andI would say over a 100 in 20 min. Only give him one option, leg, no reaction, tap with the whip and the only reaction you can accept should be electric. Over and over, mine used to be like that and after a lot of hard work that was the only things that worked. 2-3 week of nothing else then transitions, sounds boring but really pays off! Good luck
 
Also need to be really disciplined about how much you use your leg - it's easy to end up nagging constantly but that will only make things worse.

You must use your leg correctly to ask and then apply a correction if it is ignored - then you leave alone until you need to ask again, and if that's is ignored you apply a correction and so on and so on..

There must always be a clear distinction between asking, and then rewarding with not asking -otherwise your horse will have no indication of when he has done what you were asking and will have no incentive to continue trying to do so.

Only apply your leg when you are actually asking for something - the rest of the time it should be loose but hanging against your horses side.

I'm sure you probably know all of the above but easy to get into a constant cycle of nagging - in these situations it is very often less leg that is required - not more!
 
Will he/she move away from pressure on the ground? I would start with ground work.

Then ask while ridden if this fails,

I have also found blunt spurs (provided you have a steady lower leg) helpful for one session to reinforce what you want.
 
I agree with lulup - You need to be really black and white. Touch with the spur = move off NOW! My boy used to be slow off the leg. I have flat lessons with IW at Vale view now - what an eye opener!! I have changed to some heavy metal spurs with a smooth reel thing on them by Sprenger. If he ignores me he gets two very quick nudges with the spur which usually sorts it out, then a very quiet leg. I was starting to push too much with my seat so it has been quite hard to sit still and down and just use leg on and off.
I have used two schooling whips before which also gives a good result.
You will get through it and the penny will drop eventually, you just have to be very disciplined, black and white.
Good luck!
 
Lulup said:
Also need to be really disciplined about how much you use your leg - it's easy to end up nagging constantly but that will only make things worse.

You must use your leg correctly to ask and then apply a correction if it is ignored - then you leave alone until you need to ask again, and if that's is ignored you apply a correction and so on and so on..

There must always be a clear distinction between asking, and then rewarding with not asking -otherwise your horse will have no indication of when he has done what you were asking and will have no incentive to continue trying to do so.

Only apply your leg when you are actually asking for something - the rest of the time it should be loose but hanging against your horses side.

I'm sure you probably know all of the above but easy to get into a constant cycle of nagging - in these situations it is very often less leg that is required - not more!
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Would absolutely agree with the above.

Only thing I would add is that different horses require differing amounts of leg pressure to get the desired response. In your horses case, I would suggest a pretty strong level of pressure - akin to pony clubs kicks to her side that produce the response you require.

The leave alone - she should remain in the pace/rhythm you dictate until told otherwise. If she slows the rhythm you should apply another pony club kick to her sides or basically the amount of pressure that gets the response you want. If she slows again, another kick to the sides. You may even need to reinforce the leg aid with a tap from the whip. Again, different horse can tolerate differing amounts of pressure from the whip - you may need to give her quite a tap before you get the desired response.

I would also add direct transitions (say, halt to trot) and transitions within the pace (working trot to medium trot) which teach correct understanding of leg aids/pressure. If she trots when you're asking for a walk [from halt] doesn't matter as you're getting the level of response you want.

Spurs simply refine the leg aid/pressure and should not be used as a way of teaching the horse about what pressure means. I would strongly suggest you don't use spurs as your horse as yet doesn't really understand what the leg aids are [and is not off the leg] and you'll simply end up bruising the horse through incorrect use of the spur at this stage. I would only use differing amounts of pressure with your legs at this stage.

All too often, with most of my clients they have desensitised their horse to leg pressure/aids because a) the pressure is not strong enough to motivate the horse b) they apply constant nagging pressure that de-sensitises the horse to leg pressure.

Your horse simply needs re-training to leg pressure by very clear instructions.
 
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Quite simply - leg on, if no response, smack with stick. Hard, you must get a reaction. Let horse shoot forward. Regain composure. Leg on - if not the reaction you want, rinse and repeat.

When you get the reaction you are looking for off the leg, big pat & praise.

You must not nag, you must not allow the horse to be dull and drop off as it pleases, it is crucial you get the reaction you want. You may need to do this in the beginning of each session for a while. Once more established, you should hopefully just need a bit of a friendly kick with inside leg to freshen things up if necessary rather than going in with the stick/big guns. Again, crucial that you get the reaction you want.

Transitions etc all well and good, but if the horse isn't off the leg your transitions will not be useful.

It may sound harsh, but the horse HAS to move off the leg, and must respect the stick, no nagging or tapping.
 
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