Tips for keeping your leg off

[struttysarah]

I have just bought a new horse who is a lot more sensitive than I am used to, she can be ridden completely from the seat and voice with absolutely no leg. My previous pony needed a lot of leg, so this is very new for me. Any tips on how to keep your leg off, I always seem to be accidently squeezing her.

 

[santas_spotty_pony]

She needs to get used to the leg and the fact that the leg means move away from and not forwards. I’d concentrate on light leg aids from the calf and do exercises such as spiralling in and out on a circle and leg yield with her.

 

[blitznbobs]

A horse needs to accept the leg, this is something that needs to be educated. Lateral work is your friend here. I would start by teaching leg yielding

 

[millitiger]

I'm not sure the horse needs to be taught to be dull to an accidental squeeze?
It sounds like the horse is reactive to the leg rather than over-reactive?

OP, I always think it helps to think 'toes in' which helps to take your calf off the horse a bit.

If you find it is a mental thing of you subconsciously using leg when it isn't needed, rather than purely accidental, that is trickier!
I had that issue for a bit on a prior sensitive horse- sometimes I would forget who I was riding and give him a kick on take off when jumping or if I felt him back off momentarily out hacking! Poor sod always jumped out of his skin when I did it!

 

[SEL]

I'm an over user so the best way I've found is to consciously do a schooling session with no leg at all. Don't do anything apart from steer and it just starts to gradually retrain you.

 

[sbloom]

I would suggest considering it the other way around, that the horse needs to be accepting of the leg. It all depends on your interpretation of how much leg an aid really is

Your saddle may be having a bigger effect than you realise too, we need to be stable in the saddle, from pelvis to calf, and the saddle can work against that if it's not right.

 

[ycbm]

I have just bought a new horse who is a lot more sensitive than I am used to, she can be ridden completely from the seat and voice with absolutely no leg. My previous pony needed a lot of leg, so this is very new for me. Any tips on how to keep your leg off, I always seem to be accidently squeezing her.

It's not the leg being on her side that is the problem, that's something she needs to be taught to accept if she doesn't already. It's the fact that you are sometimes using more pressure than other times just to keep her moving at the same pace. The increase in pressure should only mean "change pace". If that's a habit you've got into it can be very difficult to cure. You'll see a lot of people riding with their leg or heel constantly tap tapping at the horse while the horse completely ignores it.

I'm afraid you'll probably need to spend quite a few hours riding focussing very closely on what your legs are doing, to try to reset your own programming. Trying to hold your legs off her side is not the answer, stopping yourself from squeezing them inwards is.

She'll make a better rider of you!
.

 

[struttysarah]

I would suggest considering it the other way around, that the horse needs to be accepting of the leg. It all depends on your interpretation of how much leg an aid really is

Your saddle may be having a bigger effect than you realise too, we need to be stable in the saddle, from pelvis to calf, and the saddle can work against that if it's not right.

I do need a new saddle, I don't feel that mine fits me very well

 

[struttysarah]

Thanks everyone, I'll definitely try thee exercises. I would say that she thinks leg means forward, but fast (walk to canter) so I 100% need to relearn my riding with her! Little pic of her below

 

[Lady Jane]

It's not the leg being on her side that is the problem, that's something she needs to be taught to accept if she doesn't already. It's the fact that you are sometimes using more pressure than other times just to keep her moving at the same pace. The increase in pressure should only mean "change pace". If that's a habit you've got into it can be very difficult to cure. You'll see a lot of people riding with their leg or heel constantly tap tapping at the horse while the horse completely ignores it.

I'm afraid you'll probably need to spend quite a few hours riding focussing very closely on what your legs are doing, to try to reset your own programming. Trying to hold your legs off her side is not the answer, stopping yourself from squeezing them inwards is.

She'll make a better rider of you!
.

This is a perfect explanation. More sesitive horses normally (?) are happy with a quiet leg wrapped on them, its the wriggling that is the problem (sorry if this isn't the problem). They are much nicer horses to ride!

 

[starbucker]

Thanks everyone, I'll definitely try thee exercises. I would say that she thinks leg means forward, but fast (walk to canter) so I 100% need to relearn my riding with her! Little pic of her below

Beautiful pony, My young horse is quite forward in the arena but can put leg on more out hacking could be the place to start? though once you get used to not kicking you'll hate riding anything that does! I use voice to help her understand what im asking.

Edit: in school could try focusing in walk first so your horse doesnt get too exciting and do walk stop repeat, serpentines, stop in middle of serpertines then work up through the speeds if she goes too fast say whoa sit. lean back and squeeze your bum cheeks then start again til they get it, good luck

 

[tda]

I had a youngster who was sensitive to the leg, you have to train yourself, gentle, relaxed leg against her side, you can still use the voice aids until she is more accepting of the leg and learns what it is for

 

[Polos Mum]

A good instructor will help with whether she's being nicely reactive (and you have to readjust to being more subtle) or whether she's being overreactive - the difference between the two is fine.

An old fashioned view but you need to practice more leg on a forward horse and less leg on a lazy horse - to get both to be where they should be.

I like lateral work a lot in this (you can do it out hacking - not just in the school) use the energy she has to move forward but in a lateral way (on three tracks walking up the road) or leg yield in and out of parted cars.
You don't want to fight her (legs say go and hands stop) so use your legs to send her forward in a way that doesn't result in rushing off (or walk to canter).

I acquired a much more talented pony than I'd ever ridden before and spent several months going sideways (when I sat wonky) or doing gallop / halt / gallop / halt - into fences where I was fiddling away and he was doing exactly what I asked of him! I had to really concentrate on every part of me - where my head was facing, exactly what I was moving and when - to make sure I only asked for what I really wanted and in a very subtle way. It took a long time and I think now very fondly of all the horses before who ignored my fiddling and faffying

 

[sportsmansB]

These ones do make you into a better rider, and lets face it a lot of people spend a lot of time trying to get their horse 'off the leg'
I have one.
I spend time in walk when I first get on, bending her around whatever happens to be in the arena so she can feel my legs on and accept them without an over reaction
Doing things like demi pirouettes and shoulder in too
Make sure that you are not inadvertently gripping with your legs at all especially in transitions - spend time in 2 point seat to really get the weight down into your heels, and do lots of moving around in the saddle so that she gets used to that and doesn't use every small movement as an excuse to head off quicker
She does have to accept some leg, but it is also nice to have one who doesn't need nagged- and they tend to click onto the lateral work fast

 

[nikkimariet]

Every horse should be ridden with has little leg as possible. No horse needs a lot of leg, they are simply training the rider to do all the work instead.

 

[Patterdale]

Fast horses need to learn to go with leg on.
Slow horses need to learn to go with leg off.

I was given this advice years ago. It’s simple but true.

 

[Orangehorse]

I always think of western riding, where horses are taught to carry on at the same pace with no slowing down or speeding up until told differently by the rider, so there is no nagging with the legs.

 

[AmyMay]

Stunning mare!

 

[Cloball]

Far better riders than me on here so I'm likely to be wrong but would letting your stirrups down a bit let you put your toes in more and heels off.
My pony thought any leg just meant faster and faster... Little flying legs everywhere. For her it was partly anxiety as the school was quite a stressful place and greenness. Lateral work has really helped.

 

[ihatework]

OP without seeing what is going on it's difficult to say definitively what is happening and what you need to do or change, but in general ...

You don't want to keep your leg off, you want the horse to accept your leg
The ones sensitive to the leg are wonderful, lucky you! But it does hold you to higher account as a rider.
So you want to be able to have your legs lightly there and if you need to give a specific aid you need the horse to accept this without over reacting.
As a rider this means you need to be balanced and stable in your seat and core so that your legs aren't swinging or nudging where they don't need to be!

A good instructor with an interest in biomechanics and good communication style will help you pick all this apart.

 

[struttysarah]

Thank you very much everybody, I have a lesson with her on Friday, so I'll let you know how we get on!

 

[ycbm]

I always think of western riding, where horses are taught to carry on at the same pace with no slowing down or speeding up until told differently by the rider, so there is no nagging with the legs.

European riding is supposed to be like that as well.
.

 

[little_critter]

It's not the leg being on her side that is the problem, that's something she needs to be taught to accept if she doesn't already. It's the fact that you are sometimes using more pressure than other times just to keep her moving at the same pace. The increase in pressure should only mean "change pace". If that's a habit you've got into it can be very difficult to cure. You'll see a lot of people riding with their leg or heel constantly tap tapping at the horse while the horse completely ignores it.

I'm afraid you'll probably need to spend quite a few hours riding focussing very closely on what your legs are doing, to try to reset your own programming. Trying to hold your legs off her side is not the answer, stopping yourself from squeezing them inwards is.

She'll make a better rider of you!
.

I find it easier to retrain my legs on hacks rather than when schooling. You’re not thinking about circle sizes etc, you can focus more on what your legs are / aren’t doing.

 

[Wishfilly]

Thanks everyone, I'll definitely try thee exercises. I would say that she thinks leg means forward, but fast (walk to canter) so I 100% need to relearn my riding with her! Little pic of her below

She looks lovely! I do think it's good if horses can learn that leg means "move away" e.g. sideways as well as forwards, it's very useful even just out hacking. But equally it's important to have a controlled lower leg and only use it intentionally.

I'm sure a good instructor can help you figure out what's going on, but having good strength and stability in your legs can help you control them better if you find your lower leg is a bit wobbly and she is responding to this. If so, IME, exercises off the horse such as pilates/yoga can also help!

 

[Lois Lame]

I always think of western riding, where horses are taught to carry on at the same pace with no slowing down or speeding up until told differently by the rider, so there is no nagging with the legs.

This is true of 'English' riding too. I mean, it's meant to be the case.
ETA: Whoops, YCBM beat me to it.