Riding Tips Printable Pocket Cliff Notes

Asking for Correct Lead:

Start at a walk and practice positioning before attempting to ask for a canter. This example is asking for the left lead.

Your position:

• Shift weight to left seat bone
• Flex horse to the left with left rein (twist wrist until thumb is up and pinky is near withers)
• Support with right rein, while allowing his face to be 1 inch to the inside (left)
• Left leg on the girth to ask for canter
• Right leg behind girth to signal right hind leg to strike off into left lead

Tip: Horses always pick up their lead using outside hind leg. Try this at a walk, then try the right lead:

• Weight on the right seat bone
• Right rein flexes the horse’s head one inch to the right.
• Left rein is like a side rein that prevents too much bend in the neck.
• Right leg on the girth.
• Left leg behind the girth

Other Tips:

• Keep the horse positioned to the inside as you did above
• When you ask for the canter depart, push your inside seat bone forward toward your horse’s inside ear
• Give a little squeeze with your inside leg on the girth to tell your horse to go “forward into the canter”
• Use your outside leg in a windshield wiper action to signal the outside hind to strike-off into the canter

Haunches In:

Haunches-in (travers) is the most advanced way to teach your horse inside bend. For a correct haunches-in, your horse must move with his front legs and shoulders on track and his haunches off track. Break it down into steps.

Your Position:

• Sit facing straight ahead 
• Inside leg at the girth (calf supports the bend and keeps the horse on track)
• Outside leg behind the girth (apply pressure with calf which asks the haunches to swing in)
• Outside rein keeping the horse’s neck straight and inside rein asks for slight flexion to the inside
• Keep Weight on the inside sitting bone.

Your Horse Position:

• Your horse’s neck and shoulders should be parallel to the long side. 
• The rest of his body should be bent to the inside.

Troubleshooting:
1. Your horse won’t respond to the outside leg.
Solution: Horses often lean to the wall so ask for the haunches-in on the centerline or quarterline instead. He also may not understand what you are asking for. Review your basics and make sure he responds to your lateral aids.

2. You get a lot of neck bend without much haunches-in.
Solution: This is caused when a rider uses her reins in place of proper leg aids. Check your aids, make sure you are asking properly and try again. Remember to keep the neck and shoulders straight.

3.You have trouble maintaining the bend.
Solution: Start the haunches-in from a circle to create the bend and then go straight ahead in haunches-in. Go back to the circle if you lose your bend.