Home
Our Sho Room Store
CLOSEOUT Breeches
About Us
Women’s Clothes
Horse Art by Michele
Dressage Breech SALE
Dressage Riding Helmets
Pikeur Breeches
Men’s Clothes
Dressage Stock Ties
Dressage Stock Pins
Dressage Gifts:
- Horse Note Cards
- T-Shirts & Caps
- Arthur Court Serveware
- Jewelry
Dressage Accessories:
- Bun Holders
- Pocket Squares
- Riding Gloves
- Men’s Show Ties
- Top Hats
- Belts
- Equestrian Boot Socks
- Watches & Jewelry
NEW: From the Experts
Testimonials
ShoNews
Contact Us
Shipping
Helpful Tips
Links
Sho Clothes Blog
Shopping Cart
Stay in Touch!
Fan Us on Facebook
Follow Us on Twitter
Dressage Tips - From the Experts
[back to main Dressage Tips page]
How to Make Your Horse “In Front of the Leg”
by Shannon Dueck
[Shannon Dueck is a contributing writer to the Sho Clothes Sho News monthly newsletter]
(Photo of Shannon Dueck by Sue Stickle)
Practical Advice - How to Make Your Horse
“In Front of the Leg”
Recently I wrote about what we mean by the term Forward or In Front of the Leg. It doesn’t matter if you are walking on a long rein at the beginning of your ride or training canter pirouettes towards the end of the ride, if you are mindful of keeping your horse easily in front of the leg at all times every part of your ride will be easier. I am now going to detail how I go about improving this quality.
First, let me emphasize that insisting that your horse is more In Front of the Leg is only fair if you plan on insisting on it every time you use your leg. In addition, your will only be successful if you have developed a strong, balanced and independent seat, so that you can apply clear and consistent leg aids, and become neutral with your legs at any time. No gripping with the leg to supplement your core is allowed!
Recognize that every horse has a different reaction to a leg correction, and for both safety and fairness, the rider has to assess just how much of a correction is needed. If you have a hot and reactive horse, you will probably get by with a quick bump with your leg or a baby spur, but if your horse is on the lazy side you will need a larger spur and possibly a whip to back up your leg. The desired correction should get an overreaction - but not a wild explosion please. I want your horse to get easier, not get you off!
Make yourself drape your leg around the horse and resist the temptation to use your leg every stride. Ask with a little leg for a prompt forward transition within the gait or up to trot or canter. You need a quick forward reaction with his hind leg(s). If your horse responds immediately and well, drape your leg and enjoy the reaction. If instead you get a sluggish response, you must correct this immediately. Take your leg off the horse’s side, and give him a quick bump with your leg. If you get a great correction response, that’s enough. Drape your leg again and enjoy the reaction. A Good Boy along with a draped leg is the reward for an immediate prompt response to your leg aid.
A lazy or distracted horse will need more of a correction. If you bump him with your leg and get little response, your correction must quickly get more definite. A quick spur is necessary, or a quick tap with the whip. If you have had to kick, spur, or use your whip, it is absolutely not adequate if the your horse gets a little better. He must immediately jump forward and hurry too much, enough so that you can take your leg off, after which you need to bring him back to a quieter tempo. Remember, this is a correction, not an aid. You need the correction to be strong enough that you can use a lighter leg aid after and have him react immediately and correctly.
After every correction, quickly return to neutral, and test your leg aid. Do this by asking for the prompt forward transition again with a light leg aid. If your correction was adequate, your horse will respond immediately and well. You must in turn immediately reward with a Good Boy and a draped leg. If your horse fails the test and is still sluggish, immediately correct again, return to neutral, and test your leg aid again. When your horse passes the light leg test you are ready to go on in your ride.
Horses are simple creatures, and can really only understand one correction at a time. For this reason it is very important that when insisting that your horse jumps forward and gets hot off your leg, you must not pull on his mouth. This will only serve to confuse your horse (Do you mean Go or Stop)? Keep your hands a little forward until your horse is convinced that he must be hot and reactive to your leg and you can drape your leg, and only then bring your horse back with your rein aids. During a correction to your leg, please don’t worry if your horse is momentarily above the bit. Trust that after an effective correction you will be able to use a light leg into your rein aid and keep your horse nicely on the bit.
And that’s really all there is to it. Simple. OK, not so easy to put into practice, but if you have developed an independent seat, you can do this. It takes mental focus and consistency. Every time your horse gets sluggish to the leg, regardless of what you are actually doing (Walk/trot transitions? Shoulder-in? Piaffe?) make a quick correction, and a quick reward when you get a good reaction. Your horse will become much more attuned to your leg aids, and you will find that over time you will be making fewer and fewer corrections, and be able to use lighter leg aids throughout your entire ride. It’s really much more fun to ride a horse that is truly In Front of the Leg!
International Grand Prix trainer and competitor Shannon Dueck is a Pan Am Games Individual Silver Medalist, and has competed at both WEG and the World Cup Final. She has trained with Bert Rutten of the Netherlands, Kathy Connelly, Lars Peterson, Hubertus Schmidt, Robert Dover, and most recently, Wolfram Wittig while in Germany this past summer.
Interested in helping to promote Dressage in the U.S.? Consider donating to help Shannon return to Germany!
Shannon DueckShannon Dueck is working towards financing another training and competition tour in Europe for the summer of 2011. This is a giant step towards her goal of competing at the Olympics in 2012 with her mare Ayscha. Ms. Dueck recently established grant eligibility with the American Horse Trials Foundation. You can help Shannon and Ayscha realize their potential and goals by making a tax deductible donation to the AHTF. For more information please contact Shannon or the Foundation directly:
American Horse Trials Foundation, Inc.
221 Grove Cove Road
Centreville, MD, 21617
Phone: 443-262-9555
Email AHTF: ahtf@att.net
Donations are 100% tax deductible according to the IRS Code Section 501(c)(3). The American Horse Trials Foundation was established in 1987 to assist 3-Day Event Riders and Organizers in raising tax deductible financial support for national and international competition. In 1996 the Bylaws were revised so that the Foundation could assist riders competing in the related disciplines of dressage and show jumping.
[back to main Dressage Tips page]