Riding aids
Riding aids are the cues a rider gives to a horse to communicate what they want the animal to do. Riding aids are broken into the natural aids and the artificial aids.
Natural aids
Natural aids are those of the rider's body, and should be used for the majority of the cues to the horse. Overuse of any aid can be detrimental to the training of the horse, but in general harsh or rough hands are considered the worst crime a rider can commit using the natural aids. Mastering and refining these natural aids, often alongside artificial ones, constitutes a significant portion of a rider's challenge in achieving true competence. The natural aids include the legs, hands, weight, and voice.It is important to remember that the aids are used in a spectrum, from very light to very powerful, depending on the response desired. A very sensitive horse may readily jump forward from light touch of the leg, while a horse that is habituated to leg pressure may require a kick to get the same response. Additionally, an aid from canter to walk, for example, will use slightly more restraining aid on a particular horse than that horse would need going from canter to trot.
Positioning of the legs, seat, and hands are also used in a spectrum according to the individual horse and the response desired. For example, the aid for the canter depart may require the leg to be in a slightly different place than when it asks the horse to bend, or when it corrects hindquarters that are falling to the outside.
In all cases, good training aims for the horse to be responsive at the slightest cue, rather than requiring harsh aids to get a response. Responsiveness is mainly trained through the use of positive and negative reinforcement as well as classical conditioning. A well-trained horse may be harder to ride, as they will respond to the slightest movement or shift in weight made by the rider. They might interpret a mistake made by the rider as a cue to do something. Riders must therefore be sure that any perceived "disobediences" are not actually caused by their own doing.
Good training of the rider will aim to produce someone with an "independent seat", meaning someone who is able to give the aids independent of each other. The rider's first task is to learn to ride the horse without interfering: keeping a steady contact with the bit, sitting in a balanced, relaxed position that allows them to absorb the horse's movement, and keeping a steady, quiet leg that does not pinch, bounce, or push forward or back. Only then will the rider be able to really start to influence the horse in such a way to help it.
The leg
The leg, along with the seat, should be the main aid for the horse. It has a great deal of control over the horse's hindquarters, and is used to ask the horse to go forward, increase impulsion, step sideways, and correctly bend. It is the primary "driving aid".Both legs in a neutral position, applying equal pressure against the horse's sides, generally asks for an increase in speed within their current gait or an upward transition. Depending on the level of restraining aids, the leg can also ask for an increase in impulsion, for collection, or even for the rein back. To ask a horse to back up, a rider simultaneously uses soft rein aids to keep the horse from stepping forward, but uses the legs to ask for movement, so the horse moves backwards. It is incorrect to ask for a rein back by pulling or jerking on the reins.
One leg in a neutral position, or slightly back from neutral, when applied more than the other leg, will ask the horse to step sideways from its pressure. Depending on the amount of restraining aids, this can cue various lateral movements, ranging from a leg-yield or half-pass, to a sidepass, to a turn on the haunches or turn on the forehand, to a pirouette.
One leg further back, in a supporting passive role, and the other leg in a neutral position, but active role, will ask the horse to bend toward the direction of the neutral leg. For example, on a circle going to the right, the rider will put his or her outside leg slightly further back, and use the inside leg at the neutral position to ask the horse to bend correctly through his body. This is also important when cueing for movements that require bend, such as the half-pass, or pirouette.
One leg farther back, with the other leg in a neutral position, both actively encouraging the horse forward, will usually aid the horse to canter. The horse will pick up the lead opposite the leg that is further back.
The hands
The hands communicate to the horse through the reins to the bit. They have the most control over the horse's head and shoulders, and relatively little control over the animal's hindquarters.The hands are used for two main purposes: as a "restraining aid" or as a guiding aid, encouraging the horse to go in a certain direction.
Both hands, pulling backwards and used together, act as a restraining aid. Depending on the amount of restraint the rider uses, this may ask the horse to halt, perform a downward transition, reinback, or bring his hind legs further under his body, increasing impulsion or collection. As a restraining aid, the hands should be used in conjunction with the legs. If the rider slows "all in the hands" he creates an unbalanced transition, with the horse on the forehand. This balance of leg and hand is something that must be learned by the rider, and most beginners will halt simply by pulling backwards on the reins.
One rein used more than the other can create a guiding effect. There are 3 main turning aids using the hands, in which the inside rein directs the horse in the direction of the turn. However, all should be used with an outside supporting rein, to keep the horse's shoulders straight, and to contain the energy.
- Direct rein: one rein pulls straight back, encouraging the horse to turn in the direction of pressure.
- Indirect rein or bearing rein: pulls back inward in the direction of the horse's outside hip, without crossing over the neck, though the rein may touch the inside of the neck. This is usually used to correct straightness problems in the horse's neck and shoulders, as well as for lateral movements such as haunches-in.
- Opening rein: does not pull back, but rather the rider moves his or her hands away from the horse's neck in the direction of the turn. This is especially useful if the rider wants to turn in the air when jumping a fence.
- Neck rein: Laying the rein against the outside of neck of the horse, usually to support an inside rein cue when both hands are used. Also used to turn a horse without bit contact.
A harsh jerk upward with one hand is used in a technique called the "one-rein stop." This is an emergency technique, when the horse is running away with his rider and no other method will stop him.
Western-style riding employs the use of the neck rein. The rider, holding the reins in one hand, moves that hand one way or the other so that the reins put pressure on the neck of the horse to ask for a turn. The bit does not come into play. This technique is also used occasionally by English-style riders such as polo riders.
Like the leg aids, the severity of the hands can communicate different things. So a slight resistance backed up with the leg can act as a half-halt, whereas a larger resistance will communicate to the horse to halt.
The seat
Opinions vary on the definition of "the seat", but most agree that it includes the rider's hip region, including the seat bones and the pelvis, the thighs, all of which must be supple and balanced to correctly absorb movement. The seat is one of the more difficult aids to develop because the rider must first learn to relax and sit on the horse without bouncing or interfering with its movement before being able to learn how to apply the seat as an aid. The human centre of gravity is just above the pelvis. By tilting the pelvis very slightly backward the centre of gravity will shift and the horse will slow down or halt, depending on the horse and the degree of tilting. By pushing the pelvis half an inch forward, the centre of gravity will encourage the horse to move faster.Most of the time, the seat stays in a neutral position in the saddle, neither restraining nor encouraging forward movement, simply following and absorbing the horse's motion. In general, the rider's hips should be placed so that they mimic the position of the horse's hips, and the rider's shoulders mirroring the position of the horse's shoulders. This allows the rider to follow the movement correctly, helps to keep the rider balanced in the saddle, and helps to guide the horse with minimal effort.
The seat can be used as a restraining aid, by temporarily stopping its following movement with the horse. This is usually used in conjunction with the hands, which is known as a half-halt, with some support from the legs.
By weighting one seat bone or the other, one can encourage bend in that direction. This should always be used with the inside leg asking for the horse to bend around it, and the outside leg providing impulsion for the bend. The hands also ask the horse to bend, with a slight direct or indirect rein. A more advanced form of this set of aids is seen in the half-pass, where the outside leg asks the horse to step over, the inside opening rein encourages that movement, and the inside seat bone and leg maintain the bend in the direction of travel.
One seat bone may also actively push forward and sideways into the horse, to encourage the canter depart. This is used in conjunction with the legs and hands in their appropriate places.
Lastly, the seat may be used as a driving aid, if the rider shifts their hips and slightly backwards and pushes both seat bones into the saddle. This technique is generally discouraged, as this is considered uncomfortable for the horse, causes a loss of suppleness through the hips for the rider, and the legs should be the primary driving aids.