Rider Tip: Activate the Inside hind leg

Описание: To keep your horse's energy level up and keep him lively when riding exercises which combine a number of patterns and movements, you can take advantage of your horse's reorganization of balance that occurs at the beginning of a new line (arena pattern) or change of direction. Activate the inside hind leg for a couple of strides with your inside leg or a vibration of the whip to ask the horse to pick it up a little sooner. Since he is busy rearranging his feet and his balance, he can't brace against you or use the ground against you, so the driving aid has a better chance of going through. Activating the inside hind leg in this manner allows you to enter the new line or movement with a little more power and emphasis on impulsion. Once you achieve this activation, you can become more passive for a few strides and, if necessary, repeat the request again, and if you change direction, you can activate and “speed up” the new inside hind leg.

This strategy allows you to apply driving aids that are more effective and to avoid driving continuously all the time, which would make the horse dull the leg aids.

By changing the bend and changing direction frequently, you can fire up both hind legs in short intervals, which will give you a vibrant, energetic horse. Your aim is to activate, engage, and flex each hind leg, which is achieved by activating the new inside hind leg each time you change direction. This is especially beneficial to horses who conserve energy and are a little on the phlegmatic side, and those who lose power in lateral movements, drag their feet, or brace the hind legs against their rider. With naturally hot, sensitive horses, you have to use this technique judiciously and sparingly in order not make them tense and explosive.

Through consistently riding with this tip in mind, you can instill in your horse the habit of immediately activating the inside hind leg so you don't have to remind him to do so anymore, because it will become the new way he works, moves, and uses his body. And he will become more finely tuned, i.e. more responsive to your leg aids.

Thomas & Shana Ritter - www.artisticdressage.com
Now located in Portugal, Thomas is an International Clinician and author of "Dressage Principles based on Biomechanics" and "Long Reining: From the Beginning through the Levade" (published by Cadmos Press in both English and German) and countless articles in many publications. Shana is a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist. Together they create and orchestrate the Artistic Dressage program.

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