Canter aid on straight track?

Ryder

New Member
Dec 12, 2008
82
0
0
North Yorkshire
When taught in a school, you are shown to give a left or right aid according to the circle direction. If you are going straight, eg in a field or track, where you want the choice of lead to be left to the horse, would you use both legs behind the girth or what?
 
No, choose one lead or the other. Change leads regularly however so that the horse doesn't favour one lead more than the other and so that each side of the horse is equally muscled.
 
I wouldnt leave the choice to the horse - they naturally pick one leg over the other and so they would opt for that every time, meaning when you next want to school it will be harder to make them take the other one. Always make the decision for them and tell them which you want.
 
If I'm out on a hack - I usually know where I'm going, so will know if we will be making a right or left hand bend in the distance - so will ask for that leading leg. Alternate the leading leg to build symmetry in you and your horse

I've been using an S bend track recently to teach her flying change which is working well.
 
My RI got me to ask for canter down the centre line last week, have never done this before and wasn't really sure how to do it but I tried to bend the horse a bit more towards the lead I was asking for (in this case left) and inside leg on the girth outside leg behind and it worked :) Did however end up with a not very straight centre line :p
 
newrider.com