Your very own unique aid (cue)?

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Sid these days!
Apr 30, 2010
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Today as we were trotting along I noticed that I have an aid which I use when Ziggy is slowing up in trot and I want him to keep going. I don't use my leg (lazy!), I nudge him on the withers with my fist (holding the rein). I don't really do this consciously, but I must do it regularly because he responds to it like any other aid.

I am sure I have lots of other little "tells" which is why he starts trotting when I think about trotting rather than when I ask him to trot! But I noticed that one today.

What are your own weird and wonderful aids?
 
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Lol!
I don't think I have any of my own creation but I do use "Up" for anything that needs a leg on when I can't be bothered to nudge extra hard or for lunging, something the French find funny and think I'm just making a special sound to her like "Hup". I also use "toosh" (touche in French but sounds like toosh) for anything she spooks at as I've taught her it to be her "safety" word i.e. everythings ok you can even touch it with your nose if you want.
Never heard of yours though @Jane&Ziggy , might try and teach that to mine!
 
With Bo my canter cue was a deep breath, it began on the lunge, deep breath to say and caaannntter! And I kept doing it when I backed him, after a while he responded to the breath and body prep alone :)
 
I went to a Mary King demo some years ago (must have been 8 years ago as I was pregnant!), and she was saying that she gets her horses to canter by doing the quietest and most subtle 'click' and doesn't even use her legs at all.
 
Belle has a couple, one which I didn't teach her and found out accidentally, if you grab a handful of mane near her withers she'll canter flat out! The others are stop if I gently pull on her neck strap (hi viz we use out hacking) and if I start to say 'ready' in the school she will go up a gear without me touching her with my leg, she'll do that on the lunge too, I guess lots of people use verbal cue's though. I used to say 'ready and brruup' but now I get as far as 're' and she's off.
 
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Grace thinks OKay means canter. But we didnt intentionally teach her.
Of course that may explain why she wouldnt canter for other students when she was used for school lessons.
 
Kite_Rider said:
Belle has a couple, one which I didn't teach her and found out accidentally, if you grab a handful of mane near her withers she'll canter flat out! The others are stop if I gently pull on her neck strap (hi viz we use out hacking) and if I start to say 'ready' in the school she will go up a gear without me touching her with my leg, she'll do that on the lunge too, I guess lots of people use verbal cue's though. I used to say 'ready and brruup' but now I get as far as 're' and she's off.
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Omg Storm is exactly the same, if you grab a handful of mane, off she goes!lol
 
Sometimes when we are nearing the end of a hack my body starts to feel a bit "set" from walking so I stand in my stirrups just to stretch my lower half out. Gracie always breaks into trot. Every time :rolleyes:

Not something I've taught her, but something she does from a cue.
 
I do use my voice a lot as an aid. I don't really get or care that it's frowned upon in dressage. She listens and to a point has encouraged me to use it.
Maybe it's a mare thing?

I have a whistle that means come in we are finished when lunging and loose schooling. It doesn't work for catching her. :D

I use a kiss sound that means go forwards. I tend to do this if she is worried and needs encouragement, but I discovered by accident it also means gallop if we are cantering.

I have a verbal half halt. I personally find that so much simpler. But picked it up by accident.

Grabbing mane is likely to result in me checking my balance because she will slow up or slam on the breaks in utter disgust. I haven't checked if this is still the case though.
 
I've said UP! when I've put my horse in at a terrible line at a jump and tis kinda like ah sheet sorry buddy please try! And he does :)
Deep breathe in is usually go up a gear, and deep breathe out is down a gear, or when im nervous and we turn towards a big jump, my instructor gets me to breathe out and think calm thoughts!
 
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