From A Whisper To A Scream: How loud should your aids really be?

We ask ourselves this question repeatedly. Should we be "loud" in our aids, or should we be working as softly as we can in hopes that our horse can respond to lighter and more refined aids?

Aids are usually invisible to an onlooker

The answer is not simple. To determine the strength level of your aids, you need to know several factors that go into making your decision:

What is the educational level of the horse? If you are riding a young or fairly inexperienced horse, the horse will need a lot more "support" from you than a more mature and developed horse.

You need to, in effect, be there for him. He will likely be less balanced and responsive than you would like, and your aids will need to be strong and secure enough to clearly explain to him what you want. You do not need to be "punishing", but the amount of strength you put into the movements may be more than you think you should be using.

How sensitive is your horse? The sensitive horses generally do not do well with a "shouting" aid. They are the ones that often resist the aids. They get tense, unresponsive, or outright demonstrate their displeasure through "disobedience" such as kicking out, bucking or even head shaking.

For this type of horse, you really need to "zone in" to your own body language and be absolutely clear on your expectations. Being sensitive, your horse might be over-reactive to your aids in the first place, so you have to be sure to not be too overbearing yet absolutely clear so as not to confuse. Be careful to be firm and clear, but at the same time, look for every excuse you can to be light and respectful. The trick is that you need to be so balanced as to be "on" with your aids all the time without increasing the volume. Sensitive horses do best when there is consistency and clarity. This can be very challenging for a rider.

Analyze your horse's conformation. Believe it or not, your horse's conformation plays a large part in the use of your aids. If your horse is built "downhill", he will probably always have difficulty lifting up through the forehand, and will likely always need support from your aids to be able to maintain his balance in a way that keeps him moving correctly and staying sound through the years. If you are riding a thicker, larger horse, chances are, you might need to be "louder" in your aids to get the same results that you would from a smaller horse. If the horse is built for his job, you might be amazed at how light you can be to get phenomenal movement.

Analyze your horse's previous training. If you are riding the horse after someone else has ridden him, you may have to adjust your aids to the level that the horse is expecting, or blueprinted at, by the previous rider. You might start with the level that is sufficient to be clear enough for the horse and work toward the lighter level that you want to achieve.

How does your horse feel today? Like people, horses change moods and levels of inspiration from one day to the next. On a windy, fresh day, your horse might be enthusiastic and even a touch over-excited. On a hot, humid day, your horse may not be so inspired and would rather be having a sun bath than working in the heat. In each case, you will need to adjust the strength of your aids.

What is your level of training? This one must be said! If you are a beginner rider, your aids will be executed in a very different manner than those of a more experienced rider. You will have to develop the level of coordination needed to be able to become lighter over time. Lightness does not mean you simply let go of all your aids and hope for the best (in fact, an educated horse might be offended by that)! Light aids are very difficult to acquire and even harder to execute. It all comes down to experience and education.

So to answer the question: it all depends! You have to be the judge, and know how to read in between your horse's lines.

The difficulty here is that on different days, the same horse may require a "different" rider. You must step up to the challenge, and be willing to change your "style" to suit your horse. Many horses sigh with relief when they discover that their rider knows what she wants and is willing to put the work in to be clear and consistent.

In the meantime, you are always seeking the ultimate lightness of aids. You are always seeking the moment when you and your horse "become one", moving in harmony, balance and lightness. It will come sooner with some horses than others. The main goal is for you to enjoy what each horse offers each day, in the best way that you can.

So, how do you decide how "loud" you need to be in your aids?

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

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For more great reading, check out the articles below:

https://www.horselistening.com2012/02/19/do-you-make-this-timing-mistake-when-riding-your-horse/

https://www.horselistening.com2012/01/29/when-good-enough-just-isnt-good-enough-in-horseback-riding/

https://www.horselistening.com2022/01/24/9-signs-your-horse-is-about-to-or-did-spook/

https://www.horselistening.com2022/01/04/it-isnt-magic-top-5-reasons-why-practice-will-take-you-far-this-year/

 

 

 

Listening Corner – Studying the circle

Theme: Studying the Circle

Cantering on a Circle

How many times have you caught yourself pulling on an already tight inside rein? Have you ever noticed your horse swing his neck to the inside, while you find yourself drifting out toward the rail (thank goodness for that rail, since without it, you would probably drift to oblivion!)? We've all been there and done that (and I have the T-shirt)!

The circle is used so frequently, not only in dressage, but in almost all disciplines, that we would be remiss to not include it in our "studies" about riding and training. The quotes below come from dressage sources, but you can surely find similar information in writing from any discipline.

"Every [dressage] test contains circles: large ones, small ones, some placed in difficult spots, some very easy ones, and some placed before or after a transition into the next movement. But all of them have a number of requirements:

- Circles must be round and executed exactly as stated in the test. This means the rider has to know where the "points" are. The rider must touch these points for one stride only.

- They must be ridden on one track. This means that the horse must be able to bend and have sufficient freedom of the shoulders and hips to accomodate the requested size of the circle without the hanuches falling out or the horse 'popping' his shoulder.

- The regularity of the rhythm must be the same throughout the circle, including engaggement and impulsion, while the horse stays on the bit. As a matter of fact, the horse should be in a better frame coming out of the circle than going into it." 

Riding a circle is not just following the path of the circle (although that can be difficult enough) - it is more about helping the horse improve the use of his hind end, teach him about flexion and bend, and to enable the outside aids to become more effective. The aids for the circle come not only from the rein and leg aids, but even more importantly, from the seat and balance of the rider. Your shoulders and hips should be aligned with the horse's shoulders, while your weight is distributed slightly to the inside. Other things to be aware of:

- your inside seat bone is slightly more weighted than the outside, and is moving within the movement to encourage the horse to use his back.

- your horse is "filling" the outside rein (rather than you shortening the rein or leaving it loopy).

- the outside hind is as engaged as the inside, because the outside has further to travel!

- the inside rein is softly maintaining flexion but that is all - don't let it interfere with the horse's movement.

- half-halts at every "point" of the circle help the horse to improve his balance and become more round and free-moving.

"One can say that a horse is on the aids and correctly bent on the large circle when he applies an even tension to both reins, when both hind feet tread in the tracks of the forefeet, when the crest tips over to the inside, and when the horse maintains the bend when the rider surrenders the contact with the inside rein.

One should not, however, expect the horse to maintain the bend on his own for any length of time. To keep him precisely on the line of the circle, the rider must remain extremely attentive and continuously though imperceptibly, alternate between shoulder-in and travers-like aids according to the tendency of the horse to fall in or out from the prescribed line."

By Alfred Knopfhart, Dressage: A Guidebook for the Road to Success, 1996, p.34

They say that the greatest riders look like they are doing nothing at all. The more you ride and you begin to feel the success that comes with the refinement of the aids, the more you will know this to be true. The secret to looking like you are doing nothing is to do a lot in tiny little increments. Once you get used to the subtle movements that are required, it will feel like you are doing nothing - but in fact, your body is making constant minute adjustments to ensure that it is either following the horse or helping the horse to maintain balance. 

__________________________

"Excessive bend is wrong and creates tension rather than making the horse more supple. Another common fault, especially in lateral work, is excessiv flexion. Too much bend in the head and neck prevents the horse from bending through the ribs as required, and therefore also makes it impossible for the horse to be evenly bent throughout its length. The horse's neck is 'broken' just in front of the withers.

Exaggerated bend can also result in the horse falling sideways instead of answering the rider's inside leg. This defeats the object of the exercise, which is to bend the horse."

German National Equestrian Federation, Advanced Techniques of Dressage, p.32

We know we should not be pulling on that inside rein, yet we continue to do it all the time. The trick to "unlearning" the reliance on the inside rein is to take a look at the neck. Just look down! I know everyone says not to - when you look, just don't tilt your head downward, so you can maintain your balance. But take a glance and actually see where that neck is. Learn how the "cranked" neck appears from above - it looks like the neck is disconnected at the withers area. The body seems to go one way while the neck is headed toward the middle of the circle.

When you see that, lighten the inside rein.  Work on using a more active inside leg, use your seat to help rebalance the horse to the outside, and take up the (very likely) loop in the outside rein. Then allow the neck to straighten (note: don't just pull on the outside rein!). Straighten the horse's body, and start the circle again and see if you can continue on the circle without pulling on the rein.

And that's all there is to the circle! 🙂

What other tips do you have for us about riding the circle?

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More Listening Corner posts:

Contact And "On The Bit": I've tried to pick out the most relevant sections for today's quotes, but please go to the original books to get a much more in-depth analysis. Enjoy!

Riding Goals Defined: At some point, you're going to find yourself wondering: why am I riding? No two answers are going to be the same, and your own answer might change as time goes on.

The Rider: Although the world around the horse has changed over the years, the horse itself remains essentially the same, and therefore the requirements of riding are essentially unchanged.

The "Art" Of Riding: . We know 'art' when we see it - the performance transforms from just plain effortless and technically correct to evoking an emotional response, moving us in the depths of our beings and reminding us why we are so enthralled by the power and magnificence of the horse.

Speaking “Horse” (a.k.a. “Pushing the Envelope”)

What does your horse's expression tell you?
What does your horse's expression tell you?

You've seen it before (maybe you've been there yourself?) - the horse/human tug-of-war scenario:

The person is trying desperately to keep the horse in a particular position

or

the person is leading the horse somewhere and all the while, the horse is moving, imposing, and once in a while, running over the doting human being!

*        *         *         *          *

Once you know how to listen to your horse, a whole world of communication can open up for you. You will know how to interpret what the horse is saying - to the other horses, to you, and to the 'world'. Horses send messages out as much as humans do. It's just that we do it verbally (just think of what a gathering of people sounds like and you'll know what I mean).

Horses, on the other hand, do very little verbally (unless the horses belong to me - they've definitely learned to 'voice' their opinion!). Most of their communication lies in the non-verbal realm; you need to learn to 'listen' in a different sense, by carefully observing their body movements. Pretty much EVERY movement has a meaning and is 'sent out' with deliberate intention. The talent on your part is to interpret the body language accurately.

Point in fact - the horse's social structure works on a basic hierarchical system. Lower-level horses always defer to the herd leader. In other words, if the herd leader moves into the direction of another horse, the lower horse is expected to move away - from the hay, from another horse friend, or simply from the herd leader himself.

Neglecting to move away often results in a more aggressive movement from the herd leader - including the possibility of a swift kick in the lower-level horse's direction!



This submission has developed over the millenia for good reason - the herd leader HAD to be the one who moved the herd around. In nature, without a good leader to tell the others what to do and where to go, the herd's safety would be at risk.

How does this involve you, the human? Your actions will dictate your current and future relationship with that horse. Here is a possible scenario: while you are leading the horse beside you, the horse steps into your direction, almost walking on top of you. Your possible responses:

- you think it's cute that the horse wants to snuggle up to you, and you step back as the horse walks into you

- you see the horse coming in your direction and you push the horse on his shoulder so he doesn't continue coming into your space

Each reaction on your part gives the horse a different message. The first reaction - stepping away - will tell the horse that he is the herd leader between the two of you, and that he should be the one to make decisions. Many times, this 'herd dynamic' works just fine for your interactions, because chances are that your horse is kind and generous and usually will not be inclined toward stepping on you or dragging the lead rope out of your hand.

But unfortunately, the one time that he feels he must impose his authority on you (if he feels threatened by an unfamiliar object), you will not have a say in his decision-making. As the lower ranked member of your herd, you must obey - meaning, you'd better get out of his way as he tramples you to get away from the fear object!

If instead, you choose to not move away and push him back out of your space the moment you notice him stepping toward you, you impart a very different message. In this case, you are telling him that you are the herd leader, and he needs to respect your personal space.

This is the preferable role for you as human, since you are likely more than six times smaller and lighter and at risk of being easily injured based on just the size difference itself.

As you learn to listen to your horse, you will realize that there is constant communication going back and forth between the two of you (whether you know it or not). So instead of assuming the subservient role, pay closer attention and work on asking your horse the questions. If you move into his space, will he move away from you? If you need him to stop moving his feet, will he stand still?

Make a habit of routinely asking him questions. If he answers "yes" to your questions, you can be thankful and reward him with a pat and a "good boy" vocal response, but your job is not quite complete. Just getting an affirmative is not enough - as soon as your horse gives you the 'yes', you need to ask him the next level of question.

Maybe it could be something like: "Will you stand still and not dive for the grass while I lead you in the field with the yummiest grass?" The next level might be, "Will you walk nicely and not prance around while I lead you away from the barn and your herd members?"

Each time you get the 'yes', think of something that could be the next step. Pushing the envelope is one step in developing a trusting, confident relationship with your horse.

What are some questions you ask of your horse?

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Read more here:

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How the “Not Canter” Can Drastically Improve Your Transitions: Every time you ask (with the correct aids), the horse resists. The situation becomes ugly – you have a hard enough time just sitting the bounciness, never mind getting the transition. What to do? This article remains one of our most popular posts of all-time.

What Responsible Horse Ownership Really Means: We need to keep in mind that horses are prey animals and long-time domesticated livestock. If we listen well enough, we discover that what we think of as giving might not be what the horses truly need.

10 Tips for the Average Rider: Are you an average rider? Then join the club!

20 Ways Horse Riding Becomes Life Itself: You could say that horses are our teachers. Not only do we grow in terms of physical ability, but perhaps even more so, we grow in character.