Beginner: Aids

This post started with position and was getting ridiculously long - even by my standards. So it's been divided into several weeks' worth of posts (losing the original topic entirely!) and consequently made much more reasonable :) Enjoy!

Aids are how we communicate with the horse. Much as we'd like to, just giving the horse the course map and saying "go there" usually isn't going to be entirely successful. So we use a variety of aids to communicate. The natural aids are: leg, seat, hand, voice. (sidenote -- sometimes people will add in weight or body to that list -- otherwise those are all lumped in with "seat"). Where and how you combine these things leads to everything from convincing your horse to stop and go, to tempi-changes and pirouettes. When you're first learning to ride you'll rely primarily on your leg and hand, with perhaps a little help from your voice. As you progress, this will change so that you rely mostly on your seat with a little help from the leg and hand.

When you're applying your aids, remember "ask, tell, demand" -- just like you wouldn't want to be shouted at without being asked first, nor is it fair to "yell" at your horse using strong aids before "asking" him first with soft ones. For instance, when you want him to go first give a gentle squeeze with both legs. Then if that doesn't work, a kick. And if that *still* doesn't work you might go to a stronger kick or use of a crop. This escalation has to take place within three seconds for the horse to make the connection and the aids MUST be given in order. If the first time doing an exercise, they don't get it on the softest aid, you should redo the exercise immediately after they've done it until they do get it from the soft aid. (so if the first time you have to kick to make your horse trot. Trot a few strides, then come back to the walk and repeat the transition. If you were quick enough in your aids the first time, the next time you should be able to get it from a squeeze. Most horses learn this very quickly when it's applied consistently.)

Your natural aids (remember: leg, seat, hand, voice) are always in one of three states: active, passive, or preventing.

• An active aid is one that is telling the horse to do something, for instance squeezing your legs to make your horse go faster.


• A passive aid is one that is there, but relaxed, such as a leg that is touching the horse, but not squeezing or telling him to do anything.


• A preventing aid is one that is stopping the horse from doing something they want to do (that you haven't asked them too!). An example of this might be pulling back on the reins when a horse is going to fast.

To supplement the natural aids are artificial aids: a crop (or a dressage whip) or spurs. These are not meant to hurt the horse but to enable the experienced rider to refine and clarify the natural aids. Spurs should never be used by a novice rider since if your leg slips (a normal thing when you're learning), you'll unfairly jab your horse. Also, if you happen to be studying for the EquineCanada exams, note that they consider the martingale (which could be either standing or running - see "tack") to be an artificial aid. Most other examination systems I'm aware of (BHS, PC etc) do not. So if you're writing a test, make sure you know whose book you should be reading!