Things You Should Be Able To Do Before Going On Trail
By Gaye DeRusso
These are some basic maneuvers you should know how to do before going on trail. Practice them in the arena and make sure you can do them well before going on trail. To work, they require both you and your horse to know them and perform them without issues.
Turn on The Forehand
This will help you to control your horse’s back end. Also helps to turn around on single track. If your horse is trying to rear, bolt, won’t stand still, horse puts butt at bike, car, dog or hiker, doing this turn can get your control back.
Turn on the forehand requires the horse to move its hindquarters around its front legs as it executes a 180-degree turn, starting and ending in halt. This example is turning to the right. Ask for a right bend, just enough to see the corner of your horse’s eye. With your right leg three to four inches behind the girth, ask your horse to move its hindquarters to the left, remembering that it is your leg aid that will achieve the desired lateral movement and not by trying to pull your horse round with the right rein. Use your left rein close to the neck as a support and keep your left leg on the girth, ready to use if you need block the horse’s forehand (front end) from moving. The horse will end up pivoting on its forehand.
Leg Yield
Use this movement, to slow your horse on the trail, occupy his mind, go around bikers, hikers, it is also helpful on the way home if horse is acting up.
Let’s assume you have turned down the three-quarter line (between center and rail of arena) and are aiming to leg yield (towards the right) to the outside track. Your horse should have a slight flexion to the inside (left), just enough that you can just see its eye and nostril, while you should be sitting tall, looking ahead, with your shoulders parallel to your horse’s shoulders and a little more weight on the inside seat bone. Using your inside (left) leg on the girth as your horse swings its inside hind leg forward will encourage it to step sideways, while your outside (right) leg, slightly behind the girth, can be used to drive your horse forward if needed or to prevent its haunches from falling out. Half halting on the outside rein will help to prevent your horse’s shoulder slipping to the outside. It is helpful to think of leg yielding as a step sideways and then going forward a step, this will help to keep your horse straight. Remember your left rein will go against the horse’s neck and the right rein will lead with an open rein.
Side Pass
Use this to move your horse over to open a gate, control your horse if it gets ansy and starts going sideways, to block a spook sideways. Easiest to do in front of a fence to block forward movement. Once you can do it well, then do in center of arena.
Example - Side passing your horse to the right. Open your right rein to lead the horse the direction you want to go, left rein will go against your horse’s neck. The right leg comes off the horse’s side to open up that side to movement. The left leg comes slightly behind the girth and pushes the horse over to the right. If horse moves forward, hold with reins, if horse goes backwards, release rein. Ask for just one step to start, reward with rest when horse does correctly, then ask for more and more steps over time, until you can do at least 5 steps each direction.
Turn On the Haunches
Use this movement to block a spin if your horse spooks, occupy his mind while waiting for your friends to get ready, to move shoulders over on narrow switchback trails. Helpful to turn around on a single track.
The horse’s front feet will cross over each other, while the hind feet march in place. This example will turn the horse to the left. The left rein will lead the horse with an open rein, do not pull back unless horse tries to walk away, the right rein will be against the horse’s neck. The right leg at the girth, will push the horse’s shoulders to the left. Remember you are pushing the horse with your leg, the rein is only guiding the horse which direction to go and preventing the horse from walking away. The horse will end up pivoting on his hindquarters, similar to a spin.
Serpentine
This exercise is helpful to slow the horse down, help him to get down a hard hill, occupy his mind on the way home if getting fast and gets your horse to pay attention.
This serpentine lesson - a series of "S" turns - which will allow you to get control of a horse whose motor is running too fast. But this is not just a basic control exercise. If you work through the serpentine lesson, you'll also find that your horse is better balanced and that he carries his head at an appropriate elevation. This lesson is one of the foundations for any kind of a performance horse. Remember to look in the direction you want to go, usually straight ahead. You’ll make 10-meter half circles, alternating bend. When bending to the right, you will pull right rein slightly to hip to see corner of right eye, use right leg at the girth for horse to bend around. Left rein will control speed and prevent horse’s shoulders from drifting opposite direction. Left leg is behind girth pushing hindquarter around the half circle. Then repeat in other direction. When bending to the left, you will pull right rein slightly to hip to see corner of left eye, use left leg at the girth for horse to bend around. Right rein will control speed and prevent horse’s shoulders from drifting opposite direction. Right leg is behind girth pushing hindquarter around the half circle.
By Gaye DeRusso
These are some basic maneuvers you should know how to do before going on trail. Practice them in the arena and make sure you can do them well before going on trail. To work, they require both you and your horse to know them and perform them without issues.
Turn on The Forehand
This will help you to control your horse’s back end. Also helps to turn around on single track. If your horse is trying to rear, bolt, won’t stand still, horse puts butt at bike, car, dog or hiker, doing this turn can get your control back.
Turn on the forehand requires the horse to move its hindquarters around its front legs as it executes a 180-degree turn, starting and ending in halt. This example is turning to the right. Ask for a right bend, just enough to see the corner of your horse’s eye. With your right leg three to four inches behind the girth, ask your horse to move its hindquarters to the left, remembering that it is your leg aid that will achieve the desired lateral movement and not by trying to pull your horse round with the right rein. Use your left rein close to the neck as a support and keep your left leg on the girth, ready to use if you need block the horse’s forehand (front end) from moving. The horse will end up pivoting on its forehand.
Leg Yield
Use this movement, to slow your horse on the trail, occupy his mind, go around bikers, hikers, it is also helpful on the way home if horse is acting up.
Let’s assume you have turned down the three-quarter line (between center and rail of arena) and are aiming to leg yield (towards the right) to the outside track. Your horse should have a slight flexion to the inside (left), just enough that you can just see its eye and nostril, while you should be sitting tall, looking ahead, with your shoulders parallel to your horse’s shoulders and a little more weight on the inside seat bone. Using your inside (left) leg on the girth as your horse swings its inside hind leg forward will encourage it to step sideways, while your outside (right) leg, slightly behind the girth, can be used to drive your horse forward if needed or to prevent its haunches from falling out. Half halting on the outside rein will help to prevent your horse’s shoulder slipping to the outside. It is helpful to think of leg yielding as a step sideways and then going forward a step, this will help to keep your horse straight. Remember your left rein will go against the horse’s neck and the right rein will lead with an open rein.
Side Pass
Use this to move your horse over to open a gate, control your horse if it gets ansy and starts going sideways, to block a spook sideways. Easiest to do in front of a fence to block forward movement. Once you can do it well, then do in center of arena.
Example - Side passing your horse to the right. Open your right rein to lead the horse the direction you want to go, left rein will go against your horse’s neck. The right leg comes off the horse’s side to open up that side to movement. The left leg comes slightly behind the girth and pushes the horse over to the right. If horse moves forward, hold with reins, if horse goes backwards, release rein. Ask for just one step to start, reward with rest when horse does correctly, then ask for more and more steps over time, until you can do at least 5 steps each direction.
Turn On the Haunches
Use this movement to block a spin if your horse spooks, occupy his mind while waiting for your friends to get ready, to move shoulders over on narrow switchback trails. Helpful to turn around on a single track.
The horse’s front feet will cross over each other, while the hind feet march in place. This example will turn the horse to the left. The left rein will lead the horse with an open rein, do not pull back unless horse tries to walk away, the right rein will be against the horse’s neck. The right leg at the girth, will push the horse’s shoulders to the left. Remember you are pushing the horse with your leg, the rein is only guiding the horse which direction to go and preventing the horse from walking away. The horse will end up pivoting on his hindquarters, similar to a spin.
Serpentine
This exercise is helpful to slow the horse down, help him to get down a hard hill, occupy his mind on the way home if getting fast and gets your horse to pay attention.
This serpentine lesson - a series of "S" turns - which will allow you to get control of a horse whose motor is running too fast. But this is not just a basic control exercise. If you work through the serpentine lesson, you'll also find that your horse is better balanced and that he carries his head at an appropriate elevation. This lesson is one of the foundations for any kind of a performance horse. Remember to look in the direction you want to go, usually straight ahead. You’ll make 10-meter half circles, alternating bend. When bending to the right, you will pull right rein slightly to hip to see corner of right eye, use right leg at the girth for horse to bend around. Left rein will control speed and prevent horse’s shoulders from drifting opposite direction. Left leg is behind girth pushing hindquarter around the half circle. Then repeat in other direction. When bending to the left, you will pull right rein slightly to hip to see corner of left eye, use left leg at the girth for horse to bend around. Right rein will control speed and prevent horse’s shoulders from drifting opposite direction. Right leg is behind girth pushing hindquarter around the half circle.