Add More Leg: Our natural aids and when we use them!
Our aids are how we communicate with our horse. Your natural aids are the aids that you have naturally occurring on your body; these include your seat, voice, legs, and hands. Let’s talk about how we use them every ride!
Have you ever been riding and your horse gets a little too fast and your trainer tells you to sink into your saddle, half-halt, and say whoa? In that scenario, you used three natural aids: your seat, hands, and voice. What about when your horse maybe isn’t on a big enough stride leading up to a fence? Your trainer will tell you to add leg and soften in your hands; maybe even get up off their back—another use of your natural aids. Riding cannot happen without the use of your natural aids; even just squeezing to walk is the use of an aid. When you use your seat, you are changing the weight in your saddle to adjust speed or pace; sitting deeper causes the horse to slow, whereas lifting out of your seat while adding leg results in an increase in speed and pace. Your hands can be used in a variety of ways. A half-halt is the result of holding and releasing pressure on your reins. Our horses’s mouths are very sensitive, and even just that slight change in pressure can make a huge difference. A softer hand in a line of jumps or poles can help a horse open their stride to reach a distance. It is important to know that a softer hand does not mean to open your fingers; your fingers should remain closed and around your reins. Your voice is used in tandem with your other natural aids, through either clucks and kisses or verbal commands. For instance, clucking or kissing can tell the horse you need them to pick up the pace, while a gentle “whoa” or “good boy/girl” can indicate the need to slow down and relax. Even when you are handling your horse on the ground, you may find yourself saying “it’s okay” or “whoa” to a particularly spooky or fresh horse.
Your natural aids are the easiest aids to learn how to use and are going to be the aids you use the most when riding. Always remember: Add leg!!d
