This video was super helpful. I have an OTTB that doesn’t do well with too much rein pressure so I had to teach myself how to use the other aids better. These aids worked like a dream at both the trot and canter
I'm really hoping to work on using my body to slow my horse so that I'll be more confident at the canter. I tend to clutch at the reins when I get scared. A video on how to slow the horse at the canter would be super helpful! The transition is no problem, it's my confidence that I can control the speed without changing the gait that makes me rely on my reins which makes him tense. Thanks for the video!
Bookmouse Hi there, I’m about to release a video on how to sit to the canter better which may help as if your sitting stiff, the horse will run away from your seat. If you pulse pulse on the outside rein then relax and try that instead of pulling . Your horse will learn that as an aid to slow down rather than changing pace. Check out joint my tribe of Patrons. It’s a mentoring program that means you can join in live Q and A and send videos of yourself riding and I send back voice- over lessons www.kirstinkellyequestrian.com is my website or the Patron info is www.patreon.com/kirstinkellyequestrian
@ bookmouse You could also add a good quality neck strap so that you can hold that in your hand attached to one or both of your pinkies or you have an extra there for you to grab so you don’t have the reins as your instinct to lean and pull on when you get nervous. Practice using your core in your seat to Control the rhythm, tempo/speed, length of stride and all downward transitions is some thing you can do in sets just like when lifting weights or exercising and you can do walk halt walk, walk trot walk, trot walk trot and even with trot Canter trot and vice versa. If you are using your seat and your inner thighs and slowing the motion of your hips and your horse is not listening to that or reacting to that aid then you want to add in a closing of your outside fist as if you are squishing a sponge or catching a fly really quickly and then releasing and then if the horse doesn’t listen to your seat with the closing of your fist, then you close the fist/hand longer and a little bit harder and add in more tone and stronger tone in your entire arm if you need to be stronger. But always start with the seat and then add the hand and as soon as you get a little bit of a reaction of slowing down, release your aids and then start again. Add in sets with the transitions using your seat or even transitions within a gate using your seats can really help you and the horse get in sync and hope your horse gets on your aids.
I like what you say about use of core and thigh to slow down (which is essentially a half halt )however the person who demonstrating is constantly using her spurs to keep the horse forward . This is incorrect and seen in many dressage areas. The correct manner is to ask the horse to go forward from a soft clear leg and seat aid with a giving hand. If the horse does not respond tap with your whip or use legs stronger and then release . This rider is making the horse numb to the leg ( and spur ) by nagging her and the horse is protesting by swishing her tail. The rider needs to be more in tune with her mare to make a softer more flowing and willing partner. Unfortunately this fault is seen most dressage arenas and training facilities .
Yes your totally right , we are always striving to ride with a relaxed leg that is only used once then backed up with a little kick or a tap with the whip into an elastic forward thinking hand . I use riders who are amateurs as I feel it’s keeps it real , often trainers don’t understand how difficult it is to ride simple exercises as they are gliding around on their Grand Prix dressage horse. This video is trying to teach riders how to use their core to half halt rather than always thinking slowing down starts with the hand .
I really enjoy your videos and you were working in the ring next to the student and really going into detail on the subject of the video. I Know that you did a video on the aids for dressage and the aids for the writer in general but I didn’t notice that at 3:03 you asked the rider to bring the horse out and go into the walk. I noticed the rider used the leg in an awkward and incorrect way and was wondering if you could do a video on that. She would bend at the knees and bring the heel and the spur back and then press the heel with the spur into the horse’s rib cage rather than closing the inside of the calf muscle and squeezing inward with both calves. I do you notice a lot of riders bending the knee and bringing the heel and the ankle back and squeezing with a bending knees lifting the thigh and changing the angle of the hip and that is actually raising or lifting the thigh and knee and the rider is using the strong leg muscle (hamstring) that we as humans use on a regular basis rather than using that inner leg muscles and pressing in word with the inside of the calf muscle for a driving or leg aid. I think So many riders do this because the inner thigh muscles or inner leg muscles are weaker and they automatically slightly turn the leg out and bend the knee to give a leg aid because that hamstring is the stronger muscle and leg muscle we use more often on a daily basis and it is a more natural movement of our skeleton in our leg to bend the knee with that incorrect way of giving a leg aid so many riders do this because the inner thigh muscles or inner leg muscles are weaker and they automatically slightly turn the leg out and bend the knee to give leg aid because that hamstring is the stronger muscle and one we use more often on a daily basis and it is a more natural movement of our skeleton in our leg to bend the knee with that incorrect way of giving a leg aid. I also noticed riders that do this with bending the knee to give the leg aid, also do a scrubbing of the hill against the horses rib cage where they go off the stirrup iron to get the leg aid with the heel or spur and then keep scrubbing that heel against the side to get the horse to go.
Always learn so much from your videos! I am having this issue with my horse. He is becoming very deaf to my hand and body. Thank you! I am working on a RUclips Channel, do you mind telling me which mics you use? I keep picking up major wind!
![KSI - Dirty [Official Visualiser]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VoDh1h1dPUE/mqdefault.jpg)
This video was super helpful. I have an OTTB that doesn’t do well with too much rein pressure so I had to teach myself how to use the other aids better. These aids worked like a dream at both the trot and canter
Love your videos...the advice about chin up and elbows down. Helped me more than you know...the video on releasing....thank you
Aw thanks for the lovely feedback 🥰
Beautiful presentations. Your advice at the end of correct repetitive use of aids will improve the development of rider a & horse. Yes, a thumbs up.
Thanks for the lovely comment 😊
I'm really hoping to work on using my body to slow my horse so that I'll be more confident at the canter. I tend to clutch at the reins when I get scared. A video on how to slow the horse at the canter would be super helpful! The transition is no problem, it's my confidence that I can control the speed without changing the gait that makes me rely on my reins which makes him tense. Thanks for the video!
Bookmouse Hi there, I’m about to release a video on how to sit to the canter better which may help as if your sitting stiff, the horse will run away from your seat. If you pulse pulse on the outside rein then relax and try that instead of pulling . Your horse will learn that as an aid to slow down rather than changing pace. Check out joint my tribe of Patrons. It’s a mentoring program that means you can join in live Q and A and send videos of yourself riding and I send back voice- over lessons www.kirstinkellyequestrian.com is my website or the Patron info is www.patreon.com/kirstinkellyequestrian
@@KirstinKellyEquestrian Thanks for the tip :)
@ bookmouse
You could also add a good quality neck strap so that you can hold that in your hand attached to one or both of your pinkies or you have an extra there for you to grab so you don’t have the reins as your instinct to lean and pull on when you get nervous. Practice using your core in your seat to Control the rhythm, tempo/speed, length of stride and all downward transitions is some thing you can do in sets just like when lifting weights or exercising and you can do walk halt walk, walk trot walk, trot walk trot and even with trot Canter trot and vice versa. If you are using your seat and your inner thighs and slowing the motion of your hips and your horse is not listening to that or reacting to that aid then you want to add in a closing of your outside fist as if you are squishing a sponge or catching a fly really quickly and then releasing and then if the horse doesn’t listen to your seat with the closing of your fist, then you close the fist/hand longer and a little bit harder and add in more tone and stronger tone in your entire arm if you need to be stronger. But always start with the seat and then add the hand and as soon as you get a little bit of a reaction of slowing down, release your aids and then start again. Add in sets with the transitions using your seat or even transitions within a gate using your seats can really help you and the horse get in sync and hope your horse gets on your aids.
Older rider, very inspiring!!
I like what you say about use of core and thigh to slow down (which is essentially a half halt )however the person who demonstrating is constantly using her spurs to keep the horse forward . This is incorrect and seen in many dressage areas. The correct manner is to ask the horse to go forward from a soft clear leg and seat aid with a giving hand. If the horse does not respond tap with your whip or use legs stronger and then release . This rider is making the horse numb to the leg ( and spur ) by nagging her and the horse is protesting by swishing her tail. The rider needs to be more in tune with her mare to make a softer more flowing and willing partner. Unfortunately this fault is seen most dressage arenas and training facilities .
Yes your totally right , we are always striving to ride with a relaxed leg that is only used once then backed up with a little kick or a tap with the whip into an elastic forward thinking hand . I use riders who are amateurs as I feel it’s keeps it real , often trainers don’t understand how difficult it is to ride simple exercises as they are gliding around on their Grand Prix dressage horse. This video is trying to teach riders how to use their core to half halt rather than always thinking slowing down starts with the hand .
I really enjoy your videos and you were working in the ring next to the student and really going into detail on the subject of the video. I Know that you did a video on the aids for dressage and the aids for the writer in general but I didn’t notice that at 3:03 you asked the rider to bring the horse out and go into the walk. I noticed the rider used the leg in an awkward and incorrect way and was wondering if you could do a video on that. She would bend at the knees and bring the heel and the spur back and then press the heel with the spur into the horse’s rib cage rather than closing the inside of the calf muscle and squeezing inward with both calves. I do you notice a lot of riders bending the knee and bringing the heel and the ankle back and squeezing with a bending knees lifting the thigh and changing the angle of the hip and that is actually raising or lifting the thigh and knee and the rider is using the strong leg muscle (hamstring) that we as humans use on a regular basis rather than using that inner leg muscles and pressing in word with the inside of the calf muscle for a driving or leg aid. I think So many riders do this because the inner thigh muscles or inner leg muscles are weaker and they automatically slightly turn the leg out and bend the knee to give a leg aid because that hamstring is the stronger muscle and leg muscle we use more often on a daily basis and it is a more natural movement of our skeleton in our leg to bend the knee with that incorrect way of giving a leg aid so many riders do this because the inner thigh muscles or inner leg muscles are weaker and they automatically slightly turn the leg out and bend the knee to give leg aid because that hamstring is the stronger muscle and one we use more often on a daily basis and it is a more natural movement of our skeleton in our leg to bend the knee with that incorrect way of giving a leg aid. I also noticed riders that do this with bending the knee to give the leg aid, also do a scrubbing of the hill against the horses rib cage where they go off the stirrup iron to get the leg aid with the heel or spur and then keep scrubbing that heel against the side to get the horse to go.
Thanks for this agree 100 %
Thanks Kathy, great idea for the next set of filming coming up
Kirstin
Great videos
Always learn so much from your videos! I am having this issue with my horse. He is becoming very deaf to my hand and body. Thank you! I am working on a RUclips Channel, do you mind telling me which mics you use? I keep picking up major wind!
Farmhouse Chiropractic: Animal Chiro-Care great your doing a channel too 👍 the videographer brings the microphone, the fluffy ones screen out the wind
Nice video to see the subtle aids.
Thanks Wendy
First🌺
Nice one Leah