Jessica Springsteen demonstrates the correct position at the canter. Notice that her seat is on the saddle in "three-point position," rather than incorrectly held out of the saddle in "two-point position," which is an error often seen in equitation-on-the-flat classes.

The photo above is an excellent example of the security and balance provided by a rider’s sound position.  All of the angles are correct, with a straight line being formed between the rider’s elbow and the horse’s mouth, a vertical line from the rider’s knee to the toe of her boot, the rider’s upper body in the middle of the horse rather than leaning to one side or the other, and the rider’s eyes looking straight between the horse’s ears.  Jessica is comfortably sitting the canter in “three-point position,” following the motion of the horse with a relaxed seat.   Her upper body is inclined a couple of degrees forward–just enough to be with the motion of the horse.  The balance of the animal is exceptionally good in this photo, too, as a result of the rider collecting it into a medium frame.  (To see a video of Jessica winning the Maclay Finals, go to  http://annamullin.com/horse-videos and scroll down.)

The rider’s aids are both his natural and artificial means of communicating with the horse. The “natural aids” are the rider’s legs, hands, weight, and on rare occasion, voice.  A subtle “whoa” is acceptable; but yelling “Come on, Sparky, jump this fence!” is not.

The “artificial aids” are the spurs, stick (also called “crop” or “whip”), bit, martingale, or any other type of equipment that reinforces the rider’s body commands.  (For information on the proper use of the stick, see http://annamullin.com/how-to-motivate-a-lazy-horse)

The word “aid” is not only used to describe the means of communication, but also the position of the rider’s body when giving a command. For example, a teacher might ask the student, “What are the aids for the canter?” The student would reply, “The aids for the canter are the inside leg positioned at the girth, the outside leg behind the girth, and the hands posititioned in an inside indirect rein.”  (To see more about “aids” in regard to position of the rider’s body, go to http://annamullin.com/how-to-bend-a-horse)

The diagram below shows a left indirect rein (left), a direct rein (center), and a right indirect rein (right).  For a left indirect rein, the rider’s left hand moves back and right hand moves forward, allowing the horse to turn its head to the left.  For a direct rein, both hands are evenly placed and keep the horse’s head and neck straight. In a right indirect rein, the right hand moves back and the left hand moves forward, again allowing the horse to turn its head.  If the hand to the outside of the bend does not move forward, the rider creates “clashing aids,” which is asking the horse to do something while preventing the animal from doing it.  Nothing makes a horse more frustrated than when a rider clashes his aids.

Left Indirect; Direct Rein; Right Indirect Rein

An indirect rein position varies according to the degree of the bend.  For example, when making a small circle, the horse would be bent more acutely, so the inside hand would be back more and the outside hand would have to move forward more to enable the horse to have a greater bend in its neck than if the horse were on a larger circle.  The indirect rein can also be used very subtly.  If a horse is spooking away from something on the outside of the arena, the rider can use a slight inside indirect rein, bending the horse toward the inside of the arena just a little, prohibiting the animal’s eyes from locking onto the spooky object.  In this case, the bend would not be nearly so much as pictured above.

To correct a horse that pulls after jumping a fence, you need to practice downward transitions to the halt after jumping each fence, until the horse learns to anticipate collection after the jump. This type of work–pulling the horse up after every fence in schooling–may seem tedious, but is very beneficial in training your horse to have an automatic response of collecting after the fence.

You may need to apply a pulley rein at first, if the horse is very strong. Make sure that your reins are quite short before you try this. Then place one hand in the dip in front of the horse’s withers, while slowly and steadily pulling back with the other hand. The fixed rein position of the hand placed in the dip gives your other hand added force when you pull back. You should be sitting during the application of the pulley rein, so that your back reinforces your hands, if need be. Also, the hand in the dip MUST REMAIN FIXED. If this hand slips and you’re only pulling back with the other hand, you could cause the horse to fall to the ground. (Look at some old cowboy movies and watch how the stuntmen cause their horses to fall by pulling hard on a single rein.)

You may need the pulley rein the first time or two in order to pull up within four or five strides of the fence. The horse should catch on to your routine and begin to anticipate the command to halt. Any slowing of pace or softening of the horse’s mouth should be rewarded with a lighter feel of the reins. Remember, horses only know they’ve performed correctly if the rider shows a clear differentiation between right and wrong by a softening of the aids when the horse gives the proper response.

During the pandemic, the USEF decided to try a new way of testing a horse’s lameness, which involved trotting the horse in a circle while mounted at the end of a course.  However, an official “jog” has not be ruled out, so the following information explains how to do it. When your horse’s number is called in a class that requires jogging for soundness, you should run briskly beside the animal (as in the photo), rather than being in front and dragging it along.  It is important to practice jogging at home until you’re sure your horse will immediately go forward as you run.  Always stay on a straight line down the arena and be aware that you need to run far enough to allow horses behind you to also pass the judge at the trot.  Make sure your animal keeps a flowing rhythm, for a dull, plodding horse will sometimes appear lame.  Remember, a good jog is the finishing touch on a winner!  

The term, “ahead of the motion,” refers to the rider’s upper body being too far forward, rather than being “with the motion,” or in balance with the horse.  When the rider’s upper body leans ahead of the motion at take-off, the horse will be more inclined to stop at the fences, for the rider’s weight is overloading the forehand at a crucial point in the jumping effort.

The rider is "ahead of the motion," with her upper body leaning too far forward, rather than staying in balance over the horse. Her leg slipping back on the horse's ribcage is a large part of the problem. However, she is correctly looking in the air toward an upcoming fence on a tight turn, so her mind is working, although her position is weak.

This demonstration rider, Cat Montgomery, is "with the motion" of her horse. Her upper body is balanced over a well-positioned leg.

It is always easiest to perform the canter depart as you begin to turn a corner, for the bending shape gives the horse a clear idea of the lead it needs to take to keep its balance. If you are riding in an oval-shaped ring, you can practice the canter depart anywhere along the curves; but it is wisest to pick up the canter when the inside foreleg is on the side of the horse closest to the barn or outgate, for all horses are aware of these locations, and some seem to be drawn toward them like a magnet. Thus, the barn or outgate can be used to help you get the proper lead.

Make sure your outside leg–the one toward the railing–is in behind-the-girth position, which is about four inches back from the normal leg position. For a horse that doesn’t want to start the canter sequence properly with its outside hind leg, push the haunches slightly toward the inside of the arena, bending the horse around your inside leg. This will place the horse’s outside hind leg underneath its body, so that only this leg will be able to start the canter depart.

At the walk, monitor the footfalls of the horse’s hind legs with your seat, and be especially aware of every time the horse’s outside hind leg is lifting off the ground and striking forward. Press this leg forward in a marching rhythm with your outside leg, until you feel that the horse has enough momentum to push off immediately into the first canter step. The sequence of footfalls should be: outside hind foot; followed by inside hind foot and outside forefoot striking together; and finally the inside forefoot (the leading leg) striking.

The horse begins the canter sequence with the outside hind leg, which lifts the other three legs.

The inside hind leg and outside foreleg strike together to create the second beat of this three-beat gait.

The inside hind leg creates the third beat of the sequence. Notice the motion of the horse in the three pictures above. First the animal lifts its body, then two feet land together, and the final leg lands, with this sequence creating a rocking motion.

The horse should be slightly bent to the inside for the basic canter depart, which is another means of making the intended lead more clear to the horse. The aids for the canter depart, then, should be:

inside indirect rein
inside leg at the girth
outside leg in behind-the-girth position

To practice the canter depart, you can bisect the arena mentally, forming a “point A” on one short side of the arena, and a “point B” on the other short side. Then pick up the canter every time you get to these points. Once the horse is responding well to this exercise, add canter depart points at the middle of the two long sides of the arena, so that you are practicing the canter depart at four points every time you go around the ring.  Work through this exercise once the first direction, then reverse and work the other direction. This will not only keep your horse’s training even on both sides, but will also help the animal work through the problems on one side by practicing correctly on the other.