After Series 1 (In-Hand) you should now have an idea of your horses thoughts, and what he finds easy or hard.
Transferring In-Hand to Ridden is great fun and should be hugely rewarding as it allows you to actually feel what you have been working on together while you were on the ground.
When you have ridden the more advanced moves, and used In-Hand to develop and enhance the activity, it enables you to experience the changes that have occured.
It is important to remember that each horse and rider combination is unique, and what may work for you with one horse may not with another. Having a set of tools that you can use allows you to adapt your approach.
Many people don’t have schools available with mirrors, which allow you to see yourself. If not, you can place your phone on a fence to record moves or ask a friend to help by videoing you, both of which can allow you to see what is going on in addition to the feelings you get. This improved understanding can help you tailor your approach appropriately
Many people will not realise how their position may affect their horse. The smallest change can have a huge impact, and bring great pleasure.
I have included this lesson to help provide an understanding of correct rider alignment, and the value of supporting your own body weight.
You will get to see Alice who has just started riding on Billy Whiz, myself on my youngster which is being backed, and myself on Billy Whiz to give some simple tips on what to look for.
Teaching your horse to walk on off a light leg aid
When ridden it is important the horse ‘Go’s’ of a light leg aid, the rider should rewards this by releasing the leg aid as soon as the horse has moved on.
Transferring In-Hand to Ridden we use the whip tap to reinforce the leg aid, until the whip is not needed.
Teaching your horse to stop using a light aid and correct seat.
The rider needs to stay in balance, thinking about their breathing and ask the horse to stop with a light rein aid. Like the leg you must release the rein pressure as soon as the horse stops.
Transferring In-Hand to Ridden: The horse should understand the stop aid from the In-Hand work and be light to the rein. If this its not the case then the rider needs to check that they are not confusing the horse with conflicting aids.
n.b.You may wish to do lessons 4 & 5 before attempting this lesson. This order simply mirrors Series 1 where rein back is used earlier on to gain control.
Teaching your horse to step back straight in diaginal pairs off a light hand
The horse should step back in diagonal pairs to a light rein contact without resisting the rein or losing their outline.
Transferring In-Hand to Ridden: Slightly lighten your seat, slide both legs back a little and then with a soft hand ask the horse to step back in diagonal pairs.
In the past I have used a neck strap if the horse is struggling, as this helps them with moving away from the pressure and keeps the rein soft (I feel strongly about my seat and leg aids backing up the hand). I see too many people halting up the centre line, getting a great halt but then losing the horse’s outline and ending up with the horse stepping back as the rider fiddles with the contact. An elite rider keeps the horses outline though their body and doesn't have this worry.
Teaching the horse to stand until asked to move.
This is such a benefit for mounting, checking your girth, adjusting your stirrups, reading your dressage test on-board or even stopping while out hacking to let a vehicle pass.
Transferring In-Hand to Ridden: This is just a case of asking your horse to stop / park; you then reward stop by release, with the rider staying still and aligned, giving the horse no reason to move away.
Teaching the horse to use Itself correctly and the rider to do less.
Trying not to over ride and push the horse out of rhythm, or causing it to go lateral or jog can be hard and knock a rider’s confidence in the ring. This is a great tool, improving what can be a painful walk or a frustrating jog into a true four beet rhythm that looks effortless.
Transferring In-Hand to Ridden: Using the whip tap and combining the leg aid allows you to sit still and the horse to be in better balance. This gives you time and confidence to feel what is happening underneath you without over riding. As a result the horse has a clearer aid so he can process what’s being asked and use himself more correctly, allowing a better push from the hind quarters and engagement with his whole body.
Past dressage scores on Billy Whiz in walk were around “3/10”. At the Nationals, in my test, friends laughed saying they would nip off for breakfast while I completed my free walk and still make it back in time to watch the rest of my test!!
We did improve this score to 7’s, but it took years without this training.
