The Rider’s Aids

Each of the rider’s aids is responsible for influencing specific aspects the horse’s body and movement. The seat, hands
and legs all have a separate set of functions for which they are responsible. In the beginning one must teach them in
isolation, so that each aid is clear to the horse.

Once they are clear as individual pieces of information, the rider may easily combine them to achieve any movement
imaginable. Another benefit to teaching the aids in isolation is that the rider can focus on a specific quality of any one
aid to quickly improve it at any point in the horse’s training. (i.e clarity of meaning, response time, or lightness.)

Think of this as teaching a child the meaning of individual words before combining them into sentences and paragraphs.

Images by Philippe Karl - Ecole de Légèreté

The Hands

1. Yielding the Jaw Applying bit pressure in an upward manner to soften the jaw and create a licking and chewing
response from the horse. A softly yielding jaw sets the stage for a connection to the rider’s hands that is
receptive, responsive, and free from brace.
The upward direction does not create defensiveness by crush the horse’s sensitive tongue and bars. And it
causes the horse to mobilize his jaw as he chews, which flexes and softens any bracing muscles.

2. Influencing the Horse’s Neck From the Base The rider uses the reins to bend the horse’s neck laterally left and
right, as well as lifting and lowering the neck. The neck is a powerful lever which greatly influences the balance
of the horse.
Not only does a rider use the horse’s neck to influence the horse’s balance, but he should place the horse’s neck
according to what the horse needs in the moment. This is why we do not artificially fix the horse’s head and
neck in a single position and sacrifice the rider’s ability to assist the horse.

3. Flexing the Poll Flexion of the poll must come last. Poll flexion is not the gateway to softness in the horse. It is
the result! When the horse’s jaw is soft and the rider is able to easily influence the horse’s neck at the base, the
horse will flex at the poll as a course of “following the feel” of the rein and in seeking his own balance as his
weight shifts rearward.
 “Hands without legs. Legs without hands.” ~ François Baucher

The rider needs to teach the aids in a way that does not require the reins
and legs to be used at the same time, which often results in confusing the
horse and spoiling the quality of both aids.

The Legs

1. Pushing Off For Forward Movement The first response to the legs that the horse must learn is “Go!” It is the
most basic meaning of the legs and must be learned well in isolation before the legs are used for any other
purpose.
Impulsion is one of the core elements of a horse’s training. If this lesson is not clear from the beginning, it will
negatively affect every other aspect of the horse’s training.

2. Moving the Hind Quarters Left and Right This is the ability to move the haunches left and right in order to
change his shape, weight, and to straighten him.
Meaning is established through general yields on the ground and under saddle during initial training. Then
lateral gymnastics add elements of bend and direction as the horse advances.

3. Bringing the Hind Legs Under the Horse This is the last meaning of the legs that the horse learns after the first
two are mastered. This happens at the point of a horse learning collected gaits. At this stage the rein aids and
leg aids can be used in combination without danger of losing their meaning independently.
Note: Even when we combine the rein and leg aids at this stage, the rein aids are not acting in a backwards
direction opposing the legs. The reins are lifting to mobilize the jaw and shift the horse’s weight rearward with
the poll at the highest point.

The Seat

1. Change of Balance In The Saddle The rider puts his weight forward, backward, right or left according to what
he wants. The rider’s weight in the saddle will correspond to where the horse’s weight is and the direction of
travel, such as in lateral gymnastics.

In this diagram of a Shoulder In on the circle, the horse’s

weight is on his right front shoulder going right.

In order to agree with the horse’s balance and

movement, the rider will sit to the right.

2. Change in Tempo The rider’s seat and lumbar area should be supple and moving with the motion of the horse’s
back when they are in a neutral state. However, the rider may influence the rhythm of the horse’s gait or even
initiate a change of gait, by changing his seat and having the horse seek to harmonize with him.