09/21/2024
The movement of your horse’s hind legs can be broken down into the following three phases; thrust, reach, and carry.
Each phase is important and each one impacts the next, e.g. the more weight the horse takes during the carry phase, the more power he can produce in the thrust phase.
This knowledge is useful because it helps you in timing your aids and influencing the horse.
👉 EXAMPLE 1
During a leg-yield, the horse’s inside legs are required to step in front of and across his outside legs.
Therefore, if you apply your inside leg aid at the same precise moment as your horse lifts his inside hind leg (into the reach phase), then you can encourage the horse to step further under and across with that leg.
This will give you a greater degree of crossing during the leg-yield and a more sweeping stride.
👉 EXAMPLE 2
If you want to encourage your horse to take more weight behind, then apply your half-halt just as the horse’s inside hind leg is coming down to the ground (the carry phase).
At this moment, you can encourage your horse’s inside hind leg to take more weight.
👉 EXAMPLE 3
The horse’s canter stride starts with the horse’s outside hind leg. Therefore, to make a smooth transition from trot or walk into canter, apply your canter aids as your horse’s outside hind leg is in the reach phase.
This means that as that hind leg touches the ground (the carry phase), instead of it being another step of trot or walk, it will be the first step of canter.
This also encourages the horse to reach further under with that hind leg, producing a more uphill transition.
Give it a go!
