In the article, “Rapid Response” by Natalie DeFee Mankik. This article goes over the importance of keeping your horse responsive to your leg cues. As in any form of riding, it is best if the horse is quick to respond to even the slightest ques. To obtain this, the horse’s attention needs to be consistently on the rider and what the rider is wanting him to do next. By keeping the horse’s attention, he will be more pleased with working instead of “zoning out” during the lessons. First thing, is to make sure the rider’s seat is correct. Leaning forward can cause weight on the horse’s shoulders. A proper seat is one of the most important parts of the rider’s balance, but also a key tool in riding the horse forward correctly. Always make sure the rider is not using leg aids on accident like squeezing their legs, or nagging the horse with leg pressure when the horse is not responding can cause the horse to start to ignore his rider’s cues. Understanding the horse’s personally is a big step in finding out the way he learns, if he learns better by having more pressure, or less pressure, it is up to the rider to find out for better response. …show more content…
This will keep the horse engaged and focused on the rider’s cues by listening whether he needs to go forward, or to come back. Once the horse is reacting quickly to the walk cues. Start building the horse up to troting and cantering transition. This keeps the horse’s time quick and keeps the horse’s mind focused on the rider. Always provide encouragement when the horse is making an effort to try. Another good exercise to maintain the horse’s mental focus, is leg yielding. This exercise requires the horse to move away from the rider’s leg pressure while keeping contact with the outside rein to ensure the horse’s shoulders stay straight and aligned with the