Confusion over leg aids for turning...

[kiwigirl]

OK, a lesson this week had me doing lots of tight turns at trot. Basically I was riding a circle and at four points were a set of cones to turn through, trot across the circle to a second set of cones and go through and turn and repeat at each set of cones on both the left and right rein.

Anyway.... I always thought that when you turned your inside leg would apply some pressure for the horse to go around it and your outside leg comes back a bit to stop the hindquarters swinging out.

Once I had done this exercise my RI wanted me to focus more on getting the horse to turn with his shoulders therefore my outside leg should slightly come forward to do this. She got me to do this on the spot, exaggerrated with my outside leg right up on the shoulder to tap him round, basically getting him to cross his front leg across the other. Does this make any sense? I think she called this turning on the forehand???

I am so confused over what I should be doing now......Help!

[jenb]

Er no, that doesn't sound right at all. Turn on the forehand is executed by (simplified because I'm about to go out) using the outside leg back to ask the horse to turn his quarters around his forehand, so the front legs should stay in the same place, just being lifted up and put back down again.

Sounds like she was getting you to do a pirouette - but again, the outside leg should stay back - it never comes right up onto the shoulder!

Please ask her what qualifications she has to teach, and ask if she has ever ridden much dressage. It can take years to undo poor teaching in your riding (I know, I've been there!) so please be careful. Ask her to clarify why she asked you to do that.

If you put your leg (either leg!) that far forwards, it's inevitably going to put you off balance. Having an out-of-balance rider does NOT help a horse to do graceful and effortless movements, and pirouettes require a lot of effort from the horse. The rider should be focussed on remaining in balance with the horse and doing everything they can to make the movements easy for the horse to carry out - otherwise you will end up with a sad, sore and fed up little horsey.

[Laura+Phantom]

Yes, that doesn't sound right at all :confused:

turn on the forehand or turn on the haunches require your leg to be in normal position or slightly back, you can't really turn a horse's shoulder's with your leg forward...very odd.

[Meovcorz]

I have been taught a different way of turning than how you turn in English, its called Aussie Stock (I pressume), it is where. Okay lets say your turning to the right you would, put your outside leg forwards, to turn there shoulders, the derection you want, and your inside leg back to swing there hindquarters around. Is that what your RI was asking you? Because I know it's the opposite of English.

[mayoguinness]

Yes I've done this too to get Mayo to turn on his forehand when turning. However I ride ANH style so the aids are queit different.

[eml]

This does not sound like a turn on the forehand in the English sense, however there are some circumstances where you do need to bring the leg forward. Like all horse things however it is a response to what is happening not a fixed aid.