Sidepassing

[Mel]

Does anyone elso have a hard time with sidepassing? This is the hardest thing for me to get the hang of! I cannot get it right on any sort of consistant basis. My instructor says it takes a while to learn the happy medium with legs and reins that will make the horse do it, but I'll be old and grey by the time I get it! My instructor is very, very patient. He has tried everything including sitting on a horse next to me so that I can mimmick his moves. I understand the basic idea of how to sidepass but I guess I am just looking for some really handy tip or trick to help! I have been working on the sidepass faithfully for the past month and have only slightly improved Thanks!

[~alison~*]

Mel, sorry, I have no handy tips, only one thing: PRACTICE Just keep practicing, and if there is ANYthing you don't understand, ask your instructor!
Remember to keep both reins equal so your horse doesn't fall out, loosen the inside side of your body so that your not blocking him, and apply pressure w/your outside leg along w/your inside rein. Good Luck! :D

[Bejeweld]

Hey, you're not the only one!! I have the hardest time with that too. I don't know if that makes you feel any better, but you are sooo not alone! One thing that helps me sometimes is to take the horse up to the wall and gave the aids there. That way they can't go forward and they basically have to go to the side.

[This message has been edited by Bejeweld (edited 14 January 2000).]

[Mel]

Well, I now feel a little less frustrated knowing that I am not alone in sidepassing frustrations--and in some wierd way that helps! Thank you for the tip of putting her up against the wall. Actually, my instructor told me to do the exact same thing since she always seems to want to go backward while sidepassing. I put her butt up to the wall and it did help! I am going to ride again today and work on graduating from the wall! Thank you!
Mel

[dreamer]

I've been riding for 8 years most of wich were without an instructor and I had trouble with this for a long time, the best thing you can do is pratice, but let me try to explain what your legs and hand do in the side pass. Your legs control the rear of the horse, they can move that part of the horse forward, backward (it gets the legs moving hence why you should use both reins and leg to back the horse up) and sidewasy, your reins control the head and shoulders of the horse, they can move it back, and side to side (not so much forward but some horses are trained that with rein comands like the horses for the pairlized people) Whe you ask the horse to move over(say to the right), you want to apply presure with your left leg, and move your hands slightly to the right, applying presure to the right rein to match that of your left leg (OH I hope I can explain this with out confusing you) you need to make an 'open door' to the right, and close the door going left, your left leg closes the door for his rear end and tells him to move over, the left rein, which should be only sightly (very slightly unless you're western and then it's different and I'll have to explain it differently) against his neck closes the door for the front half of the horse, while your right leg sould be off the horse's side, and the right rein, should be off the neck slightly and be telling the shoulders to move right. So you have opened the door to the right and closed it going left, if the horse move too far with his rear end, and not far enought with his front, you want to strenthen your rein aid or lighten your leg aid, depending on both the horse and how he's moving. Hope I didn't confuse you, I'm not good at explaining things in words without demonstrating them, that's why I ride my horse when I'm helping my friend learn to ride so I can show her what she needs to do. Good luck, and pratice, pratice, pratice.

[Mel]

Thank you for the help! I have been practicing! And, it is actually improving!!!
My horse is definately right handed because we still have a tougher time going to the right! Anyway, we are more consistant now, and that is a big plus! Thank you!