Making Sure Your Horse Listens to Your Commands-Leg Pressure and Resistance

Horses are creatures with their own mind and repeated training is necessary to keep it responsive to the rider's needs. When engaged in a diagonal pattern across an arena, I notice that my horse soon moves crooked with his belly pushed to one side. As I use my heel to encourage her to round to my leg she wants to fight against it! She gets upset and pushes even harder to make herself even more "out of whack". A horse should have its head and body aligned to the direction and resistance means more training.

The horse must listen to the rider. If the horse doesn't listen it is untrustworthy and therefore needs training to ensure that it follows direction. You don't ever give up your needs or commands until the horse complies. If you do she will assume she is in control of the ride....that is when things can get dangerous. Repeat the command in different ways until she complies.

I have come up with this pattern to better ensure compliance.

1.) Give the command once softly and then once harder at the trot.

2.) If that doesn't work I then move to a walk and give the command first softly and then harder.

3.) If she fails to respond we stop and I will repeat the command in different ways until the horse complies.

4.) If she still is not following the commands I get off the horse and move to the side and push the horse to help her understand what the pressure/poking is telling her.