More Leg!

I try to stay quiet most of the time when controversial issues come up, because quite honestly I like staying out of it and just enjoying my quiet little farm with my amazing clients and horses. However, lately, I can’t ignore it because it’s coming up far more often and people who I’ve never heard of are making statements that absolutely blow my mind sometimes. The most recent example was a long post going on and on about how trainers who say “more leg” are not good trainers and essentially are inadequate. The other premise of the article was correct. You cannot simply add “more leg” all the time and fix the issue of a horse not being forward or moving off your leg. It does take more than simply squeezing harder or giving a little kick, but the idea that hearing an instructor say “more leg” means they’re not effective at coaching is blasphemy. Chances are, you hear “more leg” in every warmup ring across the US and the world. You should expect to hear it there. That’s what a short phrase is meant for! You see, at home we don’t say “more leg” as often. Sometimes we don’t say it at all. Sometimes we say it often because we’re working on course or grid work and we have to, but have you ever asked yourself why?

Let me explain…. My instruction at home is much more in depth. We break things down and I explain it in excruciating detail in most cases. I explain how we use our leg, our hands, our crop, and maybe a spur if it is needed. I go over just how hard to squeeze, how to squeeze or push, how to supplement with the crop, when to supplement with the crop, and when to get louder with the aids if you’re not getting the response you want. I teach my students how to ride but more importantly how to FEEL. They have to understand the feeling they’re looking for and how to achieve it. They need to understand how each part of their body works together to achieve their goal. They also have to understand how to get a response from a horse, ride a “spicy” or “spunkier” horse, and how to correct a “disobedience” when it happens. (They should also know how to feel/tell the difference between a disobedience and a pain response, or know when they’re not sure and assume pain, but that is a totally different discussion!)

Now, let’s take that massive amount of word vomit and apply it at a show. Do you think that I should be taking them to a show if I need to explain what they should do in more words than just “leg!” Or “more leg!”? NO. Absolutely not. I teach them in detail at home so when we go to a show and they hear me shout “more leg!” Or “use your crop!” They know exactly what to do, how to handle it, and achieve what we want. Otherwise, I am sending a rider into a show ring where I CAN’T coach, and hoping/praying they remember their course and come out alive. It would be irresponsible of me to not make it so all I need to say in the warmup is something as simple as “more leg” or “get him more forward”. And quite honestly, you will only hear a handful of short phrases from me in that warmup ring because I am trying to be both respectful of other coaches and riders AND direct and to the point so I can get my commands out quickly! If I can see that my short phrases (which they have been trained on and understand ahead of time) are not working, then I will pull them to the edge of the ring, out of the way where I can quietly coach them or chat with them in more detail. I leave you with this little nugget of wisdom – when my student is two strides before a jump and needs more energy, I can’t fit 15 words in, so I fit two – “add leg!”