Sitemaps

How do you make your horse pivot on its rear and sidepass2007-11-24 21:16:01

Im pretty sure my horse knows how to do them but Im not quite sure how to make him sidepass and how to make him pivot on his rear.

Answers:

for the side pass most horses are trained to move with very soft rake of the heal above and behind where you would kick for forward movement. you just raise your foot back and touch the horse's side then rub with your heel in and shift your weight very slightly to the opposite side. for the pivot turn your horse's head the opposite way you want to turn and give him a slight cue to turn. this cue is given where the foot is normally at when riding. few of the horses I have ridden have been trained to pivot when you are ridding so I don't know if this is as standard as the side pass is. Good Luck

---

The techniques are going to be slightly different between english and western-trained horses. I am approaching this from a dressage background.

To get your horse to pivot on its rear, also known as a turn on the haunches, you are going to be walking forward. Using your seatbones to engage on side, lock your other seat bone and use the engaged on to "push" side ways. At the same time, use the same-side leg slightly behind the girth. Its important that your upper body stays tall and straight. A true turn on the haunches has little rein-aids, so make sure you are not pulling with an open rein/guiding rein and just doing a very small circle!

A sidepass is fairly simple. Start on the quarter line at the trot or walk. While keeping your upper body tall and straight, use your inside leg to apply pressure. Your horse's body should stay parallel to the fence - make sure they do not lead with their shoulder or hindquarters.