THE LEG - AN ALTERNATIVE
What did the Masters really teach us about the use of the legs?
If by contrast you systematically open your fingers as you give a forward aid, your horse will feel free and will be more inclined to obey. This resolves a major obstacle to impulsion.
This does not mean that you are going to “abandon” your horse on the forehand, for as soon as he obeys the leg and steps forward, you are justified in your next request. It just means that, as you started, you did not ask for two things at the same time. (the accelerator and the brake)
When you use your legs, they should be obeyed immediately. Everybody will agree on that. Very few though, will think that as soon as the aid has brought the desired result, IT MUST QUIT! If it does not, it denies its value. It self-depreciates. If you PUSH, PUSH, PUSH and there is no acceleration, you condition your horse to this formula: My legs mean NOTHING, my legs mean NOTHING, my legs mean NOTHING.
Your legs should mean acceleration, so when you have reached the speed you wanted, they have to quit. If they do not, either the horse will go on accelerating after you reached your desired intention, or he will quit accelerating although your legs are still on, and you will effectively blunt their power.
Adapted from Another Horsemanship, A manual for riding in the French Classical Tradition, by Jean-Claude Racinet
