The Aids

The Aids
The rider gives the horse instructions by means of the aids. There are two types: the natural aids - the rider's seat, hands, legs and voice; and the artificial aids - spurs, whips and some items of tack such as martingales.
The hands and legs operate in combination with each other and should be applied in a co-ordinated way. There is little point in using your legs to tell the horse to walk on if your hands are stiff and resistant to its moving.
You must be able to use each hand and leg independently. Your inside hand controls the horse's direction, your outside hand controls t…