Feeling your lead?

Question

I can't feel my horse's lead at the canter all the time and i am to the point where i should be able to. do you have any tips to figure out which lead your horse is on without looking down? also any ways to practice figuring out my lead without jumping?

Answer 1

I feel it in my hip as it moves forward with the lead.  You need someone to listen as you tell him when you feel your hip movement and think the horse is on that lead, so you can verify what you're feeling without looking down.  The longer you go on checking it yourself, the longer it takes to develop the feel...I don't know why, but it's true.

Answer 2

try to notice differences in the lead by cantering around a ring on the correct lead and then the wrong...it helped me!

Answer 3

It is much easier to feel an incorrect lead when you are riding in a circle.  Your body will twist against itself...

When you circle in the correct lead, you'll just feel right.

Also...a tip my trainer taught me was the shift my weight to the side of the lead that I wanted coming off a fence.

Answer 4

i couldn't feel my leads for a long time.  it was hard it felt the same to me.  when you canter in a circle it will feel as though you want to let you body go to the outside of the circle if the horse is on the wrong lead.  when he is on the correct lead you will go in toward the circle.  if you can't tell look down.  which shoulder is going farther in front than the other.

Answer 5

You'll notice that the lead the horse is on...will be the same foot/leg of yours that tends to be forward more than the other.

If the horse is on a right lead...your right foot will want to go further forward...make sense?  You may notice a slight twisting of your hips and body too.  They will want to face the lead the horse is on.

That's what I use to help the kids learn that I have taught.  We just take a few moments to concentrate on which foot of theirs wants to go forward more than the other.