page_title: Riding aids
section_title: The leg
hierarchical_section_title: Riding aids / Natural aids / The leg
context_page_description: Riding aids are the cues a rider gives to a horse to communicate what they want the animal to do. Riding aids are broken into the natural aids and the artificial aids.
context_section_description: The leg, along with the seat, should be the main aid for the horse. It has a great deal of control over the horse's hindquarters, and is used to cue the horse to go forward, increase impulsion (power), step sideways, and correctly bend. It is the primary "driving aid" (cue to ask the horse to increase forwardness or power).
  Both legs in a neutral position (neither forward nor back), applying equal pressure against the horse's sides, generally asks for an increase in speed or an upward transition (such as walk to trot). Depending on the level of restraining aids (seat and hands), the leg can also ask for an increase in impulsion, for collection, or even for the rein back. To ask a horse to back up, a rider simultaneously uses soft rein aids to keep the horse from stepping forward, but uses the legs to ask for movement, so the horse moves backwards.  It is incorrect to ask for a rein back by pulling or jerking on the reins.
  One leg in a neutral position, or slightly back from neutral, when applied more than the other leg, will ask the horse to step sideways from its pressure. Depending on the amount of restraining aids (seat and hands), this can cue various lateral movements, ranging  from a leg-yield or half-pass, to a sidepass, to a turn on the haunches or turn on the forehand, to a pirouette.
  One leg further back, in a supporting passive role, and the other leg in a neutral position, but active role, will ask the horse to bend toward the direction of the neutral leg. For example, on a circle going to the right, the rider will put his or her outside leg slightly further back, and use the inside leg at the neutral position to ask the horse to bend correctly through his body. This is also important when cueing for movements that require bend, such as the half-pass, or pirouette.
  One leg farther back, with the other leg in a neutral position, both actively encouraging the horse forward, will usually aid the horse to canter. The horse will pick up the lead opposite the leg that is further back.
caption: Using the leg aid slightly behind the "neutral" position, to keep the horse correctly bent on a circle. Note the majority of the aids to turn are given with the legs, not the hands.
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