"Inside Leg to Outside Rein" - What this means and an exercise to finally FEEL it

[@carolinejourno5414]

I would love to have an explanantion of the term "get your horse more through"

[@hmmm2183]

Heels down, it comes across as a fixed position rather than developing the ability to flex through your heels… I think it comes from being yelled at “Heels Down” while we’re doing our best to remember to breath… It becomes a command response to jam our heals rather than what it should be…

[@happygolucky5855]

Yes, This! I realised this the other day when my trainer alwaayys yells heals down. But once she hopped on the horse and i saw her riding most of the time her heals were no way near down.

[@briannamercedes4016]

so true. i often have coaches tell me to put my heels down more when I physically can't without discomfort.

[@NoThankUBeQuiet]

@@briannamercedes4016 See here's the issue though you shouldn't be jamming them down to infinity but you should have them at least level or it's a safety issue

[@dorsy-jr]

In my 20 years of riding I have never known what inside leg to outside hand had meant... until now!

[@josefineli4604]

This was great! I’m just at that point in my training where I’m sooo close to being able to get my horse to work correctly and finding a frame, but I just can’t find those last buttons I’m looking for. And it’s so hard finding good explanations of how to get there! I guess because it’s hard to describe exactly what you’re doing when you’re doing it, it’s more of a feeling and a case of ”when you know, you know”. So I very much appreciate the clarity of this video and this exercise, thank you!

[@beverlymartinkosky834]

Wonderful explanation of this!! I never got it before. Thank you!!

[@YvetteWillis1]

This was so helpful. One it let me know I am doing it right but it also will help me explain this concept better when teaching on this youngster I am riding! Wonderful and helpful video!

[@JulieCusumano-xb9fe]

SO very helpful & very clear comments. Thank you!

[@laurenw1168]

This was so well explained. Thank you. I always know I can come to your videos to learn. I'm on my way out to the barn right now and I'm going to work on this with the five-year-old mare there

[@mishaelwilson2257]

She's the best horse rider in the world

[@naunettemartin7450]

I.like it and I like the way you ride your horse and I like your video and this will help me with my horse Nannette

[@cocoa790i]

Thanks I’ll try this at my lesson today ❤️

[@mariette4257]

Thank you 🌺

[@dedeemilnes5920]

Your amazing at describing Technique ty so much

[@rachelmacgowan86]

Agree, she has a real talent with words.

[@annakuta8031]

will definitely try, thank you!

[@wendybird4660]

Half halt. Please & thank you! I do them, I think I understand them, but - clarification would be wonderful.

[@MSchipper]

I have been struggling really hard with keeping my hand still without becoming rigid or harsh. I can do it well in posting trot, but not in walk, seated trot or canter. So yesterday asked again how to keep the contact soft, without moving my hands with the motion of the horse's head. My teacher explained that the movement of the horse's head, should translate to my back and pelvis by keeping my hands still, but the contact soft. I think I finally found what that's supposed to feel like, but will definitely need more practice. Poor horse...

[@kmiklaszewski]

You will get there. Horse class has some incredible information and the professionals that are irk together here to put out all of it are amazing Just keep in mind that you should always frequently check in with yourself to check you position and the alignment of your skeleton. If your position or alignment is off, always start with your seat/pelvis first and make sure it is neutral with seat bones pointing straight down through the saddle like laser beams or flash lights and learn to properly engage the correct core muscles for stability in the saddle and then that will allow you to be more supple in your joints and muscles in the legs, lower back and all the way up to your neck and then down the arms to the hands. Always start with the seat. Even if you are just leaning to one side Or collapsed in the rib cage (left or right), your seat is probably off to the opposite side you are leaning and instead of lifting your shoulder or straightening up through the side where you are leaning, reposition or shift your seat or seat bones so that they are 50/50 equal on each side of the saddle. Here is a fantastic video that shows how the rider needs to actively move their upper arm from the shoulder joint and open the elbow to match the amount of movement that the horse makes with its head and neck in the walk and canter. And then in the trot the head and neck are steady and the rider rises and goes back down when posting so the elbow opens as you rise and then closes as you sit and in the sitting trot, the rider does move the pelvis and lower back slightly up and then back down again with the bounce in the trot, so again the elbows must open very slightly and then close again back to neutral. You can try a neck strap or a bucking strap with your pinky finger wrapped around the strap to help you keep your two fists in the same place while your elbows open and close in the rising or sitting trot. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zn7FpWBsl6dkqrs

[@lisahansson2605]

Hello! Because of the way the horse naturally moves his body and head in walk and canter, you actually have to allow your hands to follow that movement forward and back, otherwise you will never be able to keep the soft contact with his mouth. In trot, the head doesn't move forward and back as much, and you can keep your hands more in the same place. Start practising in walk. The goal is to keep a continuous, steady, soft pressure in the horses mouth with your reins, i.e contact. Don't think about keeping your hands still, instead focus on keeping that contact constant. Your hands will have to move with your horses movement, otherwise the contact will change with every movement the horse makes. It will get hard when the head moves forward and you will loose contact when the head swings back. Instead, follow the movement and keep the contact constant. The same goes for canter. Rising trot is easier. The head stays mostly in the same place and you can keep you contact steady while your hands stay in the same position. This is more difficult in sitting trot, because your body has to take up more of the movement from the horses back, and you have to be able to absorb that movement while keeping your balance, and this often means you're stiffing up a bit and your arms and hands get tight and they follow your body's movement. Instead, try to disconnect your arms and hands from the rest of the body. You can practise this on the ground by walking with a glass full of water. As you walk, to keep the water in the glass, your arms and hands have to be still while you move the rest of your body. Practise this on the ground, and notice what you have to do with your arms to not spill. Then transfer that feeling to when your in sitting trot. Remember, your hands will never be completely still. The goal is to keep the contact stable and constant. I hope this helps you. And remember, trying too hard makes you stiff up, and being stiff makes things ten times harder :)

[@NoThankUBeQuiet]

In the trot your hands actually don't move much. In the walk and canter they should be following the horses head which will make them APPEAR still. You can feel this by gently resting your hands on the neck.

[@dorian4373]

Thank you for your info good video

[@staffordhyman5688]

Thank you

[@spaziocasainterioare1656]

Hello! Thank you for your videos! Very precious!! This exercise is very precious!! I just do not understand how to manage the legs while doing the exercise :( It is clear on how using the reins. So, while opening the rein (toward the rail) my inside leg (the one close to the rail) should be at the girth or slightly behind the girth? I wish to make sure that in my question, the inside leg will be the one close to the rail as opening the rein, the one close to the rail :). This exercise can be compared to a leg yield to the wall? This would be a second question :) :) :) Thank you so much and looking froward into the answer so can do it the soonest! Keep on as you really rock!!!

[@kennylui4109]

Hi Callie, thank you for your demo. Is the outside rein required to TOUCH on the neck of the horse when doing "inside leg to outside rein"?

[@NoThankUBeQuiet]

Required to...no but they probably will 98% of the time. why would that be something you are thinking about. As long as you aren't crossing the reins over the neck and are riding correctly they can touch whatever

[@Miss-Laine]

What exercises do you recommend to develop to feel of when they are stepping on there or when their hind legs are moving? Thank you.

[@beverlymartinkosky834]

A discussion and demonstration of good contact would be interesting. Is firm steady contact really necessary?

[@NoThankUBeQuiet]

In my opinion yes. Firm doesn't mean harsh. A floppy contact jabs the horse in the mouth far more than a nice steady one. Firm is subjective but it should be about 5lbs of pressure. Think of the rein almost like a guitar string. If it's loose it doesn't communicate anything.

[@naunettemartin7450]

I ride my horse in a coosbe saddle is a good saddle to ride in that is want I have for my horse thank you Nannette

[@christy8348]

Your inside rein SHAPES the horse while your outside rein tells him where to go. Learn how each rein aid affects the horse’s balance and then learn to use the correct rein aid dynamically from moment to moment. Shoulder-in and correct leg yields (staying perpendicular to rail and using your inside leg, back, to push him to the rail [and thus pressing him into your outside rein] are a great way to set up a situation in which the rider can feel the horse filling up the outside rein and lifting his inside shoulder off your leg. Keep practicing, you’ll get it eventually (after 10-15years 😅)

[@tamyradesris1099]

I was never taught the "why" I was being taught the things I was being taught.... If that makes since????

[@marymcclavey8395]

This is another thing that really depends on acquiring that magical thing called "feel" so dependent on experience. Not to say that less experienced riders should not be made to understand its importance.

[@Ellen-i6o]

Why are your thumbs open and not on ?

[@brookealexis77]

So in short this is an exercise to improve form in circles and corners? Getting your horse to bend into the corner and cirlcw instead of being harsh?

[@equuspeduus]

How is this different from a leg yield?

[@dorothyleeuw8774]

It is a head to wall leg yield. It actually is not considered to be a true lateral movement. It is ridden at a 33 degree angle. Your saddle is falling to the right on your horse. Good visual for explaining inside leg to outside rein. 😍

[@blebleble9624]

I have a problem with overbending, I get him on the bit by holding the outside rein, pushing with my inside leg and playing with the bit with the inside rein, the problem is that he doesnt put his head down and if I add more outside rein he just turns his head, so I add more inside rein, but then he overbends to the inside and starts falling out of the circle If I use outside rein and outside leg he doesnt fall out and overbend, but his head cant go down, but when I use inside rein he just overbends and my outside arm is not strong enought to pull his head out.I know that the inside leg and inside rein is pushing him out, but I need to use the inside rein to get his head down, because without it he just turns his head out. I get that I need to use both reins to limit the heads movement to the front and hold it down, but he just overbends and falls out or doesnt connect.

[@NoThankUBeQuiet]

Use less rein and more leg

[@cm3455]

I would focus on keeping his neck centred between his shoulders during circles and loops, supporting him with your seat and legs as well. Don't worry too much about head position, it will come naturally when your horse becomes straight and balanced. A good exercise is asking for leg yield whilst on a 10 meter circle and then asking him to go straight for a few strides before returning to leg yield. This will ask him to be more responsive to the leg and hopefully you won't need to reins to ask him to lower his head but just to support the outside shoulder. This helped with my horse :))

[@loryspencer8215]

You lost me at inside vs outside...I was taught inside meant towards center of arena and outside meant towards the fence..

[@emberjohnson5229]

Inside and outside refers to the bending of the horse and nothing to do with the walls or center of the arena. Whichever side the horse is bent, the side that is concave, that is the inside she is referring to. Hope this helps.

[@brucepeek3923]

No, your contact with your outside rein does not stay steady-- The video shows your hands flopping all over as you post.. Your horse has shut down enough so you have taught him to ignore your hands jerking on the reins.. You need to steady and strengthen your seat. To do so ditch the jump saddle and get at least a dressage saddle- preferably a jinetta seat saddle. best Bruce Peek

[@naskoroev8485]

If you do leg yealding is Ok. But if you ride on Volt is totally incorrect and Not Biomechanical. Is old fashion.

[@lindatruitt7858]

Can you elaborate?

[@NoThankUBeQuiet]

I'm hesitant of anything on proper inside leg to outside rein coming from anyone not in a dressage saddle but this is okay on the theoretical side. Not sure the demo is the best kinda looks like a western rider and horse trying to be english