Development of the gaits
To ride the horse in the different basic gaits, horse and rider must speak the same language. This means that the horse must have been conditioned for certain aids during its training to become a riding horse, to which it reacts with certain gaits. The rider must also learn the different aids during his training in order to be able to trigger the gaits from the horse's back.
The process of training a riding horse starts with the vocal conditioning from the ground (like clicking,...), which is then transferred to the saddle and linked to thigh, rein and weight aids. In this way, the horse's understanding of, for example, double-sided thigh pressure in walk or trot is developed.
In the process of riding training, the basics of the correct use of aids are taught on the lunge with sitting exercises. The rider learns to harmonize thigh, rein and weight aids in order to be able to give unmistakable signals to the horse.
As a rider, it is always necessary to feel the individual movements of the horse in order to support the horse in its gaits and not to disturb it. If the horse is disturbed in its movement sequence, it comes to tact mistakes. In order to develop a gait in harmony with the horse, the moment of assistance is crucial, especially in the flow of movement. The right moment of driving to develop the next higher gait is always the moment of the foot of the inner hind leg.
Furthermore, the development of the basic gaits must always be accompanied by sensitive aids to the reins, which allow the horse's movements to come out and not disturb them.
