Brain Benders
Now that you've got your body under control, it's time to use your noggin. If you've studied the sidebar, you have a basic understanding of how a horse's legs move together at each gait. So try these puzzlers:
Question: You're riding at the walk, and your right foot is swinging in toward your horse's belly, and your left stirrup is swinging out and away from the horse. What's the next hoof your horse is going to move?
Answer: Right front. In this instance, your horse is stepping forward with his right hind leg. At the walk, the next foot to move is the front foot on the same side.
Question: At the jog, your left foot is swinging in, under your horse, and your right foot is swinging out. Which of your horse's legs are off the ground?
Answer: The left hind and right front. A horse's legs move in diagonal pairs, so if one hind leg is off the ground, the opposite front leg is off the ground.
Question: You're cantering down the trail on the right lead and can feel your right leg move under your horse as your left stirrup moves out and away. What is the next of your horse's legs to strike the ground?
Answer: The right fore. When moving at the canter or lope, the leading hind leg moves at the same time as its diagonal pair in front. After the right hind and left fore strike the ground, the leading right leg will follow by itself.
Don't worry if this seems a bit confounding. This is challenging stuff, but worth learning nonetheless. You'll add a skill to your horsemanship tricks and feel more in tune with your horse and his movement.
Practical Purposes
Knowing where your horse's hind leg is in space, you can influence his stride or direction of travel by cueing him with your leg on the same side as he steps forward. For example, you can ask him to step under himself and sideways with his right leg by pushing with your own right leg as he takes a step forward.
If you decide to ask him to take bigger strides at the walk or slow down his jog, you'll know exactly when to push (to step bigger) or resist (to slow down) as his hind feet move off the ground. You'll be more likely to feel a problem in your horse's stride if he becomes sore or unsound.
You can also ask your horse to stop by cueing him to plant his right hind first (right seat bone, right rein), and then his left (left seat bone, left rein) for a more balanced whoa.
Just take your time, practice, and become more aware of both you and your horse's movement until you can tell when and where your horse's feet are moving.
