RIDER'S
BODY POSITION CRITICAL FOR A PROPER SIDEPASS
By SUSAN
DUDASIK
In previous
articles, we covered turning on the forehand and haunches now
it's time to move to the sidepass. Once again I remind you that
teaching your horse something new is time consuming and you
can't expect miracles overnight. Remember, just because your
horse will sidepass from the ground, it doesn't mean he will
do it with you on his back and you must also take into account
that you might be the reason he doesn't understand what you
want him to do. Too often we riders blame our horses when it
is us giving the wrong signals. If you've been following this
series, you've probably noted that once we started training
from the saddle, much of the article's emphasis has been on
rider position. The more you are aware of what you are doing
in the saddle the better you can teach your horse what you want.
By now,
your horse should be doing a fair turn on the forehand and haunches.
It's time to move sideways. Before starting, review the moves
from the ground then get on and do a few turns on the forehand
and haunches. They don't need to be perfect. Remember you are
just beginning and you have years to perfect each move. Be happy
with a few steps in each direction. At this point, you may need
some help. If you have an assistant, great. If not, you might
want to use a long crop that will reach about to your horse's
hocks. Your horse should be accustomed to the crop from your
ground training, but it might be a good idea to familiarize
him with it from the saddle. Just walk around and calmly swish
the crop from head to tail on both sides. Don't hit your horse,
just let him see it. If he gets upset, walk around the arena
swishing the crop until he relaxes. Conquer this problem first
even if it takes a few days.
To begin
the sidepass, you'll need a fence or wall, something your horse
can't stick his head over. Ride your horse up to the wall and
stop. Now set yourself up for the sidepass. Sit straight in
the saddle and look up in the direction you want to go, not
at the ground, for looking down unconsciously drops your weight
to the side you're looking. Shift your weight so there is more
weight on the side you are cueing with. If you want to go right,
put more weight on your left seatbone. Pretend your legs are
two doors. If your weight is even, both doors are closed against
your horse's sides. If you shift and put more weight on one
side, you are "opening" the door on the other side,
thus allowing your horse to go sideways through the open door.
Now try and keep your hands still. This is really hard since
you'll want to pull your horse's head in the opposite direction
in which you are going. Remember for a correct sidepass, the
horse's body is fairly straight with the nose pointed slightly
in the direction you are going. Cue him for the sidepass as
you did from the ground. It should be a hard squeeze near the
girth, somewhere between your cue for the turn on the forehand
and the one for the turn on the haunches. At this point your
horse will have no idea what you are asking him and may move
the front or rear, go backwards or simply stand there. Some
might try to rear. Be patient. Settle him down and ask again.
If he moves the front end, quickly use your leg or crop to encourage
him to move his rear. Try to keep him straight and if need be
proceed by moving the front then the rear in small steps. Use
a voice cue like "side." Remember, this doesn't need
to be done in a day. You have years to perfect this move. Right
now you are just trying to get your horse to move a step sideways.
If you have an assistant, he can help by shoving your horse
sideways as you cue him. At first, praise the slightest attempt,
even if it feels like your horse simply fell sideways from your
assistant's push. Do this at least three times on each side.
If your horse gets really upset, try for one small step then
walk away forward. Make a big circle and come back and try again.
Some horses will catch on quickly, others will take days, then
all of a sudden it will click. Getting your horse to associate
the leg cue with going sideways might be one of your biggest
obstacles, another might be keeping your horse from stepping
forward or backward. Be careful if he does this, as your first
instinct will be to pull on the bit to stop him. While you don't
want him to be charging forward, you also don't want him to
associate sidepassing with being jerked in the mouth. This takes
patience on your part. Some horses might do better taking a
step or two forward at first then moving sideways but you don't
want him charging through the bit or fighting you. That's why
you should have a wall he can't see over. Give him time to figure
things out. Then, once he does, you can increase the number
of steps you ask for. Don't be in a hurry. The sidepass should
be a slow controlled move. If you have a real problem, go back
to sidepassing on the ground until he's comfortable.
Once your
horse gets the hang of going sideways, you'll want to be sure
he steps his one leg in front of the other, not behind. You
can often feel this since he will tend to shift his weight back
slightly to get his leg to pass behind the other. Try to establish
this procedure as quickly as possible. If you feel him shifting
back, encourage him forward.
Whatever
you do, don't fall into the old trap of jerking your horse's
head tightly in one direction, leaning way out of the saddle
and kicking him in the other. This is where you get the sloppy
"C" shape and all you are doing is knocking him off
balance. Yes, it is easier to do but why spend time teaching
your horse to do some thing second-class when it takes just
a little more effort to do it properly. Your horse deserves
to be taught the best and whether you're on the trail or in
the arena, it looks so professional when you can sit straight,
give a slight leg cue and your horse stands straight and effortlessly
moves sideways.
Susan Dudasik
Shadow Rider Equine News
srider@salmoninternet.com
Member: Idaho Press Club
North American Saddle Mule Association
