Horsemanship is one of the most popular events in AQHA youth and amateur competition. It consists of rail work and a pattern full of challenging maneuvers that riders must perform precisely – almost perfectly. Horsemanship is defined by detail. Virtually every horsemanship pattern calls for one or more pivots. AQHA Professional Horsewoman Bonnie Minor of Dennison, Minnesota, gets down to the horse-training basics for perfecting your pivots.
“A pivot is a forward-motion maneuver where the horse plants one leg and walks around that leg,” she explains. “If you’re doing a pivot to the right, your horse would plant its right hind leg and walk its left leg around. Its shoulders should move around, and its left hindquarter walks around its right quarter, and vice versa. If we’re going to the left, the left foot stays planted and the right foot walks around it so the shoulders have to do a big sweeping circle.”
Beginning Horseman: How do I cue my horse to pivot to the right or left?
Bonnie: When you cue your horse for a pivot to the left, move your hand slightly to the left – just enough to tell the horse that there is going to be a movement to the left. Move your right calf in, with a slight touch of your heel or spur. Move your right foot forward a hair so the horse knows that you want his shoulder to move left — not his whole body, because then you would get a sidepass instead.
Beginning Horseman: What if the horse starts moving his hip instead? Is that why you put your leg a little forward, to let him know to move the shoulder?
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