Gia - session 1031 - How do you know if your horse has Impulsion?

 Gia and I worked towards jumping a few small fences on Friday.  But the main thing we focused on was getting enough impulsion and getting her straight enough.  

But how do you know if you have enough impulsion?

There are a couple of "tests" you can do to see if your horse has enough energy, or is "in front of your leg":

1. When you think they are there, relax your leg aid (but don't take your leg off, do keep it supportive), and see what they do.  Does your horse quit after a few strides or less?  Does your horse maintain their forward momentum?  If they quit fairly quickly, then they were not "there" yet.  Go back and ask for more energy, and then "test" again.  If they maintain their forward momentum for, let's say about a 20 meter circle, or one long side, or half your arena, then they are probably "in front of your leg".  You may have to remind them and tweak their tempo and energy here and there, but you should not have to "nag" at them with your leg and whip constantly throughout your ride.

2. Do you feel yourself wanting to fall forward at times, or often?  That can also be an indication that your horse is not in front of your leg and lacks impulsion.  When they have the right amount of energy, it should feel like they are pulling you forward, and it should be fairly easy to sit nice and tall and have your
shoulders a little behind your hips.  I like to use the analogy of a water skier.  Your horse is the boat, and you are the water skier.  If the boat doesn't go fast enough, then the water skier can't stay up and balanced and be pulled along by the boat, so the rider ... er skier falls forward into the water.  The only difference is that the boat usually has its own engine, but in your case, you may have to help provide some of the engine for the horse/boat to go forward enough.

Maybe you know of another "test" to see if your horse has enough impulsion.  Feel free to share in the comments!


Back to my ride on Friday.  Whenever Gia had the right amount of impulsion, it was easier to straighten her, and the jumps were a no brainer!

You can see a similar position in this ride as in the water skier above

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