Dressage Training by Ann Smith

Ask Ann: Use of Legs
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When riding dressage is it important to have steady even pressure with your calf vs. relaxed calf and only turn your toe out and squeeze when you want to get the horse to move?  I know this may be too hard to answer.  I just got back from taking a lesson from a new trainer, since my old one has moved, and he says relaxed calf.  This totally threw me because the way I was taught, and the way my horse goes the best (his head is down and his back is more rounded) is to keep my leg on and kind of gently lift his body up. 
              Thanks so much for your time, because now I am really confused and not knowing if I should go back to this guy or not.
                             Toni

Toni,
I believe any aid should be used to change something in the horse.
 
I also believe the purpose of dressage is to to eventually school our horse into self carriage.  As in, we have taught them how to carry a rider and then THEY DO IT. We give guidance, direction and purpose to the movements. 
 
So when training, we teach the horse to pick up a leg when the calf closes (use our whole leg to move the calf closer to the horse's side) against the side and then we allow the weight of the seat bone to direct the placement of the leg. By having a loose but steady and balanced seat, momentum will then encourage our other seat bone to move and the horse moves forward.  When the horse stops moving forward we close our calf and use our weight to get him moving forward in a FORWARD manner again.
 
SO in short... we ask the horse to go forward with the leg, then we let him do it for as long as he will OR until we want to do something else.  We shouldn't need to or continue to ask him to walk every stride while walking. 
 
However.... if your horse DOESN'T walk forward unless you ask him every stride ... then you need to ask him and let him go... when he stops walking forward in a FORWARD manner THEN you ask him again.
The aids are for when you want a CHANGE in the way a horse goes, not for moving a horse every step/stride.  They can of course be used that way but... what may happen is that you will loose FORWARD.  for if you do the training/schooling correctly... The horse will stop doing what he did the step before if it is NOT asked for again.
 
For verification double check The Complete Training of Horse and Rider by Alios Podhajski or Dressage Formula by Erik Herbermann  You are looking for a discussion of "Aids and their application"
 
The Manual of Horsemanship by the British Horse Society pony Club says:
"The legs
Relaxed thighs and supple hip and knee joints allow the legs just below the knee to rest in equal contact against the horse.  The contact of the legs must be constant and should be sure, definite and unvarying: except when you are giving an aid" 
Side Note:
 I do not allow my legs to actually touch the horse because I can't keep my lower leg steady enough to not accidentally give an aid. So my thigh rests against the horse from relaxed hip and knee, but my lower leg hangs straight down from my knee which is about 1/2" away from the horse's side.
But BACK to the Book....
"The Inside Leg
The inside leg asks for impulsion with a quick, light  inward nudge applied at any moment needed.  A slightly increased pressure inwards encourages the horse to bend correctly.
 
The outside leg
The outside leg influences the quarters in two ways:
  • it supports the quarters when necessary in asking the horse to go forward
  • it controls and directs the hindquarters laterally by an increased contact of the lower leg behind the girth.  the pressure of the leg continues until the correction or movement sideways has been completed"

Side note: I think both legs behind the girth can influence the horse laterally regardless of the bend through the horse. I also believe the application of the knees influence the shoulders of the horse laterally. 

So in summary... we apply either leg for forward movement ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. 

When reading dressage books or any books about how to ride I find reading them at the end of my finger and being VERY PARTICULAR about applying EXACT definitions from Websters dictionary VERY VERY helpful. :-)  Yes we all know Forward is a direction but..... Dictionary,com states... http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=forward

There are 10 definitions for the word FORWARD....  We have to consider ALL of the definitions when reading and riding to find which one the author means. Forward Means a direction or Boldness. I find that most often the word Forward, in Dressage, tends to mean Boldness rather than a direction. Speed isn't even a consideration. yet when some hear the comment "Need more Forwardness"... they speed up the horse. This makes the horse even less Bold and more like they are running willy nilly or LESS boldly forward more frightened forward.

I seemed to have diverged off your question, but it is sort of relevant to your question.  The horse must learn to move confidently and if you are aiding the gait every stride or they expect to stop.. then the fourth principle of dressage is not met.  Relaxation, Balance, Contact, FORWARD, Impulsion, Evenness/Straightness, Collection.

I hope this helps and doesn't confuse you further. 

Thank you
Ann Smith

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