Aids vs cues
It’s a constant preoccupation for the rider: how do I get the horse to go where I’d like to go, at the speed I’d like, and to stop when I’d like to stop?
For some trainers these aims are achieved by training ‘cues’. A cue is a signal- “when I say ‘salmon’ you put your left hand on your head.” By giving you a positive experience when you guess correctly, and some form of negative experience when you guess wrong, I can train you to consistently put your left hand on your head at the word ‘salmon’. In the same way, by using positive and/or negative reinforcement we can get horses to do things. Kicking them to get them to move, using spurs or whip to demand a response are negative reinforcements, while giving treats or praise, or removing ourselves from the saddle and letting them go back to the herd are used as a positive.
An aid is different.
An aid is a request that is so inherently compelling that the horse responds out of his or her own native curiosity and desire to be in unity with others. An aid is delightful and responsive. The rider ‘giving’ the aid is guided by the response of the horse, it’s not imposed upon the horse but sourced in the horse. “The horses taught us the aids.” is a truism of French Classical work. What does a walk depart feel like? You know what it feels like.
I watch beginner beginner riders on their first ride ever sitting on the horse’s back in wonder and as the horse begins to consider taking a step, the rider’s face changes as the information is transmitted: a change is happening! Weight is transforming itself across this structure! Good Lord! In the rush and tumble of the emotions that respond to all that change, a beginner doesn’t have the presence of mind to tell you how they knew before anything had changed outwardly that the horse was about to step forward.
But if they could… if they could listen… within that listening is the aid. The most subtle of changes in the horse spoke volumes to the inexperienced rider. And that most subtle of changes in the rider would have spoken volumes to the horse as well. The trick is how minimal this is. The irresistible power is in the subtlety. It’s rather wonderful, it really is. And oh, so sweetly connected together, so much more than either of us is on our own.
Aids.
vs. Cues.
I’ll take the aids everytime.
