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The natural aids are the best tools you have to communicate with your horse. There are four basic aids: the seat (weight), the legs, the hands, and the rider’s voice. When all of these aids are used together, your horse receives clear and consistent communication—he’ll know what you want him to do.
By far, the most important aid is your seat; it’s in the most contact with the horse. Not only are you sitting on a very sensitive part of your horse’s back, but you’re also positioned over his center of gravity. He can feel your shift of weight easily. Because your horse can feel every move, it makes sense to use your seat more than any other aid.
The Gears of Your Seat:
You have three gears to your seat: neutral, forward and reverse. Forward tells the horse to speed up; reverse tells the horse to slow down or stop. Neutral gear is that gear that you should ride in 99 percent of the time; neutral tells the horse to keep doing what he is doing, until you tell him something different.
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