------ SECONDARY CUES ------

To most riders when cueing a horse you think of the three primary cues – hands, legs and seat.  Those cues are important, but there are secondary cues that are just as important in horsemanship.  The secondary cues include voice, breathing and eyes/head. 

Voice: The power of a voice cue comes from the volume and tempo not the actual word used.  While some horses seem to recognize a certain word, they are actually reacting to the way the word sounds.  They have no real understanding of the meaning of the word.  A similar sounding word said in the same fashion will usually get the same response.  An example is the word WHOA.  When you say WHOA, you usually say it in a low tone and draw it out.  Say NO in the same manner and the horse will probably stop.  Now, say WHOA in a loud voice quickly and the horse will probably ignore the cue.  Also if you give a voice cue differently each time, the horse will never become very responsive to it.  Repetition of the same sound is the key.

Breathing: The rhythm of your breathing can be a very effective cue.  A horse can feel how your breathing affects your body.  An example is when you hold your breath.  When you hold your breath, your body will tense up.  The horse can feel this tension and will react either by becoming tense themselves or bracing against the tension.  Yet when you breathe in deeply and exhale slowly, the horse will usually react by relaxing and slowing down.  A very deep breath with a long exhale done just before cueing a horse to stop will encourage the horse to stop squarely.

Eyes/Head: The weight of your head has a large impact on your balance in the saddle.  The average head weighs more than 10 lbs. and depending on where you are looking at affects how your seat is weighted in the saddle.  An example is if you always look down at the ground or at your hands, your horse will have a tendency to seem lost or hesitant often breaking gait.  Dropping your head will cause you to round your shoulders and collapse your back.  This will in turn rock your seat bones back and raise your heels making your seat and leg cues ineffective.  Your horse will lose impulsion to move forward and break gait.  On the other hand, keeping your gaze level and your head pointed straight ahead (looking past your horse’s head) will allow your body to keep the Ear/Shoulder/Hip/Heel alignment and maintain effective cueing.  In addition, rotating your head in the direction you want to be traveling will work as a pre-cue to let the horse know you will be changing directions.