To succeed in horsemanship, you must have a correct, balanced position. The foundation for that position is a correctly placed leg. A faulty leg position corrupts your overall form and compromises your leg cues — both of which can put you out of the ribbons. A correct leg not only looks good in the show pen and assures effective cueing, but also provides more security for any type of riding. Here, I’ll demonstrate several leg-position errors, then give you one to emulate.
Bobbie Emmons trains and shows all-around Paint and Quarter Horses with her husband, Ron, from their Emmons Show Horses in Plymouth, California. A professional trainer for 22 years, Bobbie has developed numerous APHA horsemanship champions, including Christina McGurran, 2001 Paint Horse reserve world champion in 13-and-under horsemanship.
This article first appeared in the August 2002 issue of Horse & Rider magazine.
