In a perfect world the horse is connected to us through the reins, meaning that the contact we’ve established on the reins serves as the ultimate communication tool. There is no tension, simply touch and with it the power to execute energy through the horse at a moments notice.

What this means for us as riders is that the legs become quiet and are used primarily as a balance point, but please don’t misunderstand and think I mean balance through squeezing or holding on with the legs. There is a large issue of overusing the legs as it compromises your balance, creates tension upwards into your seat, can radiate into your hands and promote pulling on the reins not to mention add confusion and complication to your communication with the horse. The less that we have to use in order to let the horse know what we want, the better.

Contact on the reins can only be appropriate if the horse is pushing/propelling himself forward from the hind legs calmly, while also maintaining the proper bend. Without these our ability to communicate through the reins is compromised at best, though often worse – disconnected.

The magic happens quite brilliantly however when these elements are all in concert with one another, as you can orchestrate collection in the horse, gait transitions and spectacular lateral work that is forward, light and graceful primarily through the reins. The legs working secondary to the hand in providing support. On the other hand, to rely upon the legs primarily the hands are left to working in excess to either contain the anxious energy created by the overuse of the legs and force position to create second rate lateral work and dull transitions.

I love days like today, that bring tears to my eyes and bring up such a well of emotion, excitement and curiosity! I managed to escape what was looking to be monotonous office work this afternoon (which reminds me I still have to do taxes!..), in order to enjoy the company of my horses.

Usually the gears of my mind work best when they are greased with some sort of horse activity, and today was no different. Scout, Jobi and Ceylon all inspired three different tracks that I figured I would share.

The Half Halt… sometimes I wonder if it really is that complicated and confusing. If all of the articles written describing it in vague half-terms and hidden meanings could even come close to the actuality of the half halt. Then I get snapped back to reality and laugh it off a bit. At times I have taken the half halt for granted, the simplicity of it anyways. But it is never too far in the closet. The half halt, what is it, what does it do, and why is it important? Those three things have become sufficient fuel to incite endless ramblings.

1. What is it : posture correction or realignment – often referred to as re-balancing the horse. Think of it like correcting a sloucher in order to sit up or stand up straight.
2. What does it do : obviously the benefits of posture aligned to carry and maneuver most efficiently and without undue stress reduces wear and tear, potential injuries, and allows the horse freedom to communicate without being hindered/distracted by their imbalance or physical pains from moving in poor balance. Think about a person who has low back pain because of poor posture; they will have a difficult time concentrating fully on interacting with others in a physical way because the physical pain/discomfort/hindrance will constantly be distracting them away.
3. Why is it important : outside of what has already been mentioned… it is a natural process. When the horse is half halted and becomes balanced, their base of support becomes smaller – their hind legs move towards their front legs, and as a result also shorten the length of their stride. When a horse moves to transition upwards or downwards their hind legs will naturally shorten stride one or two steps before the gait change. Therefore, it can be surmised that by half halting the horse you are not only preparing in a similar fashion for the horse to naturally transition in their movement, but assisting in the horse’s muscular development in order to be prepared for transitions at any moment. Which is a large goal ultimately in dressage – that the horse is ready, able and willing to transition precisely and near-instantaneously upon request.

Outside of that, the next big question with the half halt is: how do you half halt the horse? The key to that answer is in a circle…

After having a splendid ride with Scout, I had more thoughts come to mind while playing with Jobi. In particular, that of horses who are heavy in the hand (pullers) and those who are dead to the leg. Jobi is hardly either of these, although if I had to give him such a label I guess I would say he could be both… if that makes any sense. If not, read it a few times more. What I’m getting at, is that any horse is capable of being heavy in the hand or dead to the leg, and any horse is capable of being light in the mouth or hyper-sensitive to the rider’s legs. I would almost be willing to say also, that any horse has been both of these extremes at some point, or will be. The key then, is finding the middle. But finding that is difficult and impossible without knowing both extremes to some mastership.

I cannot tell you how many times I have been nearly unable to walk after having to test ride a horse who is for sale for a student or client of mine. It is literally painful to experience the reality of how desensitized the overall horse population is to the rider’s legs. On the same note, I have also ridden too many horses to count who are either behind the bit, or who have become accustomed to forceful coercion in the mouth. See-sawing the reins is still a very popular means to ‘control’ the horse…

So how do we find this middle ground? In part, I believe through exploring both opposites. What I see with the majority of riders I work with, is that they have come to be afraid of one extreme or the other – particularly with the reins. They have either learned that touching the reins too much is bad, or that leaving too much slack in the reins will mean certain death. The first is often inspired by Natural Horsemanship mantras and methods, and the latter half in part reliance on the reins for balance combined with fear of losing control/having the horse run off or misbehave enough to dump the rider. As much as my students may hate me for it, I am a big proponent of encouraging exploring areas which you are not yet comfortable with in order to build skill and comfort.

Have I ever mentioned I hate the overuse of the phrase, “Ride Every Stride”? I’m officially saying it now! Do other rider’s mistake this for meaning giving a cue/signal/aid every moment, including with the legs (thumping the horse’s side every stride of the trot, etc)? I would like to gracefully propose a retraction or redefine said phrase. Really, it could more effectively read “Ride Every Stride With Awareness.” To be conscious of your actions, but not necessarily giving orders every moment.

Okay, now I’m getting lazy and ready to move to my last point. Yes, I know that I could stammer on for another couple of paragraphs and give away some great secrets, but instead I’m going to leave that part a bit vague and unfinished in order to mention…

That I had a wonderful evening with Ceylon. She has been sitting all winter without any work, I’ve started her back into lunge work over the last couple of weeks, and today I sat on her again after too many months. She is of course a sweetheart, but I always seem to reflect on the ease with which starting horses ought to come if the timing is right. If it is wrong, all sorts of horrors can result – bucking, rearing, bolting, balking, spinning, running backwards, etc. It made me remember too one of the first babies I started under saddle, Danny. I owned her several years back now, she found a home in Indianapolis with an older couple. But I remember the first time I rode her, I never ‘officially’ started her. I brought her up from the pasture, knew the moment was appropriate and sat up on her from a mounting block. Bareback with a halter and lead. She happily took to walking and even a bit of gaiting forward around the arena. Made me remember and miss her, and all the other babies I’ve started, and also appreciate the wonderful youngsters I still have to start..

What is the importance of the seat, hands, legs in the aiding of the horse? I am often sent information (in the form of articles), read online discussions, have pilfered through countless books, listened to other clinicians, speakers, trainers, etc as they describe and indicate the use of the aids. If you are like me, the path to understanding, implementing and succeeding (not to mention perfecting) these aids might seem like a lost cause, or time to get into collecting automobiles instead!

Simplicity, it is something I keep drumming on about. The more complicated, complex and difficult something becomes, the further from attaining it we get. I just wanted to write a quick ditty to inspire my readers to get back to basics, back to the simple. So here are some quotes I found just for you…

Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.”
Isaac Newton

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Leonardo da Vinci

Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art.
Frank Lloyd Wright

Simplicity is the key to brilliance.
Bruce Lee

and

In building a statue, a sculptor doesn’t keep adding clay to his subject. Actually, he keeps chiseling away at the inessentials until the truth of its creation is revealed without obstructions.
Bruce Lee

Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity – I mean the true simplicity of a rightly and nobly ordered mind and character, not that other simplicity which is only a euphemism for folly.
Plato

Simplicity of life, even the barest, is not a misery, but the very foundation of refinement; a sanded floor and whitewashed walls and the green trees, and flowery meads, and living waters outside.
William Morris

Simplicity is the glory of expression.
Walt Whitman

The evolution of knowledge is toward simplicity, not complexity.
L. Ron Hubbard

All of these just give me goosebumps, how true they are… but also makes me think of another quote.

There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.
Leonardo da Vinci

I believe that as equestrians, if we are always told that things are done a certain way it is naturally difficult to believe that there is something simpler, even easier, than what we have become accustomed to. Especially given all the gadgets, gimmicks, quick fixes and so on that we are being sold every day. For that reason, often we have to start by first being shown before we can move forward into “those who see.”

Part II : Direct & Indirect Rein

In the first part of this article, we covered the Rules of the Aids, along with introducing and describing the Half Halt and Reverse Half Halt. We now continue on, in a very logical way, to discuss the Direct and Indirect Rein. These two aids are the means of directing, guiding and helping to shape the horse.

Direct Rein

The simplest and most straightforward rein aid, is appropriately termed a Direct Rein (now on referred to as DR). Also commonly referred to as an opening rein, plow rein, inside rein, or considered to be the common means of rein control in English disciplines. The DR is commonly used to “open” to the side you want the horse to turn to, and a certain amount of traction or pull applied.

The DR is capable of greater refinement, and specific control than it has been given credit for. Let’s first go over some of the key points of the DR.

• Weight Distribution: The DR puts the weight on the inside front limb.
• Bend: The horse is bent in the direction of travel – bend left, travel left.
• Exclusive Movement: Turn on the forehand.

In the illustration to the left we see a basic model of a horse viewed from above. This is assuming we are using a right DR. The red X marks where the majority of the weight will be placed, the right foreleg. This is the leg that the horse will pivot around. What this also means is that by using a DR, we are placing the horse on the forehand.

The red line directing us towards the left, is indicative of the direction that the haunches will swing in the motion. This action is what disconnects the horse’s direction (the forehand) from the driving force or energy (the haunches). The DR disconnects these two elements, making it difficult if not impossible for the horse to propel himself forward into the direction of travel with full power. For example, in a wide turn using the DR, the horse will have a considerable amount of force in propelling himself forward. In a tight turn or pivot on the forehand, that energy will propel the horse’s haunches sideways.

Finally, the blue arrow directed towards the horse’s right hind leg is indicative of the direction of the rein’s action. When using the reins, you have the option of moving forward, backward, up, down, left and right. The arrow represents backward, in a parallel line to the horse’s body when straight.

Indirect Rein

The second means of direction at your hands, is the Indirect Rein (now on referred to as IR). This rein is similar in action to a neck rein, although the IR follows different rules than a neck rein.

• Weight Distribution: The IR puts the weight on the outside hind limb.
• Bend: The horse is bent in the opposite direction of travel – bend left, travel right.
• Exclusive Movement: Turn on the haunches.

In the illustration to the left we see again a basic model of a horse viewed from above. We are basing the picture on the assumption that we are using a right IR. The red X marks where the weight of the horse is being supported, the limb that the body will pivot around. This time, it is the opposite hind leg, both from the rein we are using, and from the DR’s weight placement.

The red arrow points to the direction that the forehand travels, around the pivoting hind limb. The motion of the forehand, unlike the DR, aligns the forehand with the haunches (direction and propulsion). This makes the IR ideal to help set the horse up for movements that require lots of propulsion straight forward (i.e. canter departs, extended or collected gaits, etc).

The blue arrow is the direction of the rein action when using the IR. As before, we have the options of moving the rein forward, backward, up, down, left and right. Our action is in a diagonal fashion – left and backward, in alignment with the leg that will be weight bearing, the left hind leg.

How both of these rein aids interact with each other is simple and complex. They have the capability to be used alone, or together. They can also be used in conjunction with the HH and RHH. Any of these combinations will create certain movements from the horse, and it is the refinement of balancing between the rein aids that is the core of riding skill.

Dissecting Movements

Exactly how are movements created using the rein aids that we’ve already discussed? Let’s try to approach the movements of the horse critically.

First we should define exactly what it is we are looking for, and why. Every idea must have reason behind it. What are “movements” and why are they important? Taken down to it’s most basic purpose, any act of riding or training is in some way to define, direct, teach and be able to recall a movement, or series of movements, with a specific aid or cue. Why do we spend such a large portion of our time with horses, working towards influencing, controlling, or directing the walk, trot, canter, and gallop?

• Usefulness: Horses were not always used primarily for pleasure or hobby. Their employ started to lighten our work load, and increasing theirs. The ability to specifically control how the horse moved was an important way to make sure the work was done in a quick, efficient manner, and with less risk of injury to horse or human. Imagine trying to direct a 6-horse coach without the ability to speed up or slow down in a turn…
• Physical Conditioning: Now that horses are used in competitions, and are considered to be athletes along with their counterparts, the importance of muscle health is number one. Unlike their counterparts, horses cannot be told to “do 50 push-ups”, so it is by positioning the horse to use his body in a certain way that conditions him. Just as a person can lift a heavy weight by bending at the back, they can be more efficient, lift more weight and do less physical damage by lifting with their legs and keeping the back relatively straight.
• A Better Ride: Like a graceful ballet dancer, a strong horse whose movements have been refined through physical conditioning will move more beautifully. What this means to us as riders, is that the horse is also more enjoyable to ride. Their gaits become smoother to ride because the motion is consistent rather than erratic, the turns and maneuvers are balanced and elegant.

So, knowing the purpose to pursuing the development and refinement of various movements in the horse, lets dig deeper.

Movements can be divided up into different groups, based on how they change the way the horse uses himself, and also the direction of travel.

Straight-Forward

• Walk, Trot, Canter, Gallop
• Lengthened or Shortened Walk, Trot, Canter
• Extended or Collected Walk, Trot, Canter
• Piaffe, Passage, Terre Terre

Lateral (at any pace)

• Leg Yield
• Shoulder In
• Half Pass
• Full Pass or Side Pass

Standing

• Any of the Airs including Levade and Courbette

This is a very basic, and incomplete list of how the various movements could be divided up. There are certain movements that could fall into several categories as well – the Terre Terre being one of them. It qualifies as a straight forward movement, however can also be considered as an Air because of it’s rearing and leaping motion.

Primarily it is the HH that directs and controls the straightforward movements, and most certainly the standing movements. It is because elevation is the key to straightness, when the horse’s neck reaches a certain amount of elevation, which is specific to the individual horse, it makes it impossible for the horse to also have any significant amount of bend through the spine. Elevation fixes a crooked horse. Elevation also kills the forward energy, so it is vital that both are balanced. Teaching a horse to respond to the HH with a light rein, will enable the rider to be more subtle in asking for elevation to straighten the horse’s spine, and also allow them to balance between increasing elevation and losing impulsion.

The Indirect and Direct rein aids will control the lateral movements, but you cannot forget the HH either. The HH plays a secondary role in the lateral movements. Without the HH, it is easy for the horse to move to quickly in the movements, and lose the physical benefit, and also be less precise in the movement. Since the HH controls elevation too, any increase in elevation increases the amount of sideways movement you get. With maximum elevation, you kill all the forward energy of the horse. When you then add energy through either the whip or the legs, you get straight sideways movement.

The lateral movements also require a balancing act between the Direct and Indirect rein, too much of one or the other in a specific movement can change it completely. For example, in the shoulder in, your primary rein is going to be an indirect rein, however too much indirect rein will turn your shoulder in, into a turn on the haunches.

Part I; Introduction, Half Halt & Reverse Half Halt

I should think that the best place to begin with describing the aids we use to influence the horse, is to first find the exact meaning of aid. By Definition:

Aid: noun (plural aids)

1. Help, succor, assistance, relief.
2. The person who promotes or helps in something being done; a helper; an assistant
3. Something which helps; a material source of help.
4. An aid-de-camp, so called by abbreviation; as, a general’s aid.
5. Aid: verb (aids, aiding, aided)
6. (transitive) To support; to give support to; to further the progress of; to help; to assist.

The etymology of the word Aid is from Old French – Aide, from Latin adjuvare, “to assist.”

Perhaps the first point to make on the definition of aid, is that in no way does the meaning ever describe it as a means of control. The aids that the rider uses, are meant not as a way to force, coerce or otherwise take away the will, freedom or direction of the horse, the aids are there to help support the horse in his own natural abilities, if you will. There is a fine line between force and guide when working with the aids, our goal is to guide the horse, redirect his own forces, not contain them. It is with keeping this in mind, that our refinement and perfection of the aids will develop more freely.

Rule of the Aids

There is a certain amount of predictability in the aids, once we come to understand their function. Along with a predictability of the aids, there are also predictable patterns in the horse as to how they interact and react to the aids. Before setting out to practice and discover these rules one on one with your horse, I would like to cover a few rules that should be followed in the use of the aids.

• Never Pull : horses instinctively move into pressure, when you pull, it incites the horse to respond by pulling back. With time and practice you can train the horse to respond to pulling by giving into the pressure, this reaction however is not a natural one. Not only is yielding to pulling an unnatural reaction to the horse, every time you use the force of pulling to control or direct the horse, you are showing him exactly how much (or how little) strength you have. Once a horse learns he is stronger than you, he will always win the pulling fight. In addition, horses come to resent the action of pulling. The horse / human relationship has turned into a dictatorship.
• Never Force : what is forcing? Forcing is what it takes to go beyond the touch barrier. You can come to touch with your hand, leg, etc, but once you go beyond the touch and begin pulling or pushing, you are forcing. There is no use in forcing a horse, physically changing his physical shape, by overuse of the aids. If the horse is so unresponsive to the aids, work needs to be done to create more sensitivity to light aids, rather than using a greater amount of force.
• As Little As Possible, As Much As Necessary : What this means is that you work to do as little as possible, keeping your aids infinitely light. However, on the same end you do as much as is necessary in that situation. For example, working at home in your arena, using the lightest touch (or non-touch, which will be explained later) at all times whether you get the desired response or not may be acceptable, whereas in a situation that could be dangerous for you and the horse, using a firmer touch to ensure the desired result may be needed to maintain safety. This is not to say that you do not strive for using the lightest touch possible under all circumstances, but that there may be times when the lightest touch is not appropriate.
• Horses Are All Perfect : Every horse knows how to be a horse, more so than we can ever know, being humans. If an aid you are using consistently fails to bring about the desired result on the horses you are riding, change it. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing repeatedly, while expecting different results. Aids are meant to guide and support the actions of the horse.
• Singular Aids : The use of the aids should never be so complex as to confuse the rider and horse. If you are using more than two aids at any one time, it is too much. While horses are capable of learning complex combinations of aids, how many get confused in the process? If it cannot be done with a single aid, the horse is not ready to perform it.
• No Contradictions : The aids must never contradict each other, with exception to the Combined Halt. The reins never oppose one another, creating conflict and blocks. The reins and legs are never used against each other (i.e. increasing speed with the legs while asking for slowing with the reins). This applies laterally, diagonally and bilaterally.

The list of Rules may seem lengthy, but as you begin working they will make more sense to you. Questions will be answered by these rules, and will help form new questions, which leads to greater understanding and knowledge of the aids.

Resistance

There are times when a horse will resist the aids. There are three ways a horse can resist the rider; through weight, physical force and mental resistance. The first two resistances (weight, force) are simple to overcome. The resistance of the mind is the resistance that there is no set solution. Time, building trust and a relationship are the means to break down this resistance, and is not a topic to be discussed in conjunction with the use of the aids. Resistances of weight and force are the common means that a horse will passively (or not so passively) protest the rider’s efforts.

• Resistance of Weight – the horse uses his positioning of weight to resist.
• Resistance of Force – the horse resists by the contraction of muscles.

Resistance of weight is commonly associated with horses who are young and unbalanced. It is easy for them to misplace their weight to the forehand or off to one side or the other. The solution for resistances of weight is by the application of the Half Halt. The Half Halt changes the posture of the horse, which in turn re-balances the weight of his body onto the haunches, allowing the horse to move with greater precision.

Resistance of force is associated with horses who have learned to pull against the rider’s pull. Both types of resistance often elicit a response from the rider to attempt to pull the horse into the position that they desire, which only completes the cycle of resistance. Resistance of force can only be solved through Vibrations. The use of vibration through the reins is based on the principle that to release muscle tension you have to create a non-static, non-invasive energy to the source of resistance. In other words, think of vibration in the way of massage. You do not dent the horse, you do not pry or attempt to force relaxation. Simply put, you are creating an environment that over time the horse cannot resist through force.

Vibrations can be done through the fingers, the wrist or the whole arm. The preferred method is through the wrist, because the action becomes left to right with the wrist, there is no backward action, whereas with the fingers you create an opening and closing, that inevitably creates a forward/backward motion. The use of the whole arm in vibrations may be needed for large vibrations, but for general use lacks precision and tact.

Half Halt solves the problem of weight resistance. If the horse fails to respond to the Half Halt, the resistance of weight has changed to a resistance of force, which requires the use of Vibrations. Once Vibrations have solved the resistance of force, you can once again employ the Half Halt to solve the resistance of weight.

Rein Aids

The use of the reins will be described first, since not only does the horse’s mouth come first, but the major ability to direct and guide the horse comes from the use of the reins. Learning how to properly use the reins in a tactful manner is the most difficult lessons to learn, it is no wonder that so many riders teach and have been taught to use their legs in the majority of influence over the direction of the horse. The legs not only require less tact, but are less capable of acting with the measure of precision that an educated hand is. The key phrase here is educated hand, the beginner hand often lacks more precision than a beginner’s legs. It is for this reason then that the use of the hands should be practiced so much, considering that we as humans have a nature to do everything with our hands, why then do we so often consider the primary use of the hands to be evil or uneducated?

The Half Halt

The ever mysterious Half Halt (from now on referred to as HH). I still recall my first instructors describing it to me as being “something that involves your hands, legs, seat and weight” of which it was assumed the magical combination of these four things would yield the desired result of making your horse pause momentarily to regroup and rebalance himself. When I thought I was getting the correct response, it was still shrouded in mystery because I didn’t know what I was looking for, or at. The HH is something that nearly everyone in the horse world has heard about, if not discussed or practiced. Despite the well known use of the HH in riding and training, it is still an aid that at times seems impossible to acquire with consistency.

The function of the HH is indeed to rebalance the horse, but how it does this is not through means of magic. Rather the HH causes the horse to change his posture, in turn affecting how he carries himself – putting the weight on the haunches and taking it off the forehand. The very posture of the horse dictates how and where he will move at any given moment, therefore posture is everything in the way of directing and guiding the horse.

Without using force, how are we to change the posture of the horse? Is it by a specific combination of aids – leg, seat, hand & weight? Perhaps the real question to ask, is how do we perform the HH when we are not seated upon the horse?

The exact actions the HH inspires in the horse are as follows:

In Order of Occurrence:

• Elevation: The horse’s head will elevate to some measure, by a little or by a lot. There is no change in pace.
• Slowing: Following the elevation of the horse’s head, a continuation of the HH will produce a slowing of the pace. This slowing may produce a transition downward, say from canter to trot or trot to walk, or simply a change in the length of stride at any given gait.
• Halt: The horse will halt and stand.
• Rein Back: Continued application of the HH from the halt will produce rearward motion.

Often when the rider is first applying the HH and expecting the horse to halt, they get only the first stage of HH, elevation, which causes the rider to become concerned because not only did the horse not slow or halt, but elevated it’s head instead. Elevation is not a form of evasion when the HH is being applied. Often the actions of elevation will be very apparent when the horse is first being taught HH, or the rider is first learning how to HH, but as both parties become more refined the actions are smaller and truly become invisible. The need for a large amount of elevation to change the posture of the horse diminishes, because the horse carries more weight on the haunches during the ride as a result of continual posture alignment through the HH. Just as a human will slouch, over time practicing sitting straight, the changes to sitting even straighter become less and less because you are closer to the perfect posture for balance.

If the horse gives you a halt when you HH, and all you wanted was elevation or a slowing of the gait, you are using too much hand. Remember, use as little as possible, as much as necessary. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the horse may chose to resist the HH through force, of which must be addressed by Vibrations (as discussed earlier) before the HH.

The HH can be employed through a single rein or both reins together. The preferred method is to use a single rein – keeping with separating the aids and keeping them as simple as possible for the horse to understand.

Reverse Half Halt

A “by-product” of the HH, is the Reverse Half Halt (from now on referred to as RHH). The theory of the RHH is that you can create impulsion and forward energy through the reins. A RHH the opposite of a HH. The RHH, unlike the other rein aids, is not one of any natural reaction from the horse, necessarily. It is an aid that is first taught from the ground, where you have the physical ability to bring the horse forward using the reins. While mounted, we lose that ability, being as we do not ride with wooden reins and cannot physically push the horse forward with the reins. It is a conditioned response that you transfer from the ground to under saddle, supported by the action of the whip or legs, which lessens until the impulsion is created solely through the reins by the RHH.

What purpose does the RHH have in riding? If a rider has the ability to use his legs, and whip, why then should you have to create a third method for impulsion? An answer to this question lies in the ability to be very precise with our hands. It is said that our hands are so sensitive, that a trained hand can learn to identify a temperature change of as little as ½ degree F. It would seem then that the ability to create so specific an amount of increased impulsion at any given moment during a ride would lead to precision that is unheard of.

The RHH has a secondary purpose besides merely creating forward energy, the RHH is a useful tool in lateral work, where you need to create more energy in one direction over the other. The opening hand, now uses the RHH to produce enthusiastic movement in the desired direction, without over using the legs or whip.