Only one aid at the time?

What aid or aids do you use to ask your horse to turn to the right?

Do you use five aids simultaneously? Perhaps you put your weight to the inside, open the right rein, bend your horse around your inner leg as the same time as you with your inner leg activates the horses inner hind leg, with the outside rein you allow the bend but are ready to resist if the bend gets to much plus use it to keep the outside shoulder in place, and use your outside leg to make sure the haunches are kept in place. Oh, and don't forget to look in the direction you are going!

Or do you open the inside rein and that is it?

Do you really need five aids at the same time?

I don't think so. If the one aid is not working, why should more aids work better? Horses are not stupid animals, but at the same time not intelligent like humans (I have so far not meet a horse that have written a book about riding, although they seem to have read them all!). Compared to humans horses have a different kind of intelligence, and the simplest way to communicate with the horse is to use one signal at the time. If the horse understand, he will perform the task you ask of him.

To use one aid at the time is not only the simplest way to communicate with the horse, but also a flash of genius regarding the education of the rider. To develop equestrian tact, you have to find the quiet place where you don't give aids to the horse but listen to the answerer from the horse. If the horse don't turn to the right you know what aid didn't work. The one you used. You then have the opportunity to train the horse to that one aid.

When I have established aids to ask the horse to turn to the right (one aid to ask the horse to perform the turn with the weight on the forehand, and one aid to ask the horse to perform the turn with the weight on the haunches), turn left (also here two separate aids), move his weight to the rear, and one aid to ask for forward movement, then I have the language I need to train my horse to do whatever I can dream about.

When you use five aids at the time, you also make the assumption that you as the rider know better than the horse himself how he needs to use his body. When you use one aid at the time you open up for the horse to use his body as he needs to.

Who do you think have best body control and awareness? You or your horse?