Side to Side

Position yourself for a perfect sidepass.

- HEIDI NYLAND MELOCCO

A fundamental move for the western horse and rider to master is the sidepass. This movement of your horse's shoulder and hip at the same time requires just the right cues. If you want to compete in ranch riding trail classes, you'll be using a pole to guide you sideways.

In a ranch trail class, the average/ starting score is 70, with obstacles scored +1 to -12 in half-point increments (a o is "correct," but neither good nor poor). The goal is to rack up those pluses!

Trainer Ariel Hug helps you position yourself for a perfect sidepass-just like you may see in a performance class. As an Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) coach, Ariel prepares middle and high school students for western show events. She says sidepassing is often a skill needed for pattern classes as well as for ranch riding and trail events. Plus, it's useful for opening gates while mounted or trail riding.

Here, she coaches Sophia Goetz and Gatsby to tune up their sidepassing cues while working at the fence line before lining up with the pole to cue for a plusscoring sidepass.