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I remembered something Moutaineer wrote last October:

Moutaineer wrote:I also, (I suspect many lefties are like this) don't automatically know my left from my right so there's always a beat where I have to think when someone says "right rein!" which drives some instructors nuts--when I was a kid it was always "inside" or "outside" and I could process that, but nowadays (different country, too,) it's always "left" or "right."

This is me, and I am likely far worse about it than Moutaineer. Today's lesson was bad because of it. Trainer was yelling out corrections quicker and more so than usual (which is a lot!). "Don't give with left rein. No, you're holding right rein too much. Lower your right rein. Now your've counterbent on the left rein. Blah Blah" It was downright grueling. It got worse and worse.

Is this really a problem that left handed people have? I told trainer at lesson end that he has to say inside or outside. Ha, I'll be he won't be able to do it.

Argh, that is frustrating. I am a righty and prefer inside/outside. Left/Right distinctions are much slower to me.

Easy for me. Which one am I pulling on like a numpty? That one would be the right rein.

I'm sometimes amazed at how well my instructor knows my left and right since she normally sits in one spot and I can be moving toward/away/circle etc. It often takes me that split second to think which is left or right, while inside/outside is much easier.

While I'm right handed I far prefer inside/outside as directives; so, much more autopilot for me especially if we're talking about use of leg, not just hand(s).

My eventing trainer in high school used to have me hold my thumbs out -- L and backwards L -- while I was jumping It had a twofold effect -- very gentle hands and he could call out right or left while I was on course and I'd end up the correct direction eventually. There were an embarrassing number of screeching stops, check fingers, and take off again!

I'm an inside/outside person. That being said. If I'm teaching and I realize that the person is pulling on the wrong rein or using the wrong leg - I switch to right/left. And, I make sure that the person understands inside/outside in relation to the ring. But different people respond more quickly to different directions and I feel you have to take the individual's needs into account when you're teaching.

At least it isn't just me you all make me feel better!

I'm a righty and definitely struggle with quickly figuring out left from right! Inside/outside works so much better for me. And to make matters worse, my trainer often gets them backwards! Like Mari, I usually know which one is likely the culprit and can guess accordingly!

MaryC wrote: my trainer often gets them backwards!

Correct. Not only that, but quite a few articles I've read on straightness, the author or editor has used right when they meant left, and vice-versa. Zettl's book is one of them.

I have a very hard time with left/right because I am mostly ambidextrous.
Funny story. One time I was taking a clinic with Karl Mikolka and my then boyfriend was videoing the lesson. Karl asked who he was. I told him he was my boyfriend. Karl told Michael that he should never get involved with a horse woman because they were very expensive.

During my lesson, Karl would say Half Pass right....and I would wind up leg yielding left etc. Karl would yell in his accent "Where are you going?"

This was a two day clinic. That night, Michael asked me to marry him. He said, now you won't have so much trouble with left and right (since I would have a ring on my left hand).
Well, the next day, I showed Karl my new ring (and continued with my left right problems). Karl just shook his head at Michael.

Chancellor wrote:Well, the next day, I showed Karl my new ring (and continued with my left right problems). Karl just shook his head at Michael.

Sweet and hilarious!

left and right can be helpful in situations where things might not be totally clear.

In counter canter, I consider the inside rein to be the inside of the lead, but if an instructor tells me inside rein, does he/she mean the inside of the arena? So in cases like that right/left is much more useful.

My instructor tends to say inside/outside and there are definitely times I would prefer left/right!

Yea, in that case the instructor should make it clear if they mean inside as in relation to the arena or bend of the horse. I'm always in relation to the bend of the horse, which in most instances, inside rein is the horse bent properly to the inside of the arena except in counter canter, and in hp once the horse crosses center line, or renver. But, when I give instructions, I always say inside REIN, which imo makes it more clear than just barking out inside, outside.