Improve Horseback Rider Skills- Leg pressure and usage

Continued from Connecting the Dots and The Bridle. 

In regard to leg pressure...

I do not want to feel like I’m “driving” my horse forward constantly with my leg; instead, the energy I offer with my seat (before using leg pressure) delegates the energy that should be reflected in the horse's movement.
AFTER that I will use my legs to finesse, fine-tune, and ask for a more specific movement.
I find a lot of unintentional “nagging” on the horse’s sides when people use their legs. A majority of riders rely solely on their leg to get their horse to “go” and sit like a passenger, or sack of potatoes, in the saddle.
The leg can offer varying degrees of energy, and be able to influence the horse’s front end (from the shoulder forward,) ribcage, and hindquarters, together or separately.
It can create a definitive “boundary” (not one the horse leans on) or encourage the horse to yield a specific body part- without him fleeing from it.
It is a supportive aid to what the rider’s seat communicates and not a random, chaotic “kicking” aid.
As we all know, the horse can feel a fly land on them. So why when a majority of riders, whether with spurs or not, lay a leg into their horse’s side, does the horse ignore, or more often than not, “bulge” their ribcage out in resistance towards the pressure of the rider’s leg?
Because it has not been established as an effective aid that has meaning to the horse.
Examples:
Horse drifting towards unwanted or dangerous spot (side of the cliff, near a fence/dangerous object) and the rider attempts to “move” the horse away from danger by adding their leg to either “block” or laterally yield the horse? What does the horse do? Push back against the leg, or moves off leg, then drifts right back again...
Let’s say the horse is worried about something ahead of him, and so he responds by slowing down/slamming to a halt. The rider responds by kicking him to get him going forward. Or the horse starts fearfully running backwards, and the rider rapidly kicks the horse attempting to get him to move forward.
Too many times, this extra “pressure” causes the horse to go flying backward stronger or make a dramatic spin-and-bolt move.
Then there is also the “completely” ignoring the leg when the horse halts and seemingly is unwilling to budge no matter how hard the rider kicks.
Here are a few questions for you to think about:
How often do you use your leg on a ride?
What part of your leg and where on your horse’s body do you use it, and with with how much energy?
When you use your leg, what happens to your seatbones (base of stability in the saddle) ?
What is your horse’s response to your leg pressure? Is there a difference on days when he seems fine compared to when he is concerned?
If you ride a circle does your horse always feel like he is leaking and that you have to put continuous leg pressure on him to prevent him from doing so?
Can you move specific body parts of your horse, or does his entire body move at one time no matter where you apply your leg?
How many times, and with how much pressure, do you have to use your leg before your horse responds?
Does your horse only offer a limited amount of “forward” if you use your leg?
Have you had to increase from no spur/mild to more severe equipment over time?
Does your horse pin his ears as you use your leg or ride at a faster pace?
Does your horse “throw” his __________ (shoulder/hip/ribcage)?
I view the leg aid as a tool that I can soften, yield, stop, and create boundaries with. It can create a support (if the horse isn't defensive towards it,) when combined with my other aids to communicate.
Obviously, there are many other aids I could address, but for right now, since a majority of people use a bridle and their legs when riding, we’ll stick to these two tools.
Coming up next... putting it all together in the "real" world.