lessons/training – Page 4 – Horse Listening

What To Do When Your Horse Loses Balance

balance horse listening — Photo Credit: J. Boesveld

There are many reasons why a horse might lose balance while under saddle:

change of footing (dips and bumps)
something interfering with his front feet (hits a rail during a jump)
rushing (not paying attention where the front feet are going)
gait problem (front feet brushing each other for some reason)
balance issue (too heavy on the forehand)
tension or braces against your aid and loses footing in the process

* This article is not about a health issue that may cause stumbling; rather, it is about a riding-related loss of balance. If any health problem is suspected, please consult with a veterinarian.

In any case, loss of balance can be a problem for many riders. If you can identify why your horse is stumbling, you can begin to address the cause with one or more of the five tips below. They will give you a good idea of how you can influence the horse's balance.

1 a). Don't fall with him

It's not fun getting bounced around in the saddle. You have two choices when the horse loses balance: stay balanced yourself (and help him get his feet back underneath him) or fall with him, thereby putting him even more off balance and risking a trip or real fall.

You can let your reins out if needed to let him regain his own balance. However, you should not add to the problem. Stay tall and strong.

1 b). Stabilize through your core and try to change as little as possible.

Again, if your horse tilts forward to the forehand, the last thing you should do is let your upper body flop forward over his neck (unless you can't help it). Instead, tighten through your core muscles and keep your upper body as quiet as possible. The horse will need time to regain his balance, and it is best if you can maintain your own balance as much as possible until he can regain balance. Do #2 if needed.

2. Lean back!

It might help to lean back, even further back than normal, especially if your horse is tilting forward. In this manner, you can counter the pull of gravity by maintaining your balance as the horse leans to the front. This will free up the horse's front end and prevent excess weight on the forehand.

3. Slow down.

Stumbles often happen when the horse is moving too quickly, too heavily on the forehand, or bracing against an aid. In all those cases, it is helpful to ask the horse to slow down his leg speed (tempo).

Half-halts are essential to help maintain and re-establish balance. Use a well-timed half-halt to slow down leg speed, if the horse is moving too quickly, and to re-balance toward the hind end. This will allow his legs that extra split second needed to "come back under the body" - meaning that he will be able to have the four legs (but especially the hind legs) supporting the body weight.

4. Be ready to move with him immediately after.

It won't be helpful to keep slowing him down, as it may cause the horse to disengage in the hind end. So as soon as you can, allow him, or even encourage him, to take a few larger steps. This will enable him to step deeper underneath the body with the hind legs, which will help take his weight off the forehand.

You might feel a surge of energy and that is just fine. Just be sure to ride right along with the movement and let the horse freely do what he needs to do to regain tempo.

***

You might be thinking that riding through a stumble is all about letting the horse handle it himself. In fact, it really is. The horse knows how to regain and maintain his balance. It's best if you become as invisible as you can and let him fix the problem.

Once he has his balance, just go on with your ride as if nothing happened. Don't make a big deal about a stumble, or try to correct the horse with stronger aids or "chasing" the horse along. Instead, keep riding and pay close attention to see what is causing the balance loss. Trouble-shoot the situation and see what you need to do to prevent future stumbles.

7 Errors To Avoid After You Ask For More Energy – And Solutions

leg aids to canter — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

What happens when you ask your horse for more energy?

The simple answer is that he should reach further underneath his body with his hind legs, go straight and energize within the gait. The hind legs reach deeper underneath the body, the energy "flows through", allowing for a rounder top line, a more active back, and a bouncy, straight feeling. Your horse's response to the bit should improve all on its own. However, it's easier said than done.

As you probably already know, there are many different unwanted things that can happen when you use your leg and seat aids to ask for impulsion.

You will likely discover that there are a variety of responses to your request. Most of them won't be what you're seeking - the straight, strong and true gait that you are asking for. However, the horse doesn't know any better, and it is your job to know exactly what you're looking for, and to teach the horse correctly from the start.

You might think this article comes from a negative perspective, but in my experience, it is as important to know what you don't want, as it is to know what you do want.

As Edison is quoted as saying, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Here are 7 things that can happen instead. The quicker you can recognize these miscommunications, the sooner you can address them. In fact, it would be best if you could correct these mistakes as they happen, before the horse loses more balance and then has to completely regroup.

1) Inside shoulder "drops."

This is what we sometimes call the "motorcycle lean." It happens on a circle or turn. Along with cutting the turn short in an awkward angle, your horse will likely fall into the circle, making it smaller than you want it to be. The horse will lower the inside shoulder and you will feel like you are hanging on an angle.

If this happens, try to stay upright yourself despite the horse's lean. Also, you can use a little leg yield and outside rein half-halt to improve the horse's balance.

2) Outside shoulder "drifts."

This is the opposite of #1. In this case, the horse will step outward, making the circle or turn larger than it should be. He will also often have his neck bent to the inside, while he continues to step in the opposite direction from your active inside rein.

In this case, shorten and straighten your outside rein to catch the shoulder. Avoid using more pressure on the inside rein. If your horse's flexion goes to the outside because of your outside rein, finish straightening the outside shoulder and then go back to flexion toward the inside after the correction. Once again, keep your own body upright and balanced. Don't lean along with your horse.

3) Hind end shifts to the outside.

The horse points to the inside with the front end while the hind end points to the outside. This can happen on a straight line off the rail. Sometimes, the rider causes the horse to move on an angle because of an overactive inside rein.

To correct, your inside leg can ask for a small leg yield, just like in #1. Use your direct (straight) outside rein to ask the horse to bring his shoulders to the outside.

4) Hind end shifts to the inside.

Many horses do this as they transition into a canter. It is also common for young horses to collapse through their hips even in trot, mostly because they are still weak and uneven in the pushing power from each hind leg.

Sometimes, a little extra impulsion may be all it takes to get the hind legs working more evenly.

5) Faster gait.

This is the most common response you'll get from young and older horses alike. Often, the rider doesn't recognize the increase in leg speed and so the horse just moves along faster.

A series of well-timed half-halts will help keep the horse's tempo the same even while you are asking for a little more power from the hind end.

6) Change of gait.

Horses will also change gait in response to a leg aid, mainly because it is often easier for them rather than to loosen more through the back and let the energy go "through" the body.

If your horse changes gait when you ask for more impulsion, gently transition back down to the original gait and keep on riding. Try again with your leg aids but you might want to add the half-halts in so that you can discourage a gait change before it happens.

7) Short stride/hollow back.

Some horses might tense in response to the leg aid. There may be many reasons why a horse will change his posture - whether because of lack of balance, discomfort, falling to the forehand, rider balance errors, or other problems that require the horse to tighten through the top line.

In this case, make sure that you are not causing the horse's tension. Adjust leg pressure, rein length (sometimes longer, but also sometimes shorter, depending on the horse's needs), balance (make sure you don't lean forward when applying your leg aids) and do use half-halts after the leg aids. The horse might tense just because he feels like he has to run faster.

I'm sure there are other things that can happen when you ask for more energy. In any case, you should be "listening" carefully enough to identify what the response was, and then take steps to correct any errors. Keep in mind that you're looking for a deeper stride in the hind end, a more bouncy, energetic back, a softer top line and better overall connection.

When you know what you don't want, you will find what you do want quicker and more consistently.

Spring Into A Horse Riding Exercise

Up here in our neck of the woods, the snow is melting, the blustery wind is less stinging, and the sun feels just warm enough to start thinking about our riding program for the upcoming season. While we've ridden pretty much all winter, we can now lounge longer at the barn in less layers and more comfortable footwear. The sand is softer and spring is in the air!

And the horses know it!

If you've got a rambunctious, hippety-hoppety equine emerging from his shaggy coat and winter paddock, here is a fun and active exercise you can use to allow for movement while while also encouraging focus and calm attention.

Spring Time Exercise

The Pattern

As you can see below, the pattern is fairly simple.

Start on the right rein.
Go up center line.
Turn left.
Left circle at B, 20-meters (or you can make it smaller for more challenge).
Continue to the far corner.
Change directions across the diagonal.

At this point, you can continue down center line or head back to the opposite rail. You can go straight on the rail, or add a shoulder-in or haunches-in if you want to add some lateral work. Or you can come off the rail just past A and leg yield to the rail.

Once you've gone to the right a few times, change direction and go to the left. Start on the B rail and head to center line from there.

But there's more!

The Transitions

Try this pattern in walk or trot at first until you have a good idea where you're going. Then add transitions.

If you like, you can do several walk-trot-walk transitions. Let's say you do the center line at a walk, trot through the corner and do the circle at trot, and then walk the rest and across the diagonal.

You can do trot-walk-trot transitions the same way.

You can add canter into the mix: trot the center line, walk the turn, trot to canter through the corner and canter circle, canter to trot through the next corner, and walk the diagonal line.

You can get creative with the transitions. Keep in mind the needs of your horse as well as yourself. If you need to work in the walk and trot, by all means, do so. Make sure it's a good, active, ahead-of-the-leg walk and a good trot!

At first, you might want to take your time through the transitions and help your horse develop a strong, round, flowing gait before the transition. In this case, you might not be too picky about exactly where the transition takes place. This is how I always start my horses and riders - looking for high quality movement and transitions before we get too much into accuracy.

Eventually, you might want to be more precise. You can decide where you want the transition and get it at exactly that letter. This helps you become more of a team with your horse. Remember to not sacrifice the quality of movement though just to get the transitions. At this point, you and your horse should be able to do the transition at the spot and do it well, with a good gait before and a good gait after.

The Point

This exercise is designed to do two things: give your horse room to move (straight lines and large circle), and require quick response to aids through transitions. Coming out of the winter, it is important to develop a forward-moving, ground covering gait that allows the horse to strengthen again after time off or less consistent riding. However, while you want to encourage movement, you also want to bring your horse's attention to you and work on responsiveness. What better way than through transitions?

I hope you enjoy the exercise. Let me know how it goes in the comments below.

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Go With The Horse

It sounds simple, doesn't it?

Just go with the horse.

Isn't that what you're supposed to do? I mean, if you're on the horse's back, and the horse is moving, you're undoubtedly going along with him (unless you're off his back and on the ground - fairly undesired).

So what's the fuss about "go"ing with the horse?

The novice rider, of course, can attest to how difficult it can be to learn to move with the horse. The rider's entire body has to learn the up-and-down and forward-back sways to the various gaits. It's not like picking up a tennis racket and learning to hit a ball (as hard as that may be initially); it's your whole body.

After a while, though, it gets easier and you learn to "stick" in the saddle better and you sway merrily along in tandem with your horse. But still, there's more to the going than just that.

The fact is, we will hone our "go with the horse" skills for years and years to come.

When Should You Go With The Horse?

While we often speak of half-halts and transitions to maintain balance and prevent the horse from running heavily to the forehand, there are many moments during a ride when we should make significant attempts to get out of the horse's way, so to speak, and let him do his thing while we do our best to avoid interfering and being a hindrance.

These are the moments when we just flow along in the horse's movement. We neither augment the movement nor stifle it.

Impulsion

Pushing power - that's when you've asked the horse to move along in response to your leg and/or seat aids. You've asked for increased energy, and the horse obliged by bounding ahead in the movement. In these cases, you just ride that wave of energy and let the horse know that you can be a partner in his larger movement. You can always go to the half-halt a few strides later - but after the initial ask, you should "just go."

Harmonization

Think of two dance partners as they step and twirl across the dance floor. They both move as one, and this is what we must do in many riding instances to:

... encourage the horse: can be done when the horse takes initiative to offer something you weren't expecting.

... reinforce the right answer: after he makes an attempt at what you've asked, then surely, you can just ride along for a few strides to let him know he's on the right track.

... develop confidence: "just go" after the horse has overcome a mentally or physically demanding task (such as ride past a spooky corner) - get out of the horse's way and let him do his thing.

Here's How

It's a simple concept: allow your body to move with the horse. But let's break it down a bit for the sake of clarity.

1.Loosen through the lower back

Many of us need to teach our lower backs to move with the horse, especially if we start riding in our adult years. Tight ligaments and tendons contribute to the body simply not being able to move enough with the horse, so one of our initial goals must be to be able to move through the lower back and seat. Here is a great exercise to try to isolate the area that needs to "find" movement in order to help you stay in the saddle.

2. Soften the elbows

Sometimes, it's useful to just loosen through the elbows. We often maintain tight elbows (and shoulders) in attempt to maintain adequate balance and connection. If you find yourself being a little too clutch-y, focus on loosening through the elbows. Avoid letting the reins get longer, and avoid the opposite - pulling backward on the reins. Instead, find the feeling of just loosening within a consistent rein length so that the horse can find a release but doesn't become suddenly unbalanced either way.

3. "Swing" through your body

Think of this as letting your horse move your body. You kind of trampoline along with him - with adequate tone - so that you become light and buoyant within his movement. Just remember that it's not like becoming completely jello. Too much flop becomes a hindrance for the horse as well as allows you to lose balance.

4. Travel further

If you're on the right track and your horse actually reaches further and strides out (rather than just speeds up his legs), you might find that you're being left behind. Your horse will feel you and stop his movement. Instead, be prepared for the energy surge. Maybe you should make sure your shoulders stay above your hips (might require a very small lean back in preparation) and get ready to travel further with each stride.

The sooner you can learn to go, the sooner you will be able to communicate good "feels" to your horse, and the clearer your communication will be. While it may take many repetitions of just going every time you learn a new movement, it surely is worth the time spent. OK! Get out there and just go!

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3 Relaxing Ways To Cool Down At The End Of Your Ride

What do you do towards the end of your ride?

Do you find yourself hopping off shortly after you're done with the "lesson" part of your ride? It's tempting to do a few minutes of walking just to loosen your horse up a little and leave it at that. But do you know that there are many excellent exercises you can use to cool off but also build on your skills and communication with your horse?

If you can make these exercises a part of your routine, you might be pleasantly surprised at how easily your horse will pick up the new skills, and how the repetition will help you in your position and use of the seat and legs. The more you practice, the easier the movements will become, and practicing them at the walk will set you and your horse up for having an easier time transitioning to the trot and canter.

Doing these exercises at the walk will give you time to better use your aids. They will also give your horse time to learn to respond. It's a win-win all around, and adding them to the tail end (pun!) of your ride on a regular basis will ensure that you actually do devote enough time to make good progress.

Leg Yield To The Rail

This one is a very basic movement that you can teach young and uneducated horses.

Come off the rail just after the letter C or A and head in a straight line parallel to the rail. Now apply your inside leg and ask your horse to step forward-sideways back to the rail. Be sure to keep the horse's body straight while you step sideways, as walking back to the rail in a diagonal line isn't correct.

You can have the horse flexed slightly to the outside (so you can see the corner of the horse's outside eye) but the neck should be straight. If the horse leans one way or the other, just abort the leg yield, reestablish your good walk, then try again.

Click here for much more information about leg yields.

Walk Up Center Line And Halt, Back and Walk

First off, walking a straight line without any walls to help you might be challenging enough. Then, practice halting. You can halt at different spots on the line each time, so the horse doesn't learn to anticipate. Ideally, you will use very little rein (half-halt preferred) and the horse should stop when your seat stops. Then count to 10 while standing still. Keep your reins straight and 'on" because you will back up in a moment.

After a stationary halt, apply your legs as you continue to hold the reins. The horse should give a forward-inclination before heading backwards in diagonal pairs of legs. Lighten your seat bones just a bit (not enough for an onlooker to see the difference in your posture) to invite the horse to use his back. Halt again after a designated number of steps (4 or 6 steps should be fine).

Then walk on. Make sure your new walk is straight and active. Continue until the end of the ring and turn.

Click here for detailed aids for the back-up.

Medium Walk-Stretchy Walk-Medium Walk

This movement occurs in many of the dressage tests but aside from preparing for shows, it's one of my favorite ways to teach the horse to swing through the back and then keep that loose back while re-establishing contact.

Start with medium walk. Come off the rail at the corner and head across the diagonal to change directions. Maintain an active walk, and use your seat to ask the horse to take the reins out of your hands. Note that you don't give the reins to the horse, but visa versa. The horse should stretch his neck down, head out and keep marching on in a forward striding, ground covering walk. Feel for the "trampoline" feeling of the swing of the back.

Then a few strides before the end of the diagonal, pick up the reins again, establish contact and keep marching. See if you can keep the swing you established during the stretch, even though the horse's outline is shorter now. Horses will often slow down or back off the bit as contact is being taken up, so it takes quite a lot of practice to teach the horse to walk into the contact and stay active through the corner.

Click here for more details about how to WALK the walk.

I hope these three exercises will give you some structured ideas to add to your ride. If you do each of these exercises a few times each way, you can add 10 minutes or more to your ride, at the walk, allowing the horse to cool down physically and cool off mentally. They will also add a repertoire of skills and increase communication between you and your horse.

Have fun!

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Not Fast, Not Slow. So What IS Impulsion?

The thing is, we often think that energy is all about a surge of forward-moving legs.

Use two legs, squeeze either from the calf or from the lower leg. Follow with your seat to allow the increase in movement and energy from the horse. Then invariably, this happens:

The horse runs faster.

His tempo speeds up. His legs move faster, churning at a higher rate. He has to balance by bringing his head higher and "off the bit" (or letting go of connection), hollow his back to counter the energy that pushed him to his forehand, and generally brace through the body.

Three things can happen when you ask for more energy.

Speed often masquerades as impulsion and it's easy to just let it go.

1. Faster Faster "Out The Front End"

This usually happens when horses and riders are learning what impulsion is about in the first place. It takes time and repetition to learn the "feel" of fast legs. Originally, we think of fast legs as increased energy and then try our best to stay with the horse through the flurry of increased movement.

If we are reluctant to take the contact initially, then all that happens is that the energy increases leg speed and then is let out the front. This means that nothing really happens with the energy. We leave the horse to his own devices and expect him to deal with the resulting imbalance that the energy creates.

While keeping the "energy in the body" (which is the opposite of letting it out) isn't done exclusively by creating short reins, the reins do play a role. If you let the reins slide out of your fingers in the moment that you ask for increased energy, you effectively send the horse into a longer body frame, which then results in sending his weight to the forehand. He then has to try to manage this change of balance while increasing his leg speed. You can now imagine why he would brace and perhaps hollow his back in effort to prevent a fall or stumble.

2. Slow But No Energy

So we grab at the reins and stop the forward energy. The horse has no choice but to disengage at this point. Rather than reaching further underneath with his hind legs, he shortens his stride. This can cause many problems in the horse's body including a hollowed, braced back (because there is lack of energy to give strength to the carrying muscles). The legs slow, but the body lengthens and suddenly you feel like you're riding a hammock.

You might have difficulty getting a turn, or changing gaits (especially to canter). Anything that has to do with balance becomes more difficult (like turning, half-halting, lateral movements). The horse might actually stumble because of the heaviness on his front end, or because he simply can't bring his hind legs deep enough under his body due to the lack of energy.

Fast isn't the answer and neither is slow. What, then?

3. Create and Contain

It sounds simple, really. First - create energy. Second - contain it.

The problem is that it takes a lot more strength and effort from both the horse and the rider to do both at the same time.

If you're not used to it, you'll find yourself teetering between both extremes. Sometimes, your energy causes the horse to move faster-faster. Other times, your reins cause him to plod along with stunted gait and feeling "stuck."

Fear not!

Cut both of you some slack as you begin to experiment with energy and containment of energy. If you notice the legs speeding up, just slow down again. If you feel the horse getting stuck, ask for more energy.

Keep fine-tuning your aids and soon enough, you'll notice that the difference between the extremes becomes less and less. One day, you'll feel a surge of energy that doesn't make the legs faster! You might notice an increase in movement but you seem to travel less than usual.

This is when you know you're on the right track!

How can you tell you're heading into real Impulsion-land?

The horse's legs move slower WITH energy and activity.

movement flows (doesn't feel like it's going to stop any moment)
more bounce to the gaits
horse generally seems to maintain balance better - not falling to the forehand or heavy on the bit
body becomes rounder, more uphill
transitions are effortless (especially downward transitions)
you travel further with less strides

When you're not used to this type of energy, you might even become a little unnerved because the horse feels like he's going to take off. That's the key! He feels like it but in fact, he doesn't. That energy stays in the body and becomes expressed in higher leg movement, more bounding strides, and most significantly, rounder movement that is usually easier to sit to.

If you'd like a tried and true exercise to help develop your impulsion at the trot, try this Canter-Trot exercise and see what happens to your trot after the canter. Be ready for the extra energy and ride it!

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From the first book in the Horse Listening Collection: Horse Listening, The Book

"There are many reasons why we enjoy riding horses. Maybe one of the most appealing facets of riding is the sense of freedom: freedom from our own limitations, freedom from gravity, freedom to (literally) roam the Earth. Time stands still while we have the privilege of feeling movement from the back of our four-legged friend.

Riding gives us the place to just be.

Of course, there are other purposes too. Some of us revel in the challenge of learning the skills required to becoming a good team member of this unlikely duo. Riding is like no other sport or recreational pursuit simply because of the equine partner that must not only carry us, but also do so effortlessly and gracefully. As we develop our specific skill sets, we also grow as human beings in character, emotional maturity and mental acuity.

But there is one other motivation that drives some of us to persevere in the never-ending learning process that is horseback riding: improving the horse. As your own skills develop, you begin to realize that not only can you meet your own needs through riding, but also that you can even become an instrument of benefit for the horse."

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#1 Rider Problem: Patience

#1 rider problem of the year — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

Patience... sigh.

It really is a virtue, especially in horse riding.

But I might be referring to something other that what you're thinking. Not the kind of patience that results in lack of progress, doing the same thing over and over again, or basically being inactive in your own learning phases. In fact, I mean quite the opposite.

It takes quite a lot of skill - forethought, presence of mind, riding ability - to be patient while riding. To be honest, it might take years to fully develop these "soft skills", know when to apply them and know which will work for which horse.

Let's say you were cantering and the horse spooked away from a particular corner in the arena. What would the patient rider do? Here are some options.

1 - Adjust your aids.

Well, yes. Always check yourself first. There is a good chance that you did something or didn't do something that will make a huge change to your horse's way of going. Did you use your inside leg to stop the horse from falling in (away from the corner)? Did you ask for flexion to the inside so the horse wouldn't have to look at the scary monsters? Did you somehow tighten (tense) or strengthen your aids too much, which resulted in rushing the horse into and out of the corner? Did you stop riding as you started thinking about what the horse might be spooking at?

2 - Do it again.

Not in a negative, aggressive, rough manner. Just stop the spook (maybe go to a walk), turn around and go back to where things were going well. Start there again. If you were already in canter at that point, pick up the canter. Head toward the spook spot, clarify your aids (make sure you are actually using the correct aids) and just go through that corner as if nothing happened in the first place.

3 - Wait a little longer.

You could choose to ride the spook out. Sometimes, you can pretend that there is no problem - and transmit that feeling through your body, aids and actions to the horse. If the rider stays focused, the horse will follow right along. Do that a few times until your horse settles down. Give him the extra time, the extra strides, or more space to think the situation through - even at canter.

4 - Change the topic and come back to it later.

Sometimes, it works better to get away from that corner, go ride in your horse's "safe zone," and make your way back (almost as if by accident) some minutes and a few movements later. You're not actually ignoring the spooking problem, but you're showing your horse that it's ok to think about something else for a while and come back to it later when he's a little more on the aids.

5 - Quit altogether and work on it next ride. Lots of people think they MUST stick it out and ride through the worst of the worst. I'm here to tell you that you that there are times when it's not only good to quit, but that you must quit. Those are the times when you simply can't get or maintain control of your horse. Those are also the times when you might need to take a break yourself - either mentally, emotionally or physically. There is ALWAYS a next day, a next ride, and another opportunity.

6 - Scrap your plans and do what your horse needs that day.

This is the epitome of knowing what to do when. It happens when you've got your plans all set to work on the "next step" - or improve on something you did that last ride. And then your horse spooks through the corner. You realize it has little to do with actual spooking - it's more that you allowed the horse to suck back to and through the corner. It looked like he was spooking , but in fact, he lost impulsion, resulting in a sideways movement instead of a straight, forward-bounding stride.

The answer this time would not be to just keep working on the spook idea, but to completely change your focus to getting your horse to go "forward" (not fast). It's a whole different topic, and you might need to go to an entirely different lesson plan to address the lack of impulsion rather than anything about that corner. Fix the impulsion, and you'll fix the spook.

***

You can use these strategies for every type of riding problem:

not picking up the canter after trot
picking up the wrong canter lead
learning to do the walk pirouette
finding the correct angle and bend for a shoulder-in
maintaining impulsion through a corner

You might be able to think of any situation and one or multiple strategies listed above might help.

The amazing thing about having this kind of "patience" is that your horse might actually work through the problem much more quickly than if you were to ignore the situation altogether. Being a patient rider doesn't mean that you'll be a pushover, or somehow less than adequate.

It just means that you'll be willing to analyze the situation (very quickly) and come up with a plan that will help you overcome the problem swiftly, diplomatically, and as easily as possible. And that will help both you and your horse on your path to developing a true partnership.

12 Riding Quick Tips – #11: Do A “Beginner Bend”

mild bend horse riding — Mild bend. Photo Credit: J. Boesveld

Sometimes I think bend is one of those "strive but never arrive" efforts of horse riding. It truly is one of those "conceptual" aspects, aside from just being a skill. You know the one - just when you think you know it all, you discover that there's so much more to it. Then you start all over as if you're still a beginner...

There is a good exercise you can always revert to which will help you establish, keep, and ultimately feel a true "through the body bend." Not the one that just pulls the horse's head and neck into the turn or circle, but one that helps him bend through the rib cage and step deeper underneath the body with his inside hind leg. The one that improves balance, releases tension and increases lateral suppleness.

You can use this exercise with a young or uneducated horse, a novice rider, or even a seasoned horse/rider going through stiffness at a higher level of movement. It's just basic and biomechanically easy to produce. It's called a leg yield on a circle, but I think of it as a "drift out" because I find that gives me a clear mental image to keep in mind.

- Ride a circle - but place it in an area where you can have room to the outside.
- Squeeze with your inside leg at the girth. Make sure you're sitting on your inside seat bone - but let the horse "escape" a little to the outside.

Your outside leg is behind the girth to keep the hip from swinging out.
Your inside rein is slightly open and your outside rein is on the neck - as in, a "neck rein."
Your body is turned slightly into the turn as well - from the seat all the way up. This helps to keep you balanced on top of the horse's movement.
Then encourage your horse to step out on the circle. Let him drift out a little, all the while getting him to step away from your inside leg and rein, and step into your outside leg and rein.

If you do it well, you'll find that your outside rein "naturally" lands on the horse's neck. That is, you don't have to place it there with a pulling or active rein. Suddenly, there's a neck rein - because the horse actually stepped out and bent through the body.

That outside rein can now control the direction of your movement (as in, the horse steps away from it into the turn), the amount of drift (as in, don't let the horse just drift on out till he hits the rail) and the balance (as in, half-halt if needed to slow the legs down and keep them underneath the horse).

I've written about this and other exercises in more detail in the posts below. If bend is something you're working on, there's lots of ideas there.

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Horse Listening – Book 2: Forward and Round to Training Success

If you enjoyed the above article, you'll find many related chapters about training horses and and the rider in Horse Listening - Book 2. Your favorite Horse Listening training articles are compiled in this beautifully bound paperback (or digital) book.

"Regardless of discipline, what would be the most significant effect a rider would want to have on her horse?

We all want our horses to improve in their athletic

development, skill acquisition and connectedness. Much of our rider development and training efforts go into working toward our show or personal goals....

But the best riders aspire to do one essential thing each and every day, regardless of goals and lesson plans: they work hard to improve their horse’s way of going.

Because proper balance and weight carriage is essential to a horse’s longevity. Each and every minute of each and every ride has the potential to contribute to your horse’s health and well-being.

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Horses. Riding. Life.

Category: lessons/training

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Horse Listening Book Collection - beautiful paperbacks with all the excellence of the blog - in your hands! Click on the image for more information.

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Now is the time to re-evaluate your goals and path to riding success!

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Horse Listening Book Collection - beautiful paperbacks with all the excellence of the blog - in your hands! Click on the image for more information.

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Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

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#1 Rider Problem: Patience

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

12 Riding Quick Tips – #11: Do A “Beginner Bend”

Horse Listening – Book 2: Forward and Round to Training Success