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EXERCISE 1

 

This exercise will help improve your horse’s balance and suppleness and at the same time help your transitions from trot to walk and back up to trot.

 

  1. Warm up your horse.

  2. Ride a 20m circle at one end of your arena. On the circle establish a trot rhythm.

  3. When happy with the rhythm, start riding changes of rein through X. Ride a circle at the opposite end of the arena on the other rein. Again work on keeping an even and steady rhythm.

  4. Keep riding these changes of rein until your horse is confident in maintaining its rhythm.

  5. Then instead of riding the change of rein at X, just before ride a transition to walk and go directly on to a 10m circle at X. Just before finishing the smaller circle ride a transition back up to trot and ride the change of rein to the opposite end of the arena.

  6. Then do the same from the other end.

  7. Build up the work till you are riding the 10m circle in trot.

 

What is achieved?

 

  • It’s a suppling and loosening exercise that can be used in the warm up.

  • It will help your horse in front of your leg aid. The upward transition needs to be clean and crisp.

  • Helps to establish rhythm and the means to maintain it.

  • Induces ‘big’ half halts.

 

Problems

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  • One rein may be easier than the other.

  • Your horse may need encouragement to stay in front of your leg aid.

  • Maintaining an even and steady rhythm.

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