Dressage is all about straightness and symmetry. The dressage training scale includes straightness as one of the prerequisites to the collection. Just like humans, every horse is either left or right-handed and has a hollow side and a stiff side. It is important for the longevity and soundness of the horse to identify which is the horse’s stiff side and work to equalize and correct this in the riding and the training.
Here are some exercises to use on the stiff side:
Leg yield:
If the horse is stiff on the right side (like most horses are) and wants to fall against the right leg, working on leg-yields away from the right leg and getting the horse off of the right leg and into the left rein is a great exercise to straighten the horse.
Shoulder-in:
If the horse is stiff on the right side, shoulder-in right, if ridden correctly, will encourage the horse to bend in the body to the right and move off of the rider’s right leg and connect into the left rein.
Haunches-in the opposite way:
If the horse is stiff right and hollow left, haunches in left will help to stretch out the right side of the horses’ back and work to straighten the horse.
Figure Eight:
A simple figure-eight of 20-meter circles where you change direction in the middle every time is a very simple and effective exercise to correcting straightness and symmetry in the horse. Most horses will naturally want to make one of the circles smaller. The horse will want to counter bend and fall to the inside of this circle. On the other circle, the horse will want to over-bend in the body and fall through the outside shoulder. Working to make both the circle left and right of exactly the same size and with the correct bend will work to equalize and straighten the horse.
Rider Straightness:
It is essential that the rider is aware of and correcting their straightness while working to correct the straightness of the horse. Often, if a horse is crooked, it will make the rider crooked. If the rider is crooked it is impossible to get the horse straight. If the horse is stiff to the right and wants to push right, the horse will push the rider over to the left.
Hopefully, these tips are helpful in getting your horse straighter! Just like with our bodies, straightness for the horse is something that is a constant work in progress and some horses are naturally more symmetrical than others!
Comment below and let me know which is your horses’ hollow side and stiff side!
Happy Riding!
Amelia
