Sometimes, when we want our horses to turn, we just resort to pulling on the inside rein and forget about using our outside aids. When we do this, our horses to over-bend in the neck and fall out through the outside shoulder. Instead of turning, all their energy just falls out through the outside shoulder and we just end up pulling more and more trying to get them to turn in the direction we want them to go…sound familiar? If this is happening, don’t worry! This is super common, and I have some great exercises to help you fix this!
But before we get into the tips, I wanted to remind you about my upcoming FREE Pirouettes Webinar happening March 3rd! Inside this webinar, I will be teaching step-by-step how you can train beautiful, light pirouettes from the walk pirouettes up to the canter pirouettes. You won’t want to miss this! RSVP for the webinar here.
Okay, now onto the tips! How can you work on getting your horse to execute better turns? The key is to “turn the shoulder, not the bridle”! I love this phrase because it gives a clear picture of how to properly turn your horse using the outside aids to guide the shoulder around the turn instead of turning them by the inside rein. When you can use your outside aids as a “wall” to guide your horse around turns, your turning problems will disappear and you will have a much more balanced, uphill horse. Here are a couple of exercises to work on this:
· Ride a Square – A great exercise to practice using your outside aids to turn your horse is to ride a square. Start at the walk, and at each corner, think about closing your outside upper thigh and outside rein to turn your horse’s shoulder around the corner. Imagine you are making a wall with your outside aids. Once you turn your horse around the corner, walk straight out of the turn. Practice this exercise in both directions. Once you feel that this is easy, you can give it a try at the trot!
· Ride a Diamond – Similar to the square exercise, the Diamond Exercise is great for practicing your turns, especially if you are having trouble riding a symmetrical circle. For this exercise, instead of riding a round circle, you will turn your horse at each point of the circle and ride straight, then turn your horse at the next point, and ride straight. Keep the same image in your head of creating a wall with your outside aids (upper thigh and outside rein) to guide your horse’s shoulder around the turn. Try this in both directions at the trot and even the canter if you feel comfortable.
Watch the video where I go into more detail on how to ride each exercise and demonstrate correct vs. incorrect turns! I hope these tips help you with your turns!
Happy Riding!
Amelia
P.S. Remember to RSVP for my FREE Pirouettes Webinar! Pirouettes are the ultimate test of turning your horse’s shoulder, and when you get a nice, balanced canter pirouette, the feeling is amazing! Join us live on March 3rd and learn my secrets to training the pirouettes!
