Training
Vikki and Del Boy working on suppleness
Circle spirals
Another good exercise to engage the hind legs and improve suppleness and rhythm is to once again begin by riding a 20-metre circle and on each rotation start to spiral in.
You must sit centrally in the saddle and look forwards. Looking into the circle will encourage you and the horse to fall in and the aim is for the horse to use his body and legs to gradually decrease the size of the circle.
To make the circle smaller, open your inside hand, using your outside rein to maintain straightness and balance, and use your outside leg to ask your horse to move in a forward but slightly sideways action.
The exercise works especially well on cobs and breeds that are not so athletic. It will encourage them to move their mid-section and it also helps with softness. Always ensure you are keeping a forward rhythm and if in doubt, count your four-beat walk and don’t let them get behind the leg.
Once you have spiralled down into a 10-metre circle, gradually reverse your aids and move the circles out again. Don’t rush this part. Instead, think about your
straightness and your aids, and methodically keep your rhythm and balance to eventually get back to a 20-metre circle. The shoulders are the main part of the body that will want to fall in on the way into the smaller circle and fall out when exiting, so ensure you don’t let this happen by using the correct hand and leg aids.
Working on a circle helps engage the hind leg
Make sure you are sitting centrally when doing this exercise
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