30/ JULY 2021 THE RIDER


The Many Uses of the Oval (Exercise)


By Kathy Farrokhzad. The oval


and transition development. is rarely


talked about in dressage cir- cles (see the pun?) but it can be used quite successfully for many purposes. While a circle is helpful in establish- ing a bend and encouraging better use of the horse’s hind end, the oval offers some- thing that the circle does not: the straight line that occurs in between two turns. If you want to throw a


little line into your circles, the oval is a great option. The horse has to learn to not only bend and adjust the hind end activity for the cir- cle, but then he can use that increased activity to take into a line. The line allows the horse an opportunity to move more forward, in- crease the stride length and reach ahead. Think expan- sion after compaction. Then comes the next


turn. Back to engagement of the hind end, bending, and using the inside hind leg deeper under the body.


Exercise Try this exercise for


some challenging balance


Transition points are in the middle of each turn section. - Start with a trot as you come out of the turn into the straight line. Go up the line at trot (probably should use a shoulder-fore to ensure straightness). - Begin the next turn in trot. Transition to canter in the middle of the turn. - Finish the next turn and head into the straight line in canter. - Transition back to trot in the middle of the new turn. Keep going! Do it a


few times, then you can take a walk break and change di- rections. If you want to increase


difficulty, do walk-canter transitions. If you think you’re


ready for it, try canter- counter-canter


transitions


through walk (as in, canter in the true lead for half the oval, and counter canter in the other half). :-)


Possible Problems and Corrections Correct ovals can be


difficult to master, consider- ing the various balance shifts and bend changes. If you can be aware of poten- tial problems, you can help support your horse through the oval to help him (and you!) maintain the best bal- ance he can as he goes through the exercises.


Crookedness The oval is a great tool


to show you just how straight you and your horse really are. Any drifting, falling in, or shoulder- bulging will become very evident as you negotiate the end of a turn and head into the straight line.


Horse drifts out: Use a strong enough (as much as needed, as little as possible) neck rein to keep your horse’s shoulders moving on the turn and not drifting out. You can add outside leg to help keep the hips on the line and a mild open rein on the inside rein to invite the shoulders a bit to the inside (shoulder-fore) if needed.


Horse falls in: Use a direct


inside rein combined with an open outside rein to help in- vite the outside shoulder to stay on the track. Also use your inside leg and seat bone to push the horse outward.


Shoulder-Bulging: By this, I mean that the horse leans (or “falls”) on one shoulder or the other. It can happen on the inside shoulder or the outside, depending on the crookedness of the horse, even if the horse still moves in a straight line. In either


case, ride with two direct reins (with contact but not pulling), hands in front of the saddle by the withers, and don’t let the horse take the reins away from you. Stabilize and stay straight yourself through strong el- bows on your body and tight core, and you can stabilize the horse too. Add some leg for im-


pulsion and get the horse to straighten thanks to the for- ward energy.


Speeding Up On The Line Many horses will have


a tendency to speed up after they round the final part of the turn. The extra energy and strength achieved by the turn will prompt them head off into the sunset! Beware of that extra tempo, because extra


speed invariably


means falling to the fore- hand.


You can’t let all the en-


ergy just fly out the “front door”, so to speak. This is where half-halts are essen- tial in helping to keep the horse balanced and moving uphill as much as possible. Maintain the leg speed by half-halting even as you turn the last corner before the straight line. Then half-halt as needed as you straighten. Your horse will begin


to predict the balance con- trol after you do this a few times. Always remember - you don’t want the leg speed to increase. If anything, you want the stride length to in- crease. Not the speed!


“Sucking Back” on the Turn


The opposite can hap-


pen as you come into a turn. Your horse might actually disengage in the hind end - shorten his stride, hollow his back a bit, slow down... think that he leaves his hind end out behind him. You might actually feel like he becomes more comfortable as he moves less and stops swinging through the back. It’s perfectly reasonable for a horse to do this as he en- ters a turn, because negotiat- ing a turn off a straight line takes work and strength. In this case, you will need to be aware and feel it coming on. Use both legs to encourage


Using the Rail For the Turn


This is generally a rider


problem. Sure, the horse might want to drift to the rail, but the track the horse takes is always determined by the rider. Because it’s a rider


problem, it can be easily fixed! Make sure that you turn off the rail early, not at the end of your ring. Teach your horse that he can come off the rail at any point on the line. Then head to the opposite rail off the end of the ring as well. You can also work on


staying a few feet off the rail itself when you’re on the straight line. Practice teach- ing the horse to move straight on his own, not using the rail for direction. If you have a large ring, this can be easily done. It’s harder to do in a small ring, but you can make a point of staying off the rail even in that case.


Bio: Kathy Farrokhzad is an EC coach and author of the Horse Listening book col- lection, Goal Setting For The Equestrian: A Personal Workbook, and the creator of the Practice Sessions on- line program. If you liked what you read here, check out her blog at HorseListen- ing.com for many more arti- cles about horses, riding and life in general.


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your horse forward, and use your reins to prepare for the bend and turn aids. Again, you’re not try-


ing to get your horse to launch off to oblivion, but you are working on main- taining the energy you ac- quired on the straight line.


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