flexion – Horse Listening

4 Steps To Better Movement

Improving the horse's movement is one of the first things we should attempt to work on from the minute we get on the horse's back. We should always aim to keep the horse happy, healthy and strong into his old age.

While there are actually other ways to improve the horse's movement, I've distilled it down to four basic steps so you can get started with your own horse. Even if you and your horse are farther along, coming back to these basics might be helpful for you at times.

1. Free Moving Gait

Elsewhere, I've called this "impulsion." But I also like to think of it as moving "freely" - strong, bold, not fast. When the horse moves freely with impulsion, you can see the horse stepping out at will, looking ahead, using the hind legs deeply underneath the body, covering ground effortlessly.

The opposite is the horse that takes short, stilted steps. The legs move but the back is tight and rigid (and maybe it feels like the gait is smooth because of lack of movement). The horse might be looking around, not focused and quick to break stride.

The thing is, many horses aren't inclined to moving freely under saddle. It's tough work to carry the rider and propel through space energetically. As the rider, you have to learn how to get your horse to move better in each gait, how to be more responsive to the leg aids, and then YOU have to be able to ride that gait and not get left behind in the movement!

But with practice, most horses will move forward freely. It can be done.

In general, you always need this sort of forward energy in order to even begin to balance the horse. So it's the first step toward better movement.

2. Rib Cage and the Shoulders "In" The Body

After you have energy, you need to do something with it!

First off, let's consider the rib cage and the shoulders of the horse. If either is "bulging" (or not aligned with the body), there is a blockage of energy that results in falling in, drifting out, slowing down or even spooking. All of these problems are rooted in one cause: lack of straightness through the body.

So now that you've got some energy to work with, you can pay attention to the straightness of the horse's body. Do you feel the rib cage pushing on one leg? It could be either the inside or outside leg. If so, squeeze with the leg to "push" that side of the horse back into alignment.

Can you feel a shoulder stepping outward from the body? It could be either the inside shoulder reaching even more to the inside than the rest of the body ("falling in"). Or it could be the outside shoulder stepping farther out ("drifting out"). In each case, use a rein aid (open, direct or neck rein) to, in effect, "put" that shoulder back into the body. You want to feel each front leg reach straight forward into the next step, not sideways.

You will know you're on the right track if your horse suddenly feels like he's having an easier time moving on his own. When a horse straightens up, his balance improves and he becomes lighter on his feet. You'll feel that energy created by the hind end travel through the horse's body.

3. Straight Neck

This one is fairly easy to recognize and happens all the time! If your horse has his neck turned far into the direction of travel (called "neck bend"), or turned far outside the direction of travel, you will notice a significant change in his ability to maintain balance. He will likely bulge through the opposite shoulder and end up traveling in that direction.

While there are possibly times when we might want to bring the neck "around" to soften the neck muscles or get better access to the jaw and poll, we should always be seeking to allow the horse to have a straight neck specifically to help with balance. Sometimes, riders might have to work at keeping the neck straight if the horse has developed a habit of holding the neck farther to one side.

But if the rib cage and shoulders are kept straight, it shouldn't take much to keep the neck straight at this point.

4. Flexion/Soft Poll

The horse should have flexion (the corner of the horse's eye) into the direction he is moving. So if you're going right, you should be able to see the corner of the horse's right eye. It is generally important for the horse to look where he is going. Also, by flexing the jaw a little to the side, the horse often relaxes and softens just a bit more through the head and neck.

You also want to teach your horse to move with a soft poll. Rather than moving along with the head braced and the nose pointing up and out (try it yourself to see how it tightens your neck, shoulders and upper back), you want the horse to respond lightly to your rein aids. When he feels pressure from the reins, he should soften and "give," bringing his nose to a "more" vertical position. The nose can stay slightly above the vertical. The key is that the horse will respond to the rein aids and soften when needed.

A soft poll will allow the horse to release the whole connected muscle structure over the neck and to the back under the saddle. This release will help allow the shoulders to work better and the back to swing more.

Put It All Together

Well, it can get complicated to try to do all four steps in succession in movement.

So if you find it difficult, start with one step at a time. Go for the energetic gait first. When you can get a consistently strong gait, try to straighten through the rib cage and shoulders (this step may take some time to understand and master). Make sure you still have that energetic gait and straightness.

Try to straighten the neck soon after you're getting straightness through the body. You still should have the energetic gait and the straight rib cage and shoulders.

Finally, work on the flexion and poll. You still should have the energetic gait, the straight rib cage and shoulders, and straight neck!

You see how it builds together.

Take your time, try and try again, and feel for improvements as you go along.

Horse Listening Book Collection - beautiful paperbacks with all the excellence of the blog - in your hands! Click on the image for more information.

Stop printing off the articles! Your favorite training articles are compiled in this beautifully bound paperback book. Have everything at your fingertips - this book can be taken to the barn as a quick refresher or leisurely read at home.

From Horse Listening Book 2: Forward And Round To Training Success:

"Regardless of discipline, what would be the most significant effect a rider would want to have on her horse?

We all want our horses to improve in their athletic

development, skill acquisition and connectedness. Much of our rider development and training efforts go into working toward our show or personal goals....

But the best riders aspire to do one essential thing each and every day, regardless of goals and lesson plans: they work hard to improve their horse’s way of going.

Because proper balance and weight carriage is essential to a horse’s longevity. Each and every minute of each and every ride has the potential to contribute to your horse’s health and well-being.

Or not."

Just as with all the Horse Listening Collection Books, this book is focused on helping the rider improve for the sake of the horse. But this book goes deeper into the best training articles from the blog - horse-centered theory, strategies and ideas you can try with your own horse.

The book begins with the horse's hind end (!), considers the horse's back, moves on to rider development, and fills it all in with the fundamentals of horse riding so your horse can be:

happier in his body

happier in his "work"

better balanced all-around

Available in digital or paperback.

6 Steps To A Well-Balanced Change of Direction

turn — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

How often have you seen a horse and rider negotiate a change of direction, only to flatten out through the curve into a straight line, causing a sharp, imbalanced scramble far misplaced from the original intended location? In mild cases, the rider hangs on adeptly, perhaps unseated but still able to negotiate the inaccurate change of direction. However, the sharp turn always runs the risk of unbalancing the horse to the point of tripping or stumbling, and the rider falling off.

How often has it happened to you? If your horse is used to leaning into a change, or dropping a shoulder or cutting corners, then this article is for you!

Changing directions smoothly can often be as challenging as achieving any well-balanced transition. Most horses are stronger on one side than the other, much like their human counterparts. Suppling the horse enough to be able to bear weight equally on both sides takes time, quality practice and a solid understanding of how the aids can assist the horse in maintaining balance while remaining loose and athletic through a turn.

There are many types of turns - a change of direction across the diagonal, several changes of bend through a serpentine, a teardrop that starts toward the end of the ring and arcs back to the rail, and so many more. They can be done at all gaits and require the same sort of balance change regardless of location or type of turn.

The approach to any change of direction can be narrowed down to 6 steps that are similar regardless of gait or placement of turn. Let's use this most basic change of direction as an example. I call it the "S change" (because it looks like an S and spans from one end of the arena to the other). I'm assuming you are riding in a 20x40 meter arena but please feel free to modify based on your own needs.

Let's say you are approaching a change of direction at X (in the center of the ring). You are on the left rein at A and you will go through X to turn right.

1. Approach a straight line - still bent in the original direction.

This means that you are using your left turn aids - weight on the left seat bone and body pointing slightly left. At this moment, you are riding the turn more as if it were half of a 20-meter circle, even though it won't be a full circle. You do not go into the corner of the ring. You hit the rail just past F but then come off the rail withing 3 strides, back to the original 20-meter circle. However, instead of continuing on the circle, you head for X.

Your horse should be both flexed and bent to the left. Make sure he is looking in the direction of the turn (flexion) and also lightly bent to the left through the rib cage. Only flex and bend enough to be riding in line with the curve that is needed (in other words, don't overbend the horse).

2. Half-halt (usually on the outside rein).

Several strides before you come to X, apply a half-halt. This helps to rebalance your horse and lets him know something is going to change.

3. Straighten.

Now, instead of continuing on the original left circle, you are going to head right.

BUT - at this point, many people make a mistake. They often go directly from the left bend to the right. It's almost as if they are driving a car or a bicycle and turning the steering wheel (or handlebars) from left to right. This gives the horse no time to reposition his legs or carry his weight.

Instead of just switching your aids left to right, wait for a few strides. Straighten the horse and allow him to get his hind legs underneath him. As you go over X, be straight! If you give yourself 3-5 strides of straightness, your horse will be able to be much more balanced going into the turn. So imagine that you should be straight two strides before X and two strides after X. You can always cut the number of strides shorter as your horse gets better at rebalancing into the new turn. But at the beginning, give him plenty of room.

4. Half-halt (usually on the outside rein).

Yep. Use another half-halt at or just past X. There is going to be another change to the new direction. Again, the half-halt helps him rebelance to the hind end and gives him a hint that something new is coming.

5. Flexion and bend to the new direction.

I like to break this part down into two quick stages. First, use your new inside aids (right) to get your horse looking to the right. This is flexion. Then, use your turn aids to bend the horse to the right. Note: You are still moving straight over X at this point - do not actually turn yet.

6. Turn.

Once you have your flexion and bend, simply allow the horse to complete the change of direction. The new bend should be in line with the new curve and you will proceed to hit the rail for 3 strides, then come off the rail. Don't go into the corner but head to C as if you are on a new 20-meter circle.

These six steps take a matter of seconds to complete. There isn't much time, so know what you're going to do ahead of the S, and then just do it!

I know what you're going to say. These 6 steps complicate matters far too much!

In fact, the steps simplify things for the horse. I know we all want to just sit there and let the horse handle everything, but when we can break things down into mini-steps, the horse almost always benefits - in a physical, mental and even emotional way. So riding actively, helping the horse navigate through the change of bend through a straight line, and rebalancing with half-halts invariably sets your horse up for more success in the long run.

Practice these steps in your changes of direction over and over again. If your horse has a habit of leaning into the turns, it might take a month or more of gentle repetition to see significant changes. But if you do stick to the plan, one day you just might notice that your horse flows through direction changes as if he were just born that way!

Try this over the next while and let us know how things went in the comments below.

Buy the Book! Horse Listening – Book 2: Forward and Round to Training Success

From the book:

"Regardless of discipline, what would be the most significant effect a rider would want to have on her horse?

We all want our horses to improve in their athletic

development, skill acquisition and connectedness. Much of our rider development and training efforts go into working toward our show or personal goals....

But the best riders aspire to do one essential thing each and every day, regardless of goals and lesson plans: they work hard to improve their horse’s way of going.

Because proper balance and weight carriage is essential to a horse’s longevity. Each and every minute of each and every ride has the potential to contribute to your horse’s health and well-being.

Or not."

The book begins with the horse's hind end (!), considers the horse's back, moves on to rider development, and fills it all in with the fundamentals of horse riding so your horse can be:

happier in his body

happier in his "work"

better balanced all-around

Available as an eBook or paperback.

Living (Horse) Life in the Basics

.Although we revel in our various disciplines, riding and training styles and breeds of horses, there is simply no denying it: the basics are the basics and they are the same for us all.

Can you distinguish the difference between good and bad movement?

Even if the you are unfamiliar with a discipline's competitive or technical requirements, chances are, you can tell if a performance was well done. The fact is that all movements share several components to them that are fundamental to the quality of movement.

Despite our differences, we are all working toward the same basic purpose.

Rhythm Rules!

Every aspect of riding is rooted in rhythm. Without a sense of rhythm, all riding movements will be sabotaged and become relegated to a lurching, uneven-striding, uncertain series of steps, reducing our rides to a series of jolts, whip-lashed starts and stops, and tension in both the horse and rider.

Take the competitive trail horse, for example. When negotiating miles and miles of uneven terrain, there is no substitute for efficient, energy-saving movement. Whether at the walk, trot or canter, the gait must inevitably become regular to be non-taxing and economical.

Watch the hunter horse. The best mover is the one that masquerades as a metronome - each stride ticking away in an unwavering time measure.

Anyone who has participated in a western trail pattern knows the essential dance that must occur in order to negotiate the obstacles in a smooth, cadenced manner.

I could go on and on, and cover all the disciplines I know of, and even those that I don't. The point is that rhythm is one of those commonalities that we all work toward.

Flexion

There are two types of flexion: longitudinal and lateral.

The first allows the horse to stretch over the topline and use his back effectively. The second allows for side to side stretches. Both are essential to allow for soft, released movement that permits lighter strides and even use of musculature.

Flexion is what allows the horse to be supple left and right, and to lengthen or collect in movement. All figures, patterns and tricks require both kinds of flexion to be performed with ease and strength.

This one is pretty self-explanatory.

Every aspect of riding horses begins with impulsion. The key is to have good enough communication with your horse so that he can put in the energy needed at the right time.

If you are heading into a corner with the horse trotting toward the arena walls, horses will often slow their forward inclination. You need to ride through the corner or turn so that the horse can maintain the established rhythm. This is when "go" enters the scene.

Imagine a barrel horse without "go".

What would a road horse be like without an easy ground-covering gait?

Contact/Connection

I might call it contact, and you might call it connection. It is the language that you and your horse share.

In the end, we are both talking about the same thing: the horse reaches to your aids - seat, weight, legs, hands (and bit or hackamore or whatever other kind of equipment) and there is a communication process that you both participate in.

The better the connection, the more subtle the interaction. The onlooker might only notice the results of the process - but you know how amazing it feels when the horse is "on the aids" and you progress together as one.

Straightness

After finding bend and flexion, all horses must also discover the beauty of straightness.

Without body alignment, all movements lack strength and suppleness. The shoulders must be in line with the hips. The straighter the horse's body, the more efficient the movements become.

Moving straight, even on a circle, is a lifetime goal that is often difficult to achieve.

Collection

Many disciplines discuss the relatively complicated concept of collection. All higher level movements rely on it. Many of us claim to do it.

But don't be fooled! Most of us probably achieve "roundness" and confuse it with collection.

Collection is achieved only when all the above components are in place and practiced on a regular basis. True collection starts with a flexing of the joints in the hind end, a tilt of the haunches and a high level of activity that results in an elevated front end. When you first discover collection, you might be amazed at the energy surge and strength it takes to even begin to collect.

But if you look carefully, you will recognize it in many riding disciplines.

The Training Pyramid

If you think I've pretty much described the dressage Training Pyramid in my own words, you're quite right.

If you think my point is to illustrate the commonalities between horse activities, you're also right!

How does the Training Pyramid work into your daily rides? Comment below.

If you enjoyed the above article, you might also like:

https://www.horselistening.com2012/01/10/how-do-you-develop-feel-in-horseback-riding/

https://www.horselistening.com2012/08/08/riding-is-simple-but-not-easy/

https://www.horselistening.com2013/06/10/why-you-dont-need-to-panic-when-your-horse-falls-apart-during-your-ride/

https://www.horselistening.com2013/04/29/go-and-no-the-connection-between-forward-and-half-halt-in-horse-riding/

https://www.horselistening.com2013/02/17/why-you-should-ride-the-left-side-of-your-horse-going-right/

Horses. Riding. Life.

Tag: flexion

4 Steps To Better Movement

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Horse Listening Book Collection - beautiful paperbacks with all the excellence of the blog - in your hands! Click on the image for more information.

6 Steps To A Well-Balanced Change of Direction

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Buy the Book! Horse Listening – Book 2: Forward and Round to Training Success

Living (Horse) Life in the Basics

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding