Word of the Week

INSIDE/OUTSIDE:

While it may sound intuitive, "inside" and "outside" can quickly become a confusing concept when riding. The "inside" is always the inside or concave side of the horse's bend. The "outside" is always the outside or convex side of the horse's bend. So if a horse is tracking right on the rail and cantering on the right lead, the "inside" is toward the middle of the arena and your inside leg is your right leg. However, if the horse is tracking right on the rail and counter cantering on the left lead, the "inside" is toward the rail and your inside leg is your left leg. This also means that in a leg-yield to the right (K to M), your inside leg is your left leg, but in a half pass to the right (K to M) your inside leg is your right leg (because you bend slightly away from the direction of movement in a leg-yield and into the direction of movement in a half pass).

   
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Gaits and Movements
The Stuff You THOUGHT You Knew!
 
Turn-on-the-Haunches

There are very few people who are aware of the complexities of a turn-on-the-haunches. Perhaps it's because very few people care. As long as you get turned around, that's a turn-on-the-haunches, right? Nope. And turns-on-the-haunches are required in English and Western pleasure and equitation classes, reining, dressage... even showmanship and halter! So why not learn to do it right?

A proper turn-on-the-haunches is really haunches-in (travers) on a very small circle (volte). It is the walking equivalent of a pirouette at a trot or canter. For Western classes (including showmanship) the inside hind foot is expected to stay on the ground at all times during the turn. In English classes however, the four-beat rhythm of the walk is to be maintained, so the inside hind foot should be picked up and placed back in the same spot with each stride.

Turn-on-the-Haunches
Pirouette

The turn-on-the-haunches is supposed to be a forward-moving maneuver. That is why the outside foot always steps across and in front of the inside foot - to maintain forward movement. This quality is much easier to maintain when you begin your turn from a walk. When you are riding English (especially dressage) it is WRONG to halt before you begin to turn. Most Western judges won't penalize you for halting before you turn, but it might get you called out in command class (depending on the judge and how long you're stopped) and it does make a great turn harder to achieve. This is why really good reining riders often take one or two steps forward after their hesitation before starting to spin.

When you begin to teach the turn-on-the-haunches to your horse, start with haunches-in (travers) on a large circle and gradually make it smaller. Don't let your horse stop or start moving backwards (crossing the inside leg behind the outside leg) - if you're losing the quality of the turn walk forward to get back the rhythm and balance then try again. You can teach the Western pleasure style half-turn on the rail by doing very small half circles on the rail instead of full circles. (Remember, in the beginning stages you might end up on the centerline at the end of your half-circle.)

Always remember to reward any effort at first and be consistent with your aids - horses don't automatically know what you are asking them to do.
   

 

Training Tip

It's OKAY to leave the track :
I'll admit, the rail is a very comfortable place to be. It's easy to get in the habit of getting into the track and staying there. But if all you do is coast along the rail, you're probably not really riding your horse. Try riding a straight line a few meters away from the wall - it's not as easy as you might think. So I'm challenging you to try riding off the rail more! You can ride:
  • 5m from the rail
  • the quarter lines
  • 20m circles at B & E
  • 15m & 10m circles in random places
  • short & long diagonals
  • figure 8s (full 20m or smaller 15m - 10m)
  • serpentines (2, 3, 4 loops, etc.)
  • leg yield
  • 20m squares
  • lateral movements on the quarterlines, centerline and diagonals

And anything else you can think of!! It's okay to be creative!

Why do these exercises? Well, primarily you'll gain more control of you horse and keep his/her interest and attention. You'll also pay more attention to your own riding and the cues you're giving your horse. And if you only show in pleasure classes and you need a little more incentive, working off the rail and relaxing on the rail will help your horse see the rail as a "happy place" and keep him/her from becoming dull and lazy. After all, everyone's goal should be a horse that is happy and willing to work.