LEFT/RIGHT FLEXION: A Basic Exercise in Applied Leadership

Trail riding is a ton of fun, until your horse spooks and bolts off at breakneck speed. Thirteen year-old Ainsleigh found that out the hard way... and wisely chose to develop the leadership skills needed to prevent her horse Chili from bolting again. 

She began by learning that she isn't doing Chili any favors by allowing him to do a whole lot of looking around on the trails. Perhaps when he becomes more confident she can, but right now he finds too many things to spook at. To curb the looky-looky, she must get better control of her horse...specifically his head, neck and shoulders. Ainsleigh has been spending time on the ground learning how to gain that control, and earning some respect from Chili in the process.  She in now ready to ask for that same respect in the saddle.

A great starting point for her, or any rider, is this left/right flexion exercise. The goal of this exercise is to keep the horse traveling in a straight line while turning its head to the left and to the right. It sounds simple but can be quite challenging when the horse isn't thoroughly convinced it should give up control of its head.

As harmonious as the two of them look in the photo on the left, Ainsleigh and Chili started out on a different note...with the clearly agitated Chili tossing his head around, completely ignoring Ainsleigh's leg and stepping off the rail each time she asked him to simply bend his neck. He was challenging Ainsleigh for control just as he had done on the ground.

Ainsleigh felt confident she could prevent this situation from turning into a dangerous one by doing just what she had done on the ground: remaining calm yet firm, trying to be as clear as possible, and taking things step by step. Before continuing on, she donned a pair of blunt spurs to remind Chili that he should move away from the pressure of her leg rather than lean against it.

She then began encouraging him to bend his neck by riding in small circles in a corner of the arena. Coming out the circle, she did her best to resist Chili's effort to take away the bend, while guiding him to stay along the rail with her inside leg and an opening outside rein. Most importantly, she asked for only one or two strides before softening her aids and circling around to start over. Chile quit the violent head tossing almost immediately.

After a few more attempts, Ainsleigh was able to maintain a smidgen of bend and keep her horse's shoulders a tad bit closer to the rail.

After several more tries, she succeeded in getting Chili to take a couple of straight steps along the fence line while keeping him flexed to the right. As they progressed, the exercise became easier for the both of them. 

Putting her newly acquired leadership skills to good use, Ainsleigh no doubt got the same respect she'd earned from Chili on the ground...and then some. 

To ride safely, whether out on trails or in an arena, you must have full control of your horse. This exercise helped Ainsleigh take a big step in that direction. I encourage you to try it with your horse. 

LOOSEN UP: Two Simple Exercises to Get Your Rides Off to a Better Start

An athlete’s muscles should be as flexible as they are strong.  In fact, stretching out stiff muscles ahead of time is a great way to get your rides off to a better start. But don’t just think about stretching out your own.  Help your horse limber up, too.  The lateral movement in these two exercises helps your horse get rid of stiffness in his hips, shoulders and ribcage.

Turn on the forehand:

• Holding the reins in your left hand, keep yourself at your horse’s shoulder as you get him moving beside you in a forward, energetic walk.

• To make the turn, bring your horse’s head slightly toward you as you touch behind the girth (or as far back as his hip if needed) to encourage him to swing his hind end out and away from you.  Just ask for one or two steps at first, looking for your horse’s inside hind leg to step well underneath his body and in front of the outside hind.  

Work with your horse in both directions until you get him to make a complete small circle around you keeping the forward motion of the inside hind stepping in front of the outside hind.  As your horse begins to loosen up, you will start to feel him lightening up on the inside rein as he begins lifting the shoulder nearest you.

Leg yielding:

• To help your horse understand what you will be asking of him, use a fence or wall to prevent forward motion.  Keeping yourself at your horse’s shoulder, start out in a forward energetic walk with your horse on one side and the fence on the other.

• Turn your horse's face slightly toward the fence and touch in front of the girth applying as much pressure as needed to encourage him to step sideways away from you.   Just ask for one or two steps at first since you are only trying to get him to understand that you want him to move away from the pressure.  

Once he gets the idea, help him loosen up by working with him until he can move fluidly down the fence line in both directions with hardly any pressure from you. When your horse clearly understands this exercise, you will no longer need the support of the fence or wall.

Both exercises can be performed in the saddle, but performing them on the ground first helps your horse tune into your aids and gets him carrying himself in a more balanced manner before he has to carry you.  Only good things can come from that!