EXERCISE 1
This exercise will help improve your horse’s balance and suppleness and at the same time help your transitions from trot to walk and back up to trot.
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Warm up your horse.
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Ride a 20m circle at one end of your arena. On the circle establish a trot rhythm.
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When happy with the rhythm, start riding changes of rein through X. Ride a circle at the opposite end of the arena on the other rein. Again work on keeping an even and steady rhythm.
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Keep riding these changes of rein until your horse is confident in maintaining its rhythm.
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Then instead of riding the change of rein at X, just before ride a transition to walk and go directly on to a 10m circle at X. Just before finishing the smaller circle ride a transition back up to trot and ride the change of rein to the opposite end of the arena.
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Then do the same from the other end.
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Build up the work till you are riding the 10m circle in trot.
What is achieved?
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It’s a suppling and loosening exercise that can be used in the warm up.
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It will help your horse in front of your leg aid. The upward transition needs to be clean and crisp.
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Helps to establish rhythm and the means to maintain it.
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Induces ‘big’ half halts.
Problems
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One rein may be easier than the other.
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Your horse may need encouragement to stay in front of your leg aid.
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Maintaining an even and steady rhythm.