The Shoulder-In

Mastering the exercise of the Grand Masters

The shoulder-in is the mother of all lateral movements. It was described in detail by the Grand Master François Robichon de La Guérinière, along with its enormous gymnastic benefits for the horse. He is said to have described the exercise as the “cure of equitation” and “the first and last movement to teach the horse in order to achieve suppleness in all his parts”.

SHOULDER-FORE VS SHOULDER-IN VS ‘CLASSICAL’ SHOULDER-IN

In comparison to the shoulder-fore, in the shoulder-in, the shoulders are brought off the outside track through increased bend and flexion, so that the outside foreleg moves in line with the inside hindleg. For modern dressage, the horse should move on three tracks at an angle of approximately 30° from the edge of the arena and bent away from the direction of movement. Whilst the hindlegs should still move virtually straight ahead, the forelegs cross over slightly, due to the slight sideways positioning.

In what is known as the ‘Baroque’ or more classical version of the shoulder-in, as was described by de La Guérinière, the forehand is brought over, so that the horse is working at an angle of 45°, similar to that attained during a leg yield, so that each leg is moving on its own track. In this version, both hindand forelegs will cross, to allow the steeper angle to be maintained.

The modern opinion is that the shoulderin on three tracks is preferable, and this is certainly what is expected by the FEI in dressage tests. Pierre-Eric Jaquerod, former Swiss I-judge and former head of the Swiss Cavalry School in Berne, sums up the reasons for this, very succinctly, here: