As easy as it sounds, walking a perfect circle can actually be quite difficult. Especially if you’re working with a green horse who has a different plan in mind. Regardless of a horse’s age or level of riding experience, I like to include this perfect-circle exercise into my daily warmup to ensure my horse is listening to my cues and has forward motion in his feet when I ask him to stay framed up and collected during a training session.
Here I’ll break down the steps I take so you can include this perfect-circle exercise to your daily warmup.
STEP 1 Find Your CIrcle
To begin this drill, I recommend riding your horse two-handed in a snaffle bit. As you advance this exercise, you can move up to a shank bit your horse is comfortable in, but when you do that, continue to ride two-handed to ensure you can get your horse framed up properly.
Find a spot in the arena and walk in a 10-foot circle. If your horse doesn’t like working in the middle of the arena, I recommend walking there. If he likes to lean toward the gate to go back to the barn, practice this drill in front of it so he learns that he has to work when he’s near it.
If you struggle with distances, an easy way to help you stay on your circle is by riding in a freshly dragged arena. If you’re not able to drag the arena or aren’t riding in an area where you can see your tracks, place a barrel, cone, or anything you have sitting around as the center of your circle to help you better judge where the center of your circle is.
STEP 2 Ask for collection
Bu hikaye Horse and Rider dergisinin Spring 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Horse and Rider dergisinin Spring 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
The Horse
LIFE TAKES US DOWN different paths, but I seem to be on just one, which is with the horse.
Decoding the Diseases Examined by AQHA's Six-Panel Test
The six-panel test is a diagnostic tool used to assess the genetic predispositions of horses. It's meant to discover if a horse has or is a carrier for certain hereditary diseases and traits.
Love is Good
All horses are assured a hopeful, compassionate plan of care at This Old Horse, a program that helps not only horses but people, too.
HORSE PACKING 101
Take your trail riding to the next level with nature-filled adventures in the back or front country.
NEW HORSE; NEW PROBLEMS
Anew horse can bring excitement and energy to the barn, and even reinvigorate your passion. However, there are also a myriad of new problems that can come with a new horse, so learn how to introduce him properly to avoid these common issues.
First-Timer Tips
Heading to a young rider's first event with their horse can be intimidating. Use these myths and truths to make it smoother sailing for yourself and your young rider.
Re-Rescued: Aslan's Story
One special gelding learns about three different types of love during his rescue journey.
The Country's Hottest Horse Motels
Take your next trail-riding adventure to the next level by staying at one of these six horse motels across the United States.
Outbreak! What We've Learned
Learn how disease outbreaks in recent years have changed the horse industry, and why it's so important to play your part when it comes to disease prevention efforts.
TRAINING THE SENSITIVE HORSE
Shift your mindset and grow your sensitive horse's pressure-handling skills to improve his confidence and your riding enjoyment.
