Happy New Year! It seems like everyone you talk to is planning to tackle their New Year’s resolutions this week. I will not be suggesting any resolutions, however I do have a riding challenge for your consideration. This month’s challenge is a riding exercise taken from an element commonly seen in reining while using concepts often drawn from dressage training. I simply call this pattern “Big circle, Little circle”, and it can be used by any level rider and horse at appropriate speeds.
How to Start
Start by choosing your landmark for where your circle begins and ends. Just as though you were to place a pen on a piece of paper and draw a circle, it will begin and end at the same point on the paper.
If needed additional landmarks can be used to help you remain at a consistent size and placement of circle. I usually place a total of four markers in a square as a reference to stay just inside of. Traffic cones are great if you have them, but really anything can be used. Overturned feed buckets, lead ropes dropped on the ground, a particularly tall weed, etc. – you can get creative. Place your markers about 60 feet from the marker apart from it so you will be riding roughly a 20 meter circle for your large circle.
When riding be careful not to create corners at each marker but rather to ride a continuous arch from one to the next resulting in a circle. Ride a few circles at your decided speed until the circle is getting more consistent. As you approach and pass your designated start point begin to ride a constricted circle inside your original circle. This smaller circle will be about ½ to ¾ the size of your original circle, or roughly a 10 – 15 meters across. Alternate between riding larger and smaller circles looking for improving consistency of rhythm and shape. Be sure all of your circles begin and end at the same point to ensure you are practicing precision.
Results
A couple of things that will begin to happen with the continuous circles is that your horse will begin to bend as it is the most comfortable, balanced way to handle turns. The smaller circles will be a double-check of your bend and will challenge him to bring his inside hind leg deeper under him and begin showing him how to collect. It’s important to note that you are allowing the pattern to do the hard work. You should not have to exaggerate your riding to achieve this. Remember you are showing the horse something about his body so he learns how to handle himself better. If you try to manually do it for the horse, he will learn nothing and you will probably have some argument in return.
When switching back to a larger circle try to also send the horse a little more forward in the same gait to encourage the horse to extend his hind legs in more powerful forward strides. Alternating between these extending and collecting type movements builds balance and adjustability and should be trained in each gait separately. Another pleasant side effect of drills like this one is that your horse will begin to relax. It is very difficult for a horse to hold his breath nervously while bending. It is also very difficult to ride continuous circles without bending. Therefore, the easiest solution for the horse is to relax and breathe deeply while working, bringing his mind and body into a calm working state.
How to ride the circle
Though it is such a simple geometric shape, actually getting a horse to keep to a circle can be more challenging than anticipated. Repetition is definitely your friend here so practice, practice, practice! To use the correct cues, the rider should hold a steady, light inside rein, supported by the inside leg to ask for the bend. Meanwhile, the outside rein contact will be needed, but may vary to keep the horse from falling in, falling out or speeding off.
I have posted patterns with similar elements before, however each variety of pattern has a slightly different flavor and focus. The more ways you challenge yourself in your horsemanship, the more adaptable you and your horse become as a team. If you do have a riding related resolution this year, hopefully this exercise will give you a starting point to launch your efforts!
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About The Author
There is a misconception that riding correctly is in some way reserved for advanced riders. Riding correctly should be aspired to at all levels.
