Your favorite patterns/exercises and what they do

[StraightForward]

I posted over in the goals and progress about an exercise we used in our last lesson.

This morning I was relieved to be scheduled at 8 am, and we worked more on getting collection in the canter. Here, we are doing an exercise on a circle of 180 degree TOH, then canter out the opposite direction, spiral in in a bit of travers, then LY out, think of cantering on the spot to do the C/W transition. Once I quit being so confused, we got some really nice moments, then finished with a little bit of trot HP. Still working on my shoulder; I tried to correct it periodically within the ride, but with so many other things to focus on, it kept reverting to left shoulder lower, but the first step is admitting the problem, right?

I've had a couple chances now to incorporate this into our rides. She pointed out that spiraling in in HI on the circle is essentially a HP. I think this is demystifying HP for me so I can apply the aids more seamlessly and be less awkward. So yesterday I was SO excited because I used this one time, then did some SI and LY in canter, then went right into a really nice canter HP. We still have some work to get this to the left, but now I know how to get there.

The arena at Susan's barn is about 40 meters wide, which can be a detriment because it's easy to get lackadaisical about geometry and end up riding 30 meter circles and other huge figures. But I've started using it to my advantage to ride clover leaves of squares. I used it a couple weeks ago to get to a lightbulb moment of getting her lined up and straightened onto the outside rein, and more listening to my HH. The other benefit of it, in trot, is that I can decide to change directions as we approach the wall, so Kyra has to stay more on the aids and not just assume which direction we're going and start falling over that shoulder.

Yesterday I used the squares to warm up in canter, but added in a couple strides of LY out just before the corner (turning early when we're near the wall to allow space), and she really came together and through much more quickly, started blowing and released where she often holds at the base of the neck.

So, what are some of your favorite patterns and exercises, and what do you see as the benefits?

[Tsavo]

Allow me to demystify HP for you... do a travers against polls placed on the diagonal. Then take away the polls and ride the same line with the same bend, HP.

I like counted walk to elevate the withers, shaukel to get and keep the horse's attention, canter squares to explain collecting, CC for straightness, changing flexion every few strides down the long side to establish correct connection on both reins, 10 m voltes in the corner before mediums, moving the neck to any place while nothing else changes to establish independent aiding, canter leg yield into and away from the lead to lengthen the frame.

[blob]

A few good old standbys that I tend to come back to time and time again:

1. Trot down longside, halt before the corner, TOF so you're facing the other way, trot off. Rinse and repeat at other end. This exercise usually gets horses quicker behind and more confirmed in half halt.

2. Do a 15ish meter circle at the walk, yield the shoulder out (kind of like a leg yield, but really let the outside shoulder lead out, with inside bend) get a good stride or two of shoulder yield and then canter. This works well for horses that can get stiff in the shoulders. the beginning helps isolate and loosen the shoulder, but then they have to be able to stand it back up to pick up the canter.

3. Squares at any gait focusing on a really good square turn. Can be big or small. In the walk and canter the squares can be pirouette steps.

4. Tear drop serpentines at the trot or even walk. Instead of a traditional serpentines, making the loops more like tear drops gives the opportunity to yield out into the new rein when you change the bend.

5. I think it's called 'thread the needle' or something of the sort in that 101 dressage exercises book. But there's an exercise where you do a 20-meter trot circle at C (or A), then do a half-circle and diagonal back to the rail at E, the circle again at A, and then the half-circle back to diagonal at B. This is a good warm-up exercise because it has lots of changes of directions and gets them bending both ways. But I especially like it for hotter/nervous horses. The easy repetition of the pattern with lots of bending and staying on one part of the arena tends to be really calming for those that come out tight or anxious or ready to run.

This next one is not an old standby, but a newer one to me that I've been playing with lately:
6. Lateral work on a figure 8: Do shoulder-in on a 20-15 on a figure 8 line, so that in one direction it's a true SI and the other direction it's a shoulder-out. This can be done with any lateral work (traverse, renvers). The challenge is moving from the true movement to the counter on the other side. But I"ve found that making sure I maintain the position helps me separate and sharpen all my own aids and helps me keep the horse aligned in a way that I have better control of shoulders and hindquarters.

[piedmontfields]

5. I think it's called 'thread the needle' or something of the sort in that 101 dressage exercises book. But there's an exercise where you do a 20-meter trot circle at C (or A), then do a half-circle and diagonal back to the rail at E, the circle again at A, and then the half-circle back to diagonal at B. This is a good warm-up exercise because it has lots of changes of directions and gets them bending both ways. But I especially like it for hotter/nervous horses. The easy repetition of the pattern with lots of bending and staying on one part of the arena tends to be really calming for those that come out tight or anxious or ready to run.

This reminds me of the "embroidery pattern" of a similar exercise. I think it is from 101 Dressage Exercises.

10 m trot circle at middle of long side, then shoulder in down the rail, then canter a 15 m circle and on second circle transition to trot towards rail, change directions and 10 m trot circle, then shoulder in down the rail the other way, etc. This is a real chill pill warm up for my mare and also establishes clear quick transitions and sufficient bending both ways. And you can do it in a relatively small space, too, by adjusting how long the shoulder in segment is.

[heddylamar]

5. I think it's called 'thread the needle' or something of the sort in that 101 dressage exercises book. But there's an exercise where you do a 20-meter trot circle at C (or A), then do a half-circle and diagonal back to the rail at E, the circle again at A, and then the half-circle back to diagonal at B. This is a good warm-up exercise because it has lots of changes of directions and gets them bending both ways. But I especially like it for hotter/nervous horses. The easy repetition of the pattern with lots of bending and staying on one part of the arena tends to be really calming for those that come out tight or anxious or ready to run.

The variation on this I learned is ask for a few steps of lengthening on rail, half circle, leg yield to shoulder in on rail, and canter the 15-20 meter circle.

[Linden]

One of my FAVOURITE tools to fix 'behind the leg' and straightness in the body issues is shoulder-in on a 15m circle



it immediately points out every weakness in the rider's technique and within a few minutes of concentrating on each area, the whole system improves cohesively and the rider and horse look much different coming out of the circle than they did going in. Love it

[blob]

Would love some thoughts/suggestions on exercises:

My canter 10 meter circles with MM need some help. They don't always feel straight and sometimes we lose impulsion. Ultimately we just really lose quality of overall canter by the second half of the circle. And while I recognize the only way to practice a 10 meter circle is to ride a 10 meter circle. I would love some more targeted ideas that might help improve the circles without just circling over and over again.

[StraightForward]

When my instructor put us on that TOH/spiral in in renvers exercise, it was exactly because we couldn't manage to canter down the long side and then ride half a 10m circle. So part of the exercise was to ride the haunches in to develop the bend, and then maintain the bend while spiraling out. We went out to a larger circle, but I think you could try doing spiraling down about half a circle, and then just go forward 1/2-3/4 of a circle straight, but maintaining the bend through the body, working up to the full volte. If the canter starts to lose quality, just LY out a couple steps and stretch the neck and push the canter out, then ride the legs under to walk or halt, TOH, and repeat the other way. I haven't tested with a measured 10m circle yet, but I have SO MUCH more control over Kyra's canter now after playing with this exercise. I think it helps when the horse knows she might be asked to stretch and/or lengthen at any point instead of "oh here we go with the tiny circle, guess I'll mince around."

Also, a little trick I learned recently, which actually helped me more with trot voltes than canter voltes, is to hold the whip vertically in the inside hand and then think about riding around it. You can visualize the same thing eve if you aren't holding the whip. I think it helped me keep my inside shoulder up and rotate my body around more effectively without getting to tense trying to make the circle smaller.

[blob]

Thanks, Straightforward!

I will try the spiral exercise!

[Ryeissa]

SI to HI to SI (think three strides of each). how to get back and forth between shows holes in the shoulder and hip control. when you only do three steps of each then switch you don't have much time to get to the next one (only do this when each movement is confirmed)

[StraightForward]

Today I audited a couple rides at the Carrie Harnden clinic. It was interesting because the first was a WB/Arabian cross (I think, he was branded) that was quite up in the neck, and schooling PSG. The next was some type of smaller Baroque type horse with a huge but lower neck, schooling first level.

For both horses, she had them ride diamonds before going onto a circle, to make sure both sides of the horse were equal length on the straight, and to get the shoulders moving around on the corners. She then had them transition onto a circle line and maintain the "threading" of the inside hind between the front legs, so that it was coming under the body more

The other exercise she had them both do is a big LY with shoulders leading to stretch out the horse's hollow side and free up the shoulders. At the end of the ride, she told the rider of the first level horse that she would also use this tomorrow to help them with their lengthenings. After the initial LYs, she had them ride LY to the centerline, again with the shoulders leading, and then change flexion and develop bend and ride SI down the CL.

For the more advanced horse, they were breaking down the canter zig-zags by riding first in walk SI to HP, then a couple steps of renvers, making sure the horse waited before the HP back and then SI. They then did this in trot, and eventually added in the change, but then kept SI to the end of the arena since they were running out of room to HP back. Obviously an advanced exercise at canter, but looked like something fun to play with at walk and possibly trot.