The Not So Simple Circle

I’ve come to realize that the beauty and intricacy in correct lateral bend is one of the most fascinating aspects of my work. All lateral work is deeply connected to correct bend. For many equestrians, riding a circle may seem like a rather simple exercise as it’s one of the first that is taught, but riding a truly correct circle is one of the more difficult exercises to master as it’s not something the horse does naturally. As I dive deeper into the aspects of correct bending to help develop my horses, both young and old, I realize how complex the seemingly simple circle actually is.  

The flow of energy through the body must begin with correctly stepping hind legs, only then can you have suppleness through the whole spine and body. Both hind legs must step forward an under the body with the inside hind stepping under the center of mass so the horse is able to support a rider on his/her back, but that doesn’t meant the inside hind leg steps so far under that you lose the energy over the outside shoulder or the outside hind leg swings out. Understanding the movement of the hind legs should begin in groundwork and work in hand where you can help the horse to become aware of his/her body and movement. When I am riding I strive to feel both hind legs underneath me, feeling their placement and learning to feel the forward swing, landing, and pushing off of each hind leg as it influences the movement of my hips, seat, and leg. Thank you to my years of participation in the Straightness Training® program as well as to recent work with Jillian Kreinbring for bringing this feel to a new level for me. Sometimes I’ll play with influencing one hind leg or the other to help heighten my feel and to check if the lines of communication are open. My legs influence the horse’s hind legs so I’ll think a little shoulder in for a stride or two on the circle and then feel for a little haunches-in to make sure I can access either the inside or the outside hind leg to easily step a bit more under the body.  

If the hind legs are correctly stepping under and forward, I then focus my attention on the shoulders and center of mass of the horse. I visualize this as a ball under my hands that I am not holding, but able to shift and adjust so it never rolls away. It will only shift as far back as directly under my seat in highly collected work. In younger horses that have not developed the skill for more advanced collection the center of mass is more forward, but must still be in balance so the horse can search for the hand without getting quick or heavy. My center of mass must stay in alignment with the horse which might put be a bit more forward in my upper body, particularly in younger horses, so that I don’t get left behind the motion. I strive to feel the connection of my center of mass which lies just below my navel to my horse’s center of mass which I feel under my hands or under the pommel of the saddle, always helping to bring it in balance. Most horses will have a tendency for the COM to drift toward one shoulder and it’s imperative to have this in balance for the horse to correctly lift up through back and the thoracic sling and to stretch the neck forward down toward the hand. I can influence the COM with my indirect rein aids as well as the feeling of keeping the center of mass in balance between my legs, without ever gripping or holding. My leg must always feel as if it drapes softly from the seat and the aids most always start first with the seat, followed by the leg, and only then the hand. The important thing to remember is both my horse and me are in movement when I am riding, therefore we must both work to stay in balance. Tiny adjustments to my seat, leg, and posture are always happening to keep myself in alignment and I must communicate to my horse to help him/her maintain the necessary balance in his/her COM, but I must never hold him/her there or I block the flow of energy. In the beginning the young horse may need frequent reminders and assistance to find the balance, but in time the horse must develop the ability to maintain the posture and balance on his own with only tiny corrections from my seat, leg, and hand to keep the doors of communication open. I don’t put a horse a balance and then just expect it to stay there. Over time a horse will need fewer and fewer reminders to help it maintain a balanced posture, but like us the horse is constantly working the smaller postural muscles to keep itself balanced.

Finally I must receive the energy from the hind legs in the hand. As much as possible, I do NOT want to interfere with the horse’s neck so the reins ultimately belong to the horse. The reins are simply a means of conversation and I use that word deliberately because it should be a dialogue between horse and human.  I can gently influence the  vertical yield at the poll (or at the atlanto occipital joint if I am being technically correct) as well as the lateral flexion, but I should never feel as if I am blocking or riding the horse from front to back. The horse must have the freedom to move his/her head in the natural rhythm with the gait. As humans, we love to use our hands and it is so easy to get caught up with the mouth and the contact. I have been guilty myself of this many times in the past and can still easily fall into that trap if I’m not careful. One very important concept that I have worked hard to embrace and understand in recent years is that when we feel the horse bracing on one side of the jaw or the other, a slight tilt in the poll, stiffness in the back or body, or the horse coming behind the vertical that this is their way of telling us that they are not correct through the body or in the placement of the hind legs. We are NEVER going to fix this by fussing with mouth or head of the horse. We have to look to understand what’s happening in the rest of his/her body first. Only then will he/she be soft and light in the mouth. Pulling on the mouth does not correct the hind legs or the body it simply blocks them. 

If everything is correct the horse feels as if curls beautifully around the arc of the circle I’m riding, with a soft swing in the ribcage to fill up my outside thigh and leg. The ears are perfectly level and the poll and jaw are soft with the inside jaw bone rotated slightly under the skull. My inside rein becomes passive with a slight slack in the rein. The outside rein is filled, but only from the lengthening of muscles on the outside of the body. My outside hand may even allow a little forward so the horse can stretch and lengthen on that side. The muscles of the back feel lifted and stretched under my outside seat bone with the horse’s spine softly bending around my inside seat bone. The horse becomes light and elegant in his/her footfalls and maintains the balance with only tiny reminders from my seat, leg or hand, in that order. My seat and legs connect to and influence the hind legs of the horse through my seat, thigh, and calf and I feel the tiniest amount of pressure will influence the movement. I can influence better stepping under or better carrying depending on my timing and intention. Although I often use verbal cues to help communicate to my horses when they are doing things correctly or help them understand my requests, the influence on posture and balance happens through a silent language where I truly feel one with the horse. When you start to feel the magic and beauty of correct bend, exercises like shoulder-in, haunches-in and half pass seem effortless to develop because they are so deeply rooted in correct bend and positioning. The balance of the horse then begins to shift towards self-carriage and the lightness and oneness of horse and rider which for me is the ultimate reward begins to flourish.