# Exercises to stop horse falling in on circle?



## wench (7 April 2014)

Any hints and tips gratefully received. Horse falls in badly on the left rein, on a circle in trot. Pretty much ok in walk, but trot is awful, basically will not do a nice rounded circle, despite me asking in the same way I do on the right hand rein. 

Any suggestions for exercises to help me? Currently on the lookout for new instructor (don't currently have one); horses back, teeth and saddle are all ok, and the horse does it with all riders not just me!


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## Tiaan (8 April 2014)

My horse does this, had a dressage clinic on the weekend. The instructor suggested creating four points (12, 3, 6, 9 on a clock) and ride a diamond shape instead. When you get to these points you ask for a bend gradually increasing the amount of bend eventually leading to a circle.

Most of the problem was coming from me not my horse. I anticipated his falling in and was trying to correct with the outside rein, which in then turned my hips to the outside and my weight to the inside of the circle - causing horse to fall in! As you reach the points of the diamond use your hips to face the direction you want to travel and put a little more weight in the outside stirrup this should keep you horse out. This can become less extreme as you both get the hang of it. Within a couple of passes we had a much better circle without any outside rein at all.


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## Tnavas (8 April 2014)

So your horse is stiffer on the left rein. Your work needs to have lots of work in circles loops and serpentines, with more work on the left rein. Constantly change the subject. 
Think of riding your horse through a narrow tunnel made up of your inside rein used in a sponging manner to create the bend. Outside rein supporting and controlling the speed.
Inside leg tells the horse to bend around you and also to increase forward activity. The outside leg, held back behind the girth controls the placing of the hindquarters.
As a rider you need to ensure that you sit straight, hips square with the horses hips, shoulders square with the horses shoulders. Ensure you don't lean in, as this encourages the horse to fall in. 
Ultimately the horse tries to keep you placed evenly over his back, when you lean in the horse moves across under you.


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## Joyous70 (8 April 2014)

Tnavas said:



			So your horse is stiffer on the left rein. Your work needs to have lots of work in circles loops and serpentines, with more work on the left rein. Constantly change the subject. 
Think of riding your horse through a narrow tunnel made up of your inside rein used in a sponging manner to create the bend. Outside rein supporting and controlling the speed.
Inside leg tells the horse to bend around you and also to increase forward activity. The outside leg, held back behind the girth controls the placing of the hindquarters.
As a rider you need to ensure that you sit straight, hips square with the horses hips, shoulders square with the horses shoulders. Ensure you don't lean in, as this encourages the horse to fall in. 
Ultimately the horse tries to keep you placed evenly over his back, when you lean in the horse moves across under you.
		
Click to expand...


This is great - sorry for hijacking OP, but my girl falls in on a cirlce, but with her hindquarters, does this mean im placing my outside leg too far back?????


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## Tnavas (8 April 2014)

It could but could also be that you are using too much outside rein.
Again your horse needs to become more supple so the exercises above will help. 

What you need to do is to use shoulder in to gain better control of the front end.
To correct the problem you need to bring the shoulders over in front of the quarters.


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## Joyous70 (8 April 2014)

Tnavas said:



			It could but could also be that you are using too much outside rein.
Again your horse needs to become more supple so the exercises above will help. 

What you need to do is to use shoulder in to gain better control of the front end.
To correct the problem you need to bring the shoulders over in front of the quarters.
		
Click to expand...

Too much outside rein, thinking about it yes that is probably right, ive been so focused on keeping her back end over I am probably using too much outside rein, and possibly need to give forward more with the outside hand, she's rising 4 so shoulder in is a little beyond us right now.


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## el_Snowflakes (8 April 2014)

I got a great piece of advice from an instructor: maintain contact with outside rein- on a circle, imagine your are walking down a steep spiral staircase, if you fall onwards you will fall down the middle so you need to hold onto the banister. Think of the outside rein as your banister to stop your hand creeping forward


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## sportsmansB (8 April 2014)

Can also help to use a short whip instead of a long one (provided you have sufficient impulsion and don't need it as a leg back-up) and just hold it against the shoulder /small taps as back up to your inside leg but to avoid the Qtrs just swinging out as they can if you use a schooling whip behind the leg on a non-bending horse...


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