Lateral Movements Can Help Get Your Horse to Gait and Stay in Gait - Part 2
The Serpentine, Shoulder and Haunches In
By Gaye DeRusso
These are also beneficial movements to teach your horse. They not only help with gait but makes your horse more controllable and more balanced.
Serpentine
There are different sizes of serpentines, most riders in the arena, just make a big 3 loop serpentine from one end to the other. I do that also, but since I am a trail rider, I tend to make my serpentines the same size I can make on a fire trail and I go all the way across the fire trail, from one side to the other. The serpentine is basically bending your horse one way and then the other. The movement is similar to how you see a snake move across the ground.
I like to do this in the center of the arena or on the quarter line. I do this in the beginning to help warm up my horse, get him to relax, be supple and give to the bit with his head, neck, and body.
Start at one end of the arena, aiming toward the opposite end. Start by walking and bending your horse to the right. So right rein against your horse's neck, pulling slightly toward the opposite hip, left rein opened to the side to support the other side of the horse. Right leg digging by the girth at the same time you pull on the rein to get the horse to bend his body around your leg. The left leg should be slightly behind the girth to prevent the hindquarters from drifting to the left. Do this for one to two strides, then straighten the horse and then bend the opposite way. So left rein against the horse's neck, pulling slightly toward the opposite hip. right rein opens up to support the other side of his body. Left leg digs in by the girth when you pull on the left rein, so horse bends his body around your left leg. Right leg goes slightly behind the girth to prevent hindquarter from drifting.
Now if you are confused don't worry, just start basic and then once you get it you can use more aids to help the horse. So, think of it this way, right rein, right leg then left rein and left leg. It will work you just won't be supporting the outside of the horse. But that's ok, just get the idea down and then you can change later once you get it.
The serpentine is helpful for pacey horses as you keep separating their legs, also gives your horse something to focus on if they are getting antsy or fast or barn sour.
Moving the Shoulders
This is very helpful to do with pacey horses, just by moving their shoulders over you can go from a pace to a gait in some horses. Works great for most Rockies and horses that do a saddle gait.
The easiest way is to do it with your leg yield. So instead of having the horse move forward and sideways and forward. You will ask the horse just to move the shoulders over, then go forward then move the shoulders over.
Go down the quarter line to the left. Once the horse is straight, bring your left rein slightly toward your right hip. Open your right rein toward the rail. With your left leg at the girth not behind it like in the leg yield, so left leg at the girth, press and ask your horse to move his shoulders toward the rail for one stride, then straighten him out, by pressing with your right rein against his neck and your right leg, for one step then repeat. When you get to the rail, your horse's shoulders should get there before the rest of his body if you do it right.
Shoulder In is a harder movement to try. It is a movement they call two tracking because your horse's shoulders will come to the inside of the rail while his hindquarters stay on the rail. So, you will be going slightly sideways as you go down the rail.
While walking around a corner in the arena that goes down the long side of arena, look toward the opposite corner, turn your shoulders slightly to the inside. Bend your horse around the corner using your left rein against the horse's neck toward your opposite hip, dig lightly with your left leg so your horse bends around it, open your right rein to support his right side. Then press with your right leg slightly behind the girth to ask him to turn as if you were going to walk diagonally across the arena.
Once he starts to turn, keep him bent but now push with your left leg to ask him to walk slightly to the inside of the rail with his shoulders while keeping his hindquarter on the rail. You may need more pressure on your right rein to help lead him in the direction toward the end of the arena.
It's confusing. So even though you acted like you wanted to walk across the diagonal, once he turns off the rail you want him to stay bending but walk the same direction you were going with his shoulders to the inside of the rail and the hindquarters on the rail. This is hard to do so only try and get one step in the beginning then go straight and just leg yield back to the rail. Next session try for two steps then go straight then leg yield and ask for more steps each time you work on it. I will do this usually 2 -4 times around the arena until I get some good steps, I always do it out of the corner in the beginning because it helps to set you up.
If your horse won't turn to come off the rail, you need to use more right leg. If he comes off but then won't go down the arena, you need to use more left leg. You will need to alternate your legs to help him know what to do. So, use right leg to push off rail, then lighten the right leg and press with the left leg so he goes forward, if his shoulders try and go back to the rail then you use your right leg and lighten your left leg. It takes a lot of coordination on the rider's part to do this right, so the horse understands.
If it's too hard, just use the moving the shoulders over at the leg yield instead.
Haunches In
This is also hard, but I do not think as hard as the shoulder in. It will look like your horse is bent to the outside of the arena, the shoulders are on the rail and the hindquarters will come off the rail to the inside of the arena. This is another 2-track exercise.
While walking down the rail bend your horse to the outside of the arena. So, if we are going to the left, you will bend your horse to the right. Right rein against his neck slightly toward the opposite hip, left rein open to guide him down the rail so he doesn't turn and walk into the wall. Right leg behind the girth and press till his hindquarter comes off the rail and moves toward the inside of the arena. Left leg is at the girth but not pressing unless he moves his hindquarters too far over that you are going sideways. Remember to alternate your legs so the horse understands. Right leg tells him to move his hindquarters over, left leg tells him to go forward.
Ask for only one good step and once you get it go straight by taking the right leg off and asking to go forward with your left leg and then try on other side of the arena. Each session in the arena try and get one more step then go straight.
If he won't move his hindquarter over, carry a dressage whip in the hand next to the fence (outside) and give small taps as you press with the leg on that side.
Once you can do this well, then try to do it with your horse's head straight instead of turning it toward the wall. I usually do this 2-4 times around the arena, just on the long sides of the arena.
This is also great for breaking up a pace. But it also gives you control of the horse's hindquarters, so if you are riding and your horse starts to bunch up like he is going to kick out, you can move his hindquarters over so he cannot reach the horse next to you. Same thing if he tries to kick at dogs, or cars etc. Now that you can move his hindquarter, you can move his hindquarters away from the object to keep the object safe.
The Serpentine, Shoulder and Haunches In
By Gaye DeRusso
These are also beneficial movements to teach your horse. They not only help with gait but makes your horse more controllable and more balanced.
Serpentine
There are different sizes of serpentines, most riders in the arena, just make a big 3 loop serpentine from one end to the other. I do that also, but since I am a trail rider, I tend to make my serpentines the same size I can make on a fire trail and I go all the way across the fire trail, from one side to the other. The serpentine is basically bending your horse one way and then the other. The movement is similar to how you see a snake move across the ground.
I like to do this in the center of the arena or on the quarter line. I do this in the beginning to help warm up my horse, get him to relax, be supple and give to the bit with his head, neck, and body.
Start at one end of the arena, aiming toward the opposite end. Start by walking and bending your horse to the right. So right rein against your horse's neck, pulling slightly toward the opposite hip, left rein opened to the side to support the other side of the horse. Right leg digging by the girth at the same time you pull on the rein to get the horse to bend his body around your leg. The left leg should be slightly behind the girth to prevent the hindquarters from drifting to the left. Do this for one to two strides, then straighten the horse and then bend the opposite way. So left rein against the horse's neck, pulling slightly toward the opposite hip. right rein opens up to support the other side of his body. Left leg digs in by the girth when you pull on the left rein, so horse bends his body around your left leg. Right leg goes slightly behind the girth to prevent hindquarter from drifting.
Now if you are confused don't worry, just start basic and then once you get it you can use more aids to help the horse. So, think of it this way, right rein, right leg then left rein and left leg. It will work you just won't be supporting the outside of the horse. But that's ok, just get the idea down and then you can change later once you get it.
The serpentine is helpful for pacey horses as you keep separating their legs, also gives your horse something to focus on if they are getting antsy or fast or barn sour.
Moving the Shoulders
This is very helpful to do with pacey horses, just by moving their shoulders over you can go from a pace to a gait in some horses. Works great for most Rockies and horses that do a saddle gait.
The easiest way is to do it with your leg yield. So instead of having the horse move forward and sideways and forward. You will ask the horse just to move the shoulders over, then go forward then move the shoulders over.
Go down the quarter line to the left. Once the horse is straight, bring your left rein slightly toward your right hip. Open your right rein toward the rail. With your left leg at the girth not behind it like in the leg yield, so left leg at the girth, press and ask your horse to move his shoulders toward the rail for one stride, then straighten him out, by pressing with your right rein against his neck and your right leg, for one step then repeat. When you get to the rail, your horse's shoulders should get there before the rest of his body if you do it right.
Shoulder In is a harder movement to try. It is a movement they call two tracking because your horse's shoulders will come to the inside of the rail while his hindquarters stay on the rail. So, you will be going slightly sideways as you go down the rail.
While walking around a corner in the arena that goes down the long side of arena, look toward the opposite corner, turn your shoulders slightly to the inside. Bend your horse around the corner using your left rein against the horse's neck toward your opposite hip, dig lightly with your left leg so your horse bends around it, open your right rein to support his right side. Then press with your right leg slightly behind the girth to ask him to turn as if you were going to walk diagonally across the arena.
Once he starts to turn, keep him bent but now push with your left leg to ask him to walk slightly to the inside of the rail with his shoulders while keeping his hindquarter on the rail. You may need more pressure on your right rein to help lead him in the direction toward the end of the arena.
It's confusing. So even though you acted like you wanted to walk across the diagonal, once he turns off the rail you want him to stay bending but walk the same direction you were going with his shoulders to the inside of the rail and the hindquarters on the rail. This is hard to do so only try and get one step in the beginning then go straight and just leg yield back to the rail. Next session try for two steps then go straight then leg yield and ask for more steps each time you work on it. I will do this usually 2 -4 times around the arena until I get some good steps, I always do it out of the corner in the beginning because it helps to set you up.
If your horse won't turn to come off the rail, you need to use more right leg. If he comes off but then won't go down the arena, you need to use more left leg. You will need to alternate your legs to help him know what to do. So, use right leg to push off rail, then lighten the right leg and press with the left leg so he goes forward, if his shoulders try and go back to the rail then you use your right leg and lighten your left leg. It takes a lot of coordination on the rider's part to do this right, so the horse understands.
If it's too hard, just use the moving the shoulders over at the leg yield instead.
Haunches In
This is also hard, but I do not think as hard as the shoulder in. It will look like your horse is bent to the outside of the arena, the shoulders are on the rail and the hindquarters will come off the rail to the inside of the arena. This is another 2-track exercise.
While walking down the rail bend your horse to the outside of the arena. So, if we are going to the left, you will bend your horse to the right. Right rein against his neck slightly toward the opposite hip, left rein open to guide him down the rail so he doesn't turn and walk into the wall. Right leg behind the girth and press till his hindquarter comes off the rail and moves toward the inside of the arena. Left leg is at the girth but not pressing unless he moves his hindquarters too far over that you are going sideways. Remember to alternate your legs so the horse understands. Right leg tells him to move his hindquarters over, left leg tells him to go forward.
Ask for only one good step and once you get it go straight by taking the right leg off and asking to go forward with your left leg and then try on other side of the arena. Each session in the arena try and get one more step then go straight.
If he won't move his hindquarter over, carry a dressage whip in the hand next to the fence (outside) and give small taps as you press with the leg on that side.
Once you can do this well, then try to do it with your horse's head straight instead of turning it toward the wall. I usually do this 2-4 times around the arena, just on the long sides of the arena.
This is also great for breaking up a pace. But it also gives you control of the horse's hindquarters, so if you are riding and your horse starts to bunch up like he is going to kick out, you can move his hindquarters over so he cannot reach the horse next to you. Same thing if he tries to kick at dogs, or cars etc. Now that you can move his hindquarter, you can move his hindquarters away from the object to keep the object safe.