20m circles, bane of my life.

N

NicandLiv

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 August 2013
Messages
72
Visit site
I am pretty novicey myself, had a few lessons but learnt to ride by just getting on and doing - with some help and pointers from very knowledgeable friends. Mare I have had 18 months, she knew walk and trot and leg meant to her, to go forward.

Anyway, we've done loads of work and now starting more fine tuning in schooling now she's hacking out by herself like a pro and confidence has grown, she's learnt to move away from pressure of the leg.

So I'm trying a 20m circles, she's getting a good bend for a few strides and then I continue to struggle to keep her out on the circle, we end up on 5m circles.

She's schooled 2 to 3 times a week, hacked out 2 or 3 times a week. Over the past couple of weeks during our hacks I've been starting to ask for halts using seat, turns with legs and seat instead of reins, half halts, rein back, in the woods circling around trees, and having a good canter for some fun!

I know I tend to motorbike on a circle, so been keeping that in check, also I noticed a few weeks ago I actually lean forwards a lot, so that's been in check now and my posture is ten times better. Is there anything I can do to help keep her out on a larger circle? Spirals maybe? She leg yields quite well considering, we've been practicing this out hacking too, and when she is working nicely and bending round a corner she's really starting to use her back end which is brilliant.

I am going to be getting some lessons soon once I sort my other paddock out as that's flat and a decent size so I can have myself a grass school.

We're doing all these circles in walk at the moment, she struggles more in a trot and you don't even want to see her canter in a school lol - I am not concentrating on that at the moment, just want to get walk sorted on a good circle before moving onto it in trot.

So yeah any tips on improving muscle tone, suppleness, and these dang circles.
 
Obviously, a good instructor actually watching you will be much better positioned to help you, to assess your position in detail!

Meanwhile, be sure that you're not trying to stop her falling in by pulling out with the outside rein, or by letting the inside rein cross the withers. Leg-yielding is a useful tool (make sure she's stepping off your inside leg), as is shoulder-fore. Worry less for now about the actual shape and size of the circle, and more about her responsiveness to your leg and body position, and the shape will improve as she becomes better able to do as you are asking. Maybe it's worth having the instructor out even now? A lesson just in walk can be very good, and could make sure you're not giving any conflicting signals.
 
There's a school available to hire, (huge, think it's 40x60 because the owners have driving horses so big enough for carriages) with a fab all weather surface (we are all weather proof anyway, ride out in all sorts). So think I will try and find an instructor and hire it out.

I was having a habit of pulling her out with my outside rein.

I know it's me, and not her, because others have ridden her on a nice circle, but yes I think I'll get an instructor out pronto.

I seem to get myself in a tizz and have a paddy because I have unrealistic high expectations of myself because it looks so simple lol! She is such a lovely mare though, does always try her best and really puts her effort into it when she's feeling in the mood for it. She works much better in that school than she does in her field which I school her in if I don't have time or extra finances. She is the type to quickly switch off and not listen when she's pushed too much, or she can feel I am getting stressed she just shuts down and you can feel it.
 
You could try marking out a circle with cones or something and ride around that, so that you get the feel of it. When you can ride it outside the cones, try moving them out a bit and ride the circle inside the cones.
 
This definitely sounds like a problem with your riding and absolutely nothing to do with the horse. If you haven't had many lessons and mostly hack, it's very likely you never 'properly' learned to control your horse's direction and you're simply not giving clear signals. It sounds a bit like you've been trying to do things that are beyond your current abilities with your friends' help but no one has helped you deal with the more basic stuff.

I actually think you should just go to a riding school and pay for some lessons on school horses and then get an instructor out to your own horse once you're circling comfortably there. My partner learned to ride much the same way you describe you did - a handful of lessons and then when he could only just canter, started sharing and mostly hacking. When he had some lessons recently, the gaps in his training became very obvious even though he is completely comfortable on a horse and understand the theory of it all. He found it really useful to get on a school horse that knew its job and just plod around with someone telling him exactly what to do for an hour. I suspect you'd find the same and it won't be possible to blame it on the horse (I know you aren't!) as the instructor will know what it can/cannot do very well already.
 
Completely all down to my riding and not giving clear instructions :)


I do put up a circle with cones and we can walk trot canter around them nicely, and inside of them, we weave in and out of them and do circles around the odd one its lovely. Soon as they are gone it all goes to pot and i wonder if its because i am concentrating more on where the cones are rather than trying to visualise a circle in my head and concentrating too much on myself and being too harsh on myself.
 
NicandLiv said:
Completely all down to my riding and not giving clear instructions :)


I do put up a circle with cones and we can walk trot canter around them nicely, and inside of them, we weave in and out of them and do circles around the odd one its lovely. Soon as they are gone it all goes to pot and i wonder if its because i am concentrating more on where the cones are rather than trying to visualise a circle in my head and concentrating too much on myself and being too harsh on myself.
Click to expand...

I think that it's because we ride where we are looking, so if your cones are in a circle and you are riding from one to the other, your circle will be good. Take away the cones, and you are probably concentrating on "aids" and asking for bend. If you just sit straight on your horse, your shoulders parallel with hers, and look (not lean), where you want to go, your body will do it, and horses are pretty good at picking up on those signals.

The big thing that is probably happening, is horses tend to fall out (or in) thru one shoulder and that is where an experienced eye can make the difference. Have fun.
 
Did our first Dressage last night and we got 63%, she did some fantastic circles, it was me who couldn't judge 20 bloomin' meters as used to riding in a school that's 40m wide. Mistake on my part lol, got great feedback so know what I need to work on at home, mostly she was rushing into the trot when going from walk and circles not big enough. Very proud of her :)
 
Think square rather than circle. Put some markers out so you know exactly how large 20 metres is. But I also agree with theothers that some lessons would be a good idea. Also Pippa Funnell's book on schooling young horses is well worth a read.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top