Bending exercises - HELP NEEDED!

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Hi, my pony has trouble bending to the inside when going around a circle (he is only young) and also when we are turning into jumps he is looking the wrong way and falling on his forehand. I can manage to get him to look the correct way now in walk and trot and he is going much more balanced in them paces but I am having trouble with the canter! Does anyone have any good exercises I can use when schooling and jumping to correct this?

Also which way am I meant to turn my shoulders when I am going around a circle. I was always told to put my inside shoulders back and my outside shoulder forward and basically turn my shoulders to folow the circle but yesterday in my lesson I was told I needed to do it the opposite way around with my inside shoulder forward and my outside shoulder back so I was more or less bending my body away from the circle.
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Which is right?!?!

Help much appreciated, thanks.
 

katiejaye

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Hiya, a really good lungeing exercise for bending is putting a cone or jumping block in the corner of the school just away from the track and lungeing around it. You start of slowley for the first few sessions just lungeing normally in a circle and then gradually introducing the block/cone into the ex, starting off first in walk and trot just to initially build up confidenc, balance and muscles. Gradually once the right bend and balance becomes initiated you can up the pace (faster trot and then eventually canter) and reduce the size of the circle to increase the bend. I have found it a very good exercise for getting the horse to understand how to naturally bend and balance.
 

Fiona

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Spiralling your circle in and out again is a v good exercise. Try in walk and trot first, then in canter. Push the circle in using outside leg and inside hand, then out again asking him to step away from your inside leg and making sure you have a firm consistent contact on the outside rein. Don't forget you don't need too much bend (should be just able to see inside eye), as too much bend with lead to the opposite problem ie falling out thru outside shoulder.
Also try leg yielding from the 3/4 line out to the track.
Have to say I was always told to turn shoulders in the direction of the circle as well.
Also remember to not collapse inside hip.

Fiona
 

kick_On

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i would try a carrot bending exercise as a warm up. Hold carrot at girth and get gg to flex around for carrot (pony need to stand still), doing equally both side and drop down between leg aswell. Will get very quickly and you know he is flexiable.
I wouldn't worry about how you've got to move to turn, just look the way you want to go and your body will naturally tell pony which way you want to go. Smaller movement with body the better.
i hope this help with other exercises
g
 
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