Cutting Corners!

[EllaRidesHorses]

My 15.1hh Share needs to work on her schooling (quite a lot!) and really cuts corners off. Does anyone know of any exercises to help solve this?

 

[Dizzydancer]

Put a cone onto the inside track of corner so you have to ride around it, also use something to walk around in a small figure right- I use two cones spaced about 2-3m spray and really get him bending round my inside leg so then when doing corners he is listening and bending making them much easier- depending on yours that maybe a bit too much yet but the first one is quite good for early learning

 

[Pigeon]

Leg yielding, if you can get her 'off' your inside leg, corners are easy

 

[showpony]

Ride your corners as squares NOT curves if that makes sense

 

[Cortez]

Put your inside leg on and MAKE the horse go into the corner. Simples.

 

[sportsmansB]

Hold your whip against her neck and think of it and your leg as being a post that she has to go around...

 

[Birker2020]

Also push your inside rein across to your outside hand - DO NOT carry out the cardinal sin of crossing your reins but just push the inside rein against her neck. This helps if your horse is taught to 'neck rein' - I have taught my horse this and indicate to him before a jump (or even over the jump) by neck reining which way I want him to land in a jump off to save precious seconds thus enabling him to prepare for a sharp turn before he lands.

 

[Auslander]

Also push your inside rein across to your outside hand - DO NOT carry out the cardinal sin of crossing your reins but just push the inside rein against her neck. This helps if your horse is taught to 'neck rein' - I have taught my horse this and indicate to him before a jump (or even over the jump) by neck reining which way I want him to land in a jump off to save precious seconds thus enabling him to prepare for a sharp turn before he lands.

It would be better to open your hand in the direction you want to go, so that the contact is still an allowing one, giving him the freedom in the air that he needs to bascule properly. Drawing the hand in towards the neck creates a broken line of contact, and inhibits the desired soft, giving hand, as well as making it very easy to accidentally catch them in the mouth.

 

[Dodiee]

Go straight into the corner, halt right in the corner, wait for a few seconds. Turn, halt again and wait, then carry on. Do this for every corner, starting in walk, and build up to trot - halt if you can. After a session or two of this, mix it up with this, a small circle in each corner, and 'normal corners'. This stops her predicting the turn, and makes her listen to you because she doesn't know what she's going to be asked to do!