falling out through shoulder on left rein

Hoof_Prints

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Hi, looking for some advice on how to correct falling out through the shoulder on a young horse? Horse is a dream to ride apart from on the left rein, falls out through the shoulder, and on circles its an effort just to get round! Tried just using my bodyweight and leg aids, but you have to hold on to the left rein and even without much pressure, the head is turned right around to the left. In walk and trot it's hardly noticeable but in canter we just drift outwards ! Right rein is perfectly balanced rocking horse canter. Any advice welcome. Improvements are being made, but I don't want to end up reinforcing the wrong muscles by continuing to canter on a strange angle. I can feel the saddle leaning out to the right so sitting to it is quite difficult. I Ride a few horses and although I am right handed and left is not my best rein, I ride the others fine.
Thanks :)
 

Wheels

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It is your outside rein that will help more in this situation. As you have found out if you keep shortening your inside rein then he will just keep bending his neck and the fall to the outside shoulder will be worse.

Keep a better contact on the outside rein, ride as straight as you can through the left turns. You can also teach counter bend / neck rein on both sides but use this to move the right shoulder back across in front of the quarters
 

Brummyrat

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I also have a young horse who's just starting out with his flat work and he does the same on the left rein. My instructor gets me to ride large and counterflex slightly down the long side, then allow with the right rein and gently use the inside rein in the corner to allow him to turn in balance. Then continue doing the same down the long sides. This seems to engage the right side a bit more (I think, hope I haven't got my left and right muddled up) and has really helped us straighten his neck.
 

Bernster

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Following with interest. I've got a similar issue but on the opposite rein. Maybe we should swap haha?

You need to work out what's going on, with you and horse, to address it. In my case, I've had lots of help on the ground in lessons. Mainly to get him off that shoulder and away from my inside leg, not using the inside rein as that will cause him to jack knife around the corner, steady outside rein, inside leg pushing over, trying to stay straight in my body (although that's hard when they can throw you off balance), get his hind end moving. Working off the track and really focussing on whether he's straight and making regular adjustments. And lots I've forgotten about!

It takes a lot of effort for me as I don't have great feel myself, but it's def improving. I couldn't even turn right when I first got him and now we can actually do a 20m circle in all paces. Not always pretty but a vast improvement! Also recommend physio and the usual checks to check if there is some tightness etc.
 

EQUIDAE

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I ride counter shoulder in on the opposite rein in order to 'con' them into taking the difficult flexation. Once flexation is achieved, then it becomes easier on the bad rein and the shoulder issue lessens.
 

Simon Battram

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Every horse is crooked in the same way that we are left or right handed. I nickname it 'banana shape'. Every horse will be either a left or right banana. This basically means that a left banana will find left bend easy/right bend difficult and vice versa.

It sounds like your horse is a left banana and so will wrap around your left leg to the point of then popping out through the right shoulder. So although bend is easier keeping the balance is harder this way. On the right rein the horse holds themselves straighter so bend is harder to achieve but balance is so much easier.

As others have said its about controlling the outside shoulder and engaging the left hindleg.

In walk on the left rein go down the long side and ride 10m circles, the first one in normal flexion and then ride straight, ask horse to look to the outside and try a 10m circle with counter flexion, then straight and then another with true flexion.
Ride a 20m circle on the left rein, spiral down to a 10m circle and then leg yield out. Then ask for the counter flexion, spiral in in counter flexion, straighten and leg yield out.

Take time, check response to forward aids, sit as central as you can keeping the saddle central and remember this is not an 'evasion' rather a natural one sidedness that just needs helping through.
 

nato

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Every horse is crooked in the same way that we are left or right handed. I nickname it 'banana shape'. Every horse will be either a left or right banana. This basically means that a left banana will find left bend easy/right bend difficult and vice versa.

It sounds like your horse is a left banana and so will wrap around your left leg to the point of then popping out through the right shoulder. So although bend is easier keeping the balance is harder this way. On the right rein the horse holds themselves straighter so bend is harder to achieve but balance is so much easier.

As others have said its about controlling the outside shoulder and engaging the left hindleg.

In walk on the left rein go down the long side and ride 10m circles, the first one in normal flexion and then ride straight, ask horse to look to the outside and try a 10m circle with counter flexion, then straight and then another with true flexion.
Ride a 20m circle on the left rein, spiral down to a 10m circle and then leg yield out. Then ask for the counter flexion, spiral in in counter flexion, straighten and leg yield out.

Take time, check response to forward aids, sit as central as you can keeping the saddle central and remember this is not an 'evasion' rather a natural one sidedness that just needs helping through.

This is super helpful. I find it interesting you say left hind leg needs engaging as my mare has been diagnosed with Spain/hock arthritis on her left hind leg, the hock has already fused. She overbends on the left and is almost 'hard mouthed' on the right in that she just does not want to flex right (but will happily 'banana' left). I have found the flex-soften-right leg pattern helpful in straightening her, will try these exercises too.
 

Hoof_Prints

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Thank you very much for replies! Only just had chance to sit and read them.
I have been trying to keep straight through the turns but without any inside rein we don't have a turn. The trot is actually about there, hardly noticeable banana-wise and I can correct it, but the canter is...well... terrible :eek: but in all fairness, my school is small on the corners and that's where we are struggling. I'll just strengthen the trot with advice given and work up to the canter, i'll strengthen the left lead on straight lines first, to be fair we struggled to even get left lead canter and now we get it every time so improvements are there. I'll keep re-reading, short term memory is not great !
 

Impu1sion

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I am having this same problem at the moment, so glad to read I am not alone!! Will also try these exercises, such a great forum for this type of thing :)
 

daydreamer

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I think most of us will have had similar problems at some point. My horse is old, stiff and very canny! Like you we are getting there in trot but canter still has a ways to go. I had a lesson yesterday and we did a lot of leg yield and shoulder in to try and loosen the ribs up so he can bend. Mine is the opposite way around to yours, falls out through the outside shoulder on the right rein and canters with quarters in going right. In canter we did a 20 m circle to left and then leg yielded a few steps in to get him straight (I guess this helped him to bend and load the inside leg?). He ended up really straight doing this. We also did the same on his bad rein which helped too. (I'm guessing when he leg yields his shoulders come in more than his hind end?).

I had the physio out recently and she said he was weaker in his right hind which (a bit counterintuitively) would mean he was less reluctant to bring his left hind through. She prescribed 15 tail pulls on the right hand side every day to try and strengthen up the right hind.
 

Walrus

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I struggle with the escaping shoulder and recently I have been working on me and my position to try and help too including making sure I use the outside leg (sounds ridiculous but I often forget and focus on the inside aids) plus making sure there is good contact down the outside rein and it's against the neck, I have taken to tucking my elbow into my hip /waist and really making sure I create a channel for straightness down the outside.
 

{97702}

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Outside rein and outside leg all the way! My horse does this too in a very pronounced way in canter, it takes a great deal of concentration to not haul on the inside rein to drag him round (even though I know very well that this is completely the wrong thing to do!!!! Bother those automatic tendencies!!!) if I use the outside rein and a lot of outside leg we get round :)
 

{97702}

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Hi, just updating this old thread to say the horse ended up lovely and balanced on both reins! So keep at it :)

LOL idiot me, I didn't even notice the date! Glad the horse came out well :) :) Gives me hope, mine is a very green 6 year old who I despair of sometimes...!!
 
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