suppling exercises

[samp]

Well I went to dressge yesterday and I am still getting comments on needs to be more supple in the back and needs to engage her hindlimbs more. Can people please give me some good exercises to help with this. I don't mind if its on the floor or in the saddle, I just need to keep variety in her work. She is also not very forward going at dressage warm up, showjumping is a different matter. So also wondering if her dressage saddle is not suitable??

 

[kerilli]

lateral work is the best suppling exercise. leg-yielding's the easiest to start with, then shoulder-fore, then shoulder-in, travers, etc etc.
if she's stuffy in warm-up then lots of variation, keeping her in front of the leg, etc etc.
it's hard to say anything about your saddle without knowing what make it is/seeing a pic of it on her back. i'd say the usual "get a saddle fitter to check it" etc, but am unfortunately coming to the conclusion (based on hearsay from here, mainly!) that a lot of them are absolutely rubbish and you can do a better job yourself!

 

[Partoow]

The most simple way of suppling is working first on your connection from the left to the right as imbalance here leads to the dropping of the inside shoulder and therefore a lack of engagement as the hindleg on the 'dropped side ' will not be able to 'step ' thru. From the sounds of it, the stuffyness you describe you are allowing 'hindleg energy to escape. Think of a hose pipe with holes along its length. The holes let water escape so the flow out the end will be greatly reduced. This is rather like you and the horse if you do not dirrect the flow of energy from the hindleg to the hand. the 'suppleness' can only come through connection as the joints of the limbs all become more active and flex more as this throughness is acheived.
Best exercises are on a square , transitions and developing dirrect communication between your inside leg and the horses inside hind leg and the understanding of the influence of the outside rein. If you can control the outside shoulder then you have the inside hind leg and you will find you will understand the left right balance and then the hindleg engagement will come.
Sometimes the word suppleness can make us think too much about 'bendy' like a snake when infact it really deals with connection so the balance is kept at all times, in all paces, in all movements at the level at which we are training.
Hope that helps.
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