Why is it...

[Casey76]

That the more you and your horse are accomplished, the more difficult it is to ride a circle?

I thought I knew how to ride a circle - apparently not I thought my pony was walking and trotting circles well enough - apparently not

I've spent my last two lessons riding circles and figure-8s and it has been a complete education.

In the meantime, my pony is now much more balanced, has decreased her tendency to lean on her inside shoulder, and will take the contact evenly on both reins and during the transition out of the circle and onto the other rein. I am much more aware of all 4 of my limbs (especially my left leg which is annoyingly passive after my hip injury last year!), and more careful not to drop the contact on the outside rein when changing the rein.

Seriously, the next time someone says "but you just sit there and the horse does all the work" I'm going to shoot them!

At this rate I may just be ready for my first dressage comp in April!

 

[Birker2020]

That the more you and your horse are accomplished, the more difficult it is to ride a circle?

I thought I knew how to ride a circle - apparently not I thought my pony was walking and trotting circles well enough - apparently not

I've spent my last two lessons riding circles and figure-8s and it has been a complete education.

In the meantime, my pony is now much more balanced, has decreased her tendency to lean on her inside shoulder, and will take the contact evenly on both reins and during the transition out of the circle and onto the other rein. I am much more aware of all 4 of my limbs (especially my left leg which is annoyingly passive after my hip injury last year!), and more careful not to drop the contact on the outside rein when changing the rein.

Seriously, the next time someone says "but you just sit there and the horse does all the work" I'm going to shoot them!

At this rate I may just be ready for my first dressage comp in April!

A lot of horses struggle to ride straight (mine included), a circle is a whole new ball game
My right leg always wanders backwards as evident by the bald patch on my horses side which rears its ugly head between the months of November - March for some weird reason. Come April it will dissapear, only to reappear next yea as it has done for many years now.

 

[Bernster]

Tell me about it. Around this time last year, I couldn't get my new horse to turn right in the school. I turned right, he wandered off to the left and we ended up down the bottom of the school with my ins going 'wtf was that'. As for circles, pah, the holy grail.

Fast forward to this year, hmm, sadly we're not pirouetting our way around the school but we can do a wobbly 20m circle in w/t/c ! Like you say though, it needs some riding still, but it sounds like you've had some really good improvement there and some light bulb moments, so well done you! I also think that it's hardest when you're transitioning from not doing it right, to doing it right. There's a lot of got it/lost it and correction needed as you both learn what's expected and what's being asked.

I think your horse is also a youngster? Taken mine longer than I had realised to improve in balance and strength, and still v much a work in progress.

ETA - no way would I say either me or horse is accomplished by the way haha.

 

[Casey76]

I have a youngster - he has been schooled by a dressage rider from him being started, so he is actually much more balanced than my older mare (who is rising 9 - OMG where does the time go?) who I was referring to in my initial post.

My mare has lots of bad habits to unlearn, and she is still learning to canter properly.

Unfortunately I'm quite an intuitive rider naturally, but what comes intuitively is often wrong, and therefore my mare has had almost 3 years of mixed signals to try and overcome - it's no wonder she is confused!

The change in her though, is amazing, and she is - for the first time - starting to work in true self carriage (though at the moment, only for a few seconds at a time) but considering that only 6 months ago she was a nose-pokey, inside shoulder loading, spook monster, she is fab.

Now, if only my confidence that I have with her, I could transfer it to my youngster, I'd be flying :/