I'm starting a new series that will feature various exercises I have found on the internet.
Try them as you see fit. :)
Candy Cane Exercise
Shoulder-In Moving Out also know as the Candy Cane exercise. If you are tracking right, you would ride a 15 meter (approximately) half circle right at H and then just before you complete the half circle, when the shoulders are pointed towards B, you ride a shoulder in on that diagonal line. It might SEEM like a leg yield but the main difference is that the horse is bent, not straight, the shoulders are leading, and the legs are crossing on 3 tracks.
This is a good exercise to help teach shoulder-in, especially for a young horse who may have a tendency to hit the rail/boards when you try to teach SI along the rail.
By riding the Candy Cane, you cash in on the horse’s desire to get to the rail, since he already wants to move in that direction, you get to simply shape how he moves there. So with a very green or stiff horse, you might even start with an 18 meter circle, so you do just a few simple steps of the Shoulder in moving out.
As the horse understands the exercise, and develops his muscles, you can do a 12 meter half circle, and eventually even a 10 meter half circle.
It is important to ride this pattern correctly. You do not ride the complete half circle, because then you would break the line of travel. You come out of it early, so the horse can move on one steady bend. It is also important that the riders sit towards the line of travel.
Too often a rider over works the inside leg and gets their body folded with their shoulders leaning away from where they want the horse to go. It is also important that the inside leg be applied AT the girth. If the leg is placed further back, you move the hind quarters.
It is important to ride this pattern correctly. You do not ride the complete half circle, because then you would break the line of travel. You come out of it early, so the horse can move on one steady bend. It is also important that the riders sit towards the line of travel.
Too often a rider over works the inside leg and gets their body folded with their shoulders leaning away from where they want the horse to go. It is also important that the inside leg be applied AT the girth. If the leg is placed further back, you move the hind quarters.
Some horses already naturally run quicker in the back, so letting the leg slip back only worsens that. The hands lead the motion. For a shoulder in traveling to the left, as in the example above- the hands shift so that the right hand is near the withers, the right leg is close to the girth, and the riders body weight is to the left. As you finish the movement the rider should soften their hands and look for the horse to offer to stretch down and out – opening the topline as you come onto a straight line making sure your hands are even and looking straight ahead.
It is extremely important that as the horse reaches the track the rider STRAIGHTEN THEMSELVES and the horse and rides the horse straight forward equally in two reins, encouraging the horse to lengthen and stretch its topline.
The most common mistake with this exercise is the rider forgetting to straighten themselves and the horse, and riding the shoulder in with too much contact so that the horse gets crooked instead of bent.
The most common mistake with this exercise is the rider forgetting to straighten themselves and the horse, and riding the shoulder in with too much contact so that the horse gets crooked instead of bent.
Source: A Manolo Mendez Clinic Report
Hey, thanks! I've seen this exercise mentioned before but this is the first time someone's presented it to me in a way that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen this exercise before but it looks very useful. Going to work on it over the weekend. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCool! I like this exercise. I think it could be very helpful when my horse gets too flustered when working on the leg yield. He's so comfortable with the shoulder-in, I think maybe asking for the same geometric movement in a shoulder-in rather than leg yield might help him relax while still crossing over his hind leg.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to give it a try.