One of my instructors has given me homework to work on getting my 4 year old to bend a little more, among other things. One of the exercises he wants me to work on is riding down the centerline and changing the bend a few times before turning one way or the other at the end. It was at the end of the lesson so we didn’t get to work through the details of it a whole lot and he had to rush to get to another barn on time, but I’m still a bit confused by the logistics of it. How do you ask for bend on a straight line? As in, is there a proper way to do it, since I have a feeling it’s not just yanking the horse’s face to bend one way or the other 
Maybe start with “flipping the crest.” You change the bend just enough to see the crest flip from side to side. I think Jane Savoie had a good description and exercise - turning a key in a lock. I’ve used it some.
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Well how do you normally ask your horse for bend? Do you yank their face to start a circle?
It’s not any different from bending on a circle except that you let the horse know you want to continue on a straight track rather than beginning a circle using your seat and leg. Your horse should be bending through the body, not neck bend. Neck bend is what you get when you pull the horse’s face around and the shoulder will likely bulge to the outside.
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Any chance he’s talking about a shoulder-fore each way with straightening in the change of bend? Yes, the horse’s forehand will “stray” from the centerline in each shoulder-fore but the center of mass would stay on the line.
Have you worked on this along the rail? Assuming you’re good at that, perhaps your trainer is “upping the ante” by taking away the support of the wall and challenging you to provide that support with your outside aids.
Hopefully you can ask your trainer what he meant.
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I vote for shoulder-fore… my instructor mentioned that horses are narrower in their shoulders then their hips… so to be truly straight you need to keep the horses shoulder slightly off the rail. Add a slight bend or even just flexion to the inside to be sure the horse isn’t just leaning on the rail. But down the centerline, going towards the mirror I can see the legs and tell if my horse swings her hips away from the bend. Of course my horse is a bit one sided. If you have a mirrored end of the arena it is easier to understand as you can SEE it.
Be sure to post the explanation next week.
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I would interpret that to mean bending through the ribcage. So with both the horse and I looking straight ahead and sitting square, I’d squeeze the left rein then apply my left lower leg a few strides, then switch.
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As mentioned above; bend should be through the body, not just the neck.
I suggest calling/texting/emailing your instructor for clarification because there are degrees of bend ranging from shoulder fore, to shoulder in, travers/renvers etc and they are best to explain what is best for you and your horse.
Good Luck.
If you have no idea how to bend a horse and move in another direction, start with spiral circles. Using just your seat and legs & turning from the shoulders, spiral in from a 20m to a 10 m circle then , no reins spiral out, keeping the bend. Don not allow him to straighten. The degree of angle of your shoulder and the amount of curve you demand from your legs will get shallower the further out from the 10 m you get.
Use that same gentle leg and shoulder controlled bend on the center line while moving your hips up the centerline. After 2-3 strides straighten and rebend from shoulders, hips and leg onto the other rein, and continue to move forward.
No face yanking involved. Since the horse’e neck is attached to his shoulders, it will stay in front of them even though slightly away from the center line. Head and face are attached to shoulders.
Shame on your instructor for dumping this on you at the end of the lesson.
Unfortunately, they sometimes forget that “for me is easy, for you, difficult”.
I know the article doesn’t sound like he will answer your question, but I think he will make things clearer… one of my favorites…https://dressagetoday.com/instruction/defining-the-rein-aids-32026
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For clarification, I don’t yank on my horse’s face, that part was a joke 
We did work on it at the end and he SAID I was doing it right, I should have asked more about it but was kind of brain tired by that point, I didn’t really think about it until I was untacking when I was thinking over what all we did so I could remember what to work on, by then he had left. I guess it’s just the visual of what it should look like in my head that is eluding me. Shoulder fore would make sense. I was picturing in my head a horse bent like a banana (though maybe not THAT much bend) going up the straight line, but not sure if there was a specific way the “bend” should be. I’m probably just overthinking it, as usual. Only way to learn is to ask questions though, right?
Thinking about it again, I THINK he meant essentially just changing the outside rein the horse is on with just a slight bend? So, new question: how does everyone change the outside rein your horse is on, while you are going on a straight line? What do you personally do, physically? I know kind of what I do but think it would be good to see how others do it, might be a better way.
That’s a good article! I’ll have to save that one.
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Your old outside rein becomes your new inside rein when you simultaneously change your inside leg to your outside leg and your old outside leg to your new inside leg which switches the weight on your seat bones from one side to the other. JUst turning your shoulder also simultaneously will change the rein from inside to the new inside, if you are holding the reins correctly.
It is not different than changing the rein on a serpentine, except that you are doing it on a straight line, and repeating it,
Try it at the walk first. It really isn’t that complicated.
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How much bend you/your trainer want through the body depends on what you’re trying to accomplish with the exercise.
I assume your trainer is asking you to do shoulder fore, alternating between sides. It can help clarify where the rider’s weight should be and that you can ask for bend through the horse without leaning one way or the other. In a young horse it’s going to begin suppling them and reinforce inside leg to outside rein. You’re wanting to ensure that the horse stays through, relaxed, and on the bit as you switch from one bend/rein to the other.
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Check this out; https://www.amazon.com/complete-guide-dressage-Jennie-Loriston-Clarke/dp/0894715623
Lots of useful pictures.
