I’ve recently been riding a giraffe who is afraid for his mouth. This is the only way I can get his head down and his back up. Once he really crosses that inside hind under himself his rib cage flexes, and his back comes up and his shoulders come up a bit in relation to his neck, and his neck stretches down and he’s soft and lovely.
He clearly has some trust issues, but he’s been a great ride because what is correct works and he’s not having any shortcuts and when it all comes together he’s lovely. I’ve always just called it shoulder in on a circle. Next step is spiraling in and out to start introducing moving into the bend.
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Melissa Creswick uses this movement in her clinics. Basically, you keep pushing the horse’s haunches to the outside until you’re facing the “opposite” direction. Rinse and repeat. I find it useful to get the horse to take the outside side and of course also engage the inside hind leg. Different from SI or HO on the circle.
