I have daughters that ride with two different trainers (one at home, one for A-circuit/EQ).
One of these trainers prefers the horse to bend to the inside of the turn, while the other prefers the horse straight with more squared turns.
This is confusing though they can keep it straight. Who is right here? Why the difference?
Both are correct for certain excercises and gymnastics and stages in the training of horse and rider. I do both in one session when I school a horse.
Thank you Scribbler. I have never seen either trainer deviate from their preferred method (straight/bent) regardless of rider or horse, regardless of exercise or course. Is there a practical reason for bending vs straight turns? Do judges prefer one vs the other in the EQ/hunter rings?
Sorry for my ignorance. I’ve sat through thousands of hours of lessons with my daughters and this has always baffled me.
Why don’t you ask the coaches? It’s hard to speculate on a lesson program I have never seen.
It depends. In the hunters, you want the smooth turn of an inside bend. The inside bend is somewhat of a step up from the square corner. In the equitation, you will have need of the square corner to make the harder turns. Training the square corner keeps both horse and rider sharp on using the whole ring, setting up to get a good led change, not cutting turns, and using the corner to control pace and balance.
I agree. I also think that square turns help with seeing distances since you are completely straight on approach.
there is no such thing as a square turn unless a horse is pivoting on an inside hind foot as part of a pirouette. On ridiing corners, the depth of the turn , the degree of bend, is dependent on the degree of the horse’s education, and the sophistication of the rider.
if in riding a “square” corner, the rider is relying on strong use of the inside rein, the technique is faulty.
This is a case where a video would be useful.
When I do “canter squares” as an exercise, the horse is approximating a quarter pirouette on each corner. But the horse still needs to be bent to the inside.
A turn is a quarter of a circle. The size of the circle changes with a higher level of riding.
On a 20 meter circle you should just be able to see the corner of the horse’s eye.
So if you have a brown pony being, ridden by a rider wearing brown clothes on a snow landscape. Looking down from a helicopter you should not be able to see the horse and rider.
Thanks! I’m always learning here!
In general, you want the horse’s body to follow the track. So, for example, on a circle, you’d want the horse’s body (as if you were looking from above) to follow the shape of the circle.
There are lots of cases for NOT doing this in certain exercises, but the above statement is a general rule.
I’ve not been to any trainer who has asked that of me; the ONLY reason I can really think of is that the girls are at a very high level of of schooling and the trainer may be thinking ahead for when the start Grand Pre Jumping because the courses are WILD, there’s no time to get nice and easily set up, you have to make insane vertical, square, you name it, turns just to get to these jumps & make a clear round on a timer. That’s all I can think of… Maybe just ask… I definitely would, especially if they aren’t going to to go that route.
I agree with Janet. Even in a square turn, there should be a degree of inside bend. Square turn is perhaps more advanced, as it should be ridden from the outside rein (with inside flexion). Soft, rounded curves are easier because it can be accomplished with less precision.
Their “A-Circuit/EQ” trainer works the square turn: outside rein with a slight guide from the inside. She is preparing my oldest for the move up to the 1.2’s and continued improvement in the big EQ. Her other trainer has an emphasis on the children/junior hunters and likes the bent turns. Everything you guys have posted makes sense and has helped me understand their logic. Thanks!
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