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22 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2011 FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE

the outside rein to keep your horse from leaving the track, and use your inside leg to direct the horse along a path parallel to the track and step under his body with his inside leg. Feel as though you are pushing your horse from your inside seat and leg into the outside rein (but be very careful not to lean to the inside.) Begin asking for only a few steps at a time, and always straighten your horse before the next corner.

Note: it is imperative that as you come out of the corner the haunches remain in exactly the same position as if the horse were to continue traveling straight along the track . The shoulder-in position is achieved by moving the horse’s shoulders to the inside and NOT by moving the haunches to the outside!! It is this component which develops the correct suppleness and bend along the horse’s spine, allows for movement on three tracks, and defnes the shoulder-in.

Additional Helpful Hints

It is important to understand how the shoulder-in differs from leg yielding along the track. Leg yielding will have the horse on four tracks. Leg yielding has less spinal bend and vertebral rotation, and less engagement behind. As a result, leg yielding does not offer the same advanced schooling benefts as the shoulder-in. For this reason, riders commonly train leg yielding as an introduction to lateral work before attempting shoulder-in.

Remember that the shoulder-in movement is on three tracks, which means the inside hind tracks up on the same line as the outside front leg.

Benefts of Schooling Shoulder-in

There are many, but here is the ‘short list’: -develops increased engagement behind -improves inside leg to outside rein connection -teaches horse to carry more weight on the hind legs -strengthens inside hind leg -improves straightness -increases suppleness

-balances the horse and refnes self-carriage -lightens horses’ outside shoulder

-improves horse’s understanding to bend around your inside leg -great gymnastic exercise for longitudinal muscle fexibility and hock fexion

-presents basic preparation for advanced lateral work

-rider learns greater understanding of aids, weight shift and connection for lateral work

-helps the rider develop improved muscular independence and relaxation

Final thoughts

The shoulder-in should be introduced at the walk, can be schooled at all gaits, but is commonly trained at the sitting trot. You can however, school it while posting. I fnd that both the horse and rider can beneft from schooling the shoulder-in while posting on the opposite diagonal.

Some trainers believe it is preferable to introduce the horse to shoulder-fore before beginning shoulder-in.

The horse should bring his forehand off the track as a result of you turning your upper body, and not as a result of pulling the head to the inside with the inside rein.

Horses and riders of all disciplines beneft from schooling shoulder-in.

……..and so will you!

Until next time, Dr. Bev Gordon