Training Exercises: Bending at the Walk

A supple body and a supple mind make a horse into the best ride possible. Controlling your horse’s body – each part of it – is everything.

A horse who goes around a circle with his head on the outside is off balance and could actually fall if asked to make quick or complicated direction changes. Practicing circles under saddle with the correct bend will help to fine-tune the body-neck arc, which gives your horse great balance, fluidity, and grace.

Caution Working in small circles puts a lot of stress on a horse’s back. Riding in tight circles takes a lot of musculature that builds gradually. We are not asking for tight circles.

Bending at the walk started clear back with the lateral flex when she learned how to give to the pressure on her face when asked to bring her face around. This lesson assumes that your horse knows how to flex laterally both on the ground and under saddle. She should flex so easily that you can do it with just your little finger. Her head and neck should be so supple that it is like a well-oiled hinge.

Once she is proficient at the flex, it is important to understand your own body, leg and rein positions to get proper horse-body control.

* Your starting position atop the horse is a well-balanced, upright posture.

* Your outside leg is barely forward where you can lay it against the front quarter of your horse’s body and your inside leg is held off the horse. She should not feel your inside leg at all.

* The INSIDE rein is the “active” rein. Your inside rein has contact (with a little bit of pressure) to tip your horse’s head to the inside of the circle. You should see her head tip enough that you can see the corner of her close eye. Watch for her ear to flick back to focus on you as you apply the rein pressure.

* Your outside (supporting) rein provides a counter to the directional (inside) rein keeping the horse’s head from coming too far around. If she is moving, you probably won’t need much outside rein counter-pressure, but it is there if you need it.

Step 1: Go into the round pen. Walk around the edge of the round pen in a nice, relaxed manner. Stop and do a couple of flexes to each side just to reinforce her “give” to the face pressure of the rein pull.

While moving easily around the edge of the pen, shorten your inside rein to bring her head around toward the inside of the circle. At the same time push your outside leg into her body a littler forward of your usual stirrup position. Watch first for her to flick her inside ear back to you as she focuses on your request. Next, her head should come your way. Then her body will follow. Watch for her body to arc as she turns the direction the rein is pulling. The moment she comes a little way around, following her head, drop the pressure of the rein and your leg. Allow her to walk forward out of the bend. This has taken you toward the center of the round pen. Go forward a little more and ask for the turn again. Same routine.

When you have done 4, 90 degree turns, you are back to the edge of the pen. Work on one direction at a time. When one side is perfected, change your direction and ask for turns to the inside going the other way.

Your inside rein is bringing her head around. Your outside leg is “pushing” her shoulder over into the turn. Your inside leg is completely off of her body, not touching her.

Be sure that you are not pulling straight back on the reins. If you are so new to riding that you are using the reins to balance yourself, this exercise will fail. She has to feel the difference between a rein being dragged back (whoa) and a rein pulling her head around to the inside.

Important!! Keep pressure on the inside rein until her shoulder comes around WITH her head. Don’t release the pressure if her head is turning but her shoulder is still leading her in the straight line. Be very quick to release the pressure if she makes the nice bending turn.

(Don’t ask for 360 degree turns as you introduce this exercise. During the introductory stage, just a nice couple of bending steps is plenty. This works on the principle of pressure/release. She doesn’t like the rein pressure requesting the turn. You will show her how to get out of that pressure by releasing the rein the moment she makes the bending turn.)

First Reactions: Before she understands your request to come around, she may FIGHT the pressure. Remember that horse’s push INTO pressure. That makes her first response one of dragging her head back away from you: Taking control by trying to escape the pull with head tossing and dragging. It can get a little rough the first time or two. Don’t stop the pressure during the fight if you can help it. She needs to know that fighting is not the answer. Eventually, she will bring her head around the proper way by accident or in desperation to find the release. Take that opportunity to drop the pressure INSTANTLY. By this time, she may be stopped. Ask her to walk on again and try again.

If you have to go back to a baby step of releasing pressure when she first turns her head, do that.
Break it down to:
1. Flicks her ear: release
2. Then- flicks her ear and brings her head inside: Release
3. Then- flicks her ear, bends her head, and brings her shoulder with it for two or three steps. Release.

If you get involved in a tug of war, your horse may come to a halt. Then your inside rein will cause her to start flexing laterally – an exercise with which she is familiar. A horse who is standing still and has the rein pulled to the inside flexes. A horse who is moving with the rein pulling to the inside will turn. You have to keep her moving. She cannot turn if she is standing still.

Bending at the trot and lope come easily if the walk is conquered.

If you don’t have a round pen, practice in the corner of an arena or pasture. It is easier to get a nicely arced bend when two sides of the circle are blocked off.

2 thoughts on “Training Exercises: Bending at the Walk

  1. I have just acquired a Tennessee Walker. I have ridden all of my life but never a walker. I am working bending with her on lunge line and on her back walking. I have people telling me walkers are not able to bend or do tight circles. Is this true? Anyone? Any comments?

    1. HI Shannon: I’m sorry I didn’t see your question earlier. Unfortunately, I am not an expert n Walkers. I have heard the same comments about them, but I have no idea if it is true. So much “fake” insight floats around. You might try looking up and calling a Walker breeding farm and seeing if they would be willing to take a moment and educate you about this issue. Then if you will share with us, we’d be very grateful.

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