FLATWORK FEBRUARY #11: SPIRAL IN AND OUT

We have featured both The Spiral and The Stairs so now, we are going to combine the two…

So, how do you execute the spiral with a leg yield out? You will spiral in like usual until you are on your new, smaller circle. Now that you are on your smaller circle, you will prepare your horse for a leg yield and increase the flexion; remember, your visual marker for flexion is just seeing your horse’s eyelash and nostril. You then put your inside leg slightly behind the girth and place your weight on the inside seat bone. You move your horse slowly out until you are back on your original circle.

Riding the leg yield almost exactly as you would on the straight line towards the wall is important. The circle can tempt you to shoot sideways and return to your original circle quickly. Instead, you must control your horse’s shoulder with your outside rein and leg yield in a balanced manner, ensuring your horse completes it correctly. You do not have to go back to your original circle in one go-around of your circle.

This exercise is excellent for improving your horse’s bend through their body, engaging their hindquarters and creating a connection to the outside rein.

We hope you are enjoying these exercises. Let us know which one has benefitted your horse the most so far!