Shoulder-In and Haunches-In: Everything You Need to Know!!

Second Level Course: Competition Courses: Free Training Scale PDF: Free Canter Course: Free Course on Confidence: #lateralwork #dressagetraining #horses This week, I will be giving you a few tips to help you work on your shoulder-in and haunches-in! These movements begin to show up at Second Level and they are difficult movements to train. It can be difficult to know if your angle is right and if your horse is creating the right number of tracks. When I practice these movements, I like to set up a camera in a corner of the arena so I can watch my ride later and check to see the quality of the movements. This is really helpful! Here are a few tips for each movement. Shoulder-in is a three track movement. Here’s how to ride shoulder-in: ·         Set your horse up in the corner by getting bend in the body ·         Use your outside rein to take one step off the rail Use your inside leg to keep the inside hind leg tracking down the rail ·         Put slightly more weight on your inside seat bone ·         Keep your angle steady (a human should fit between the rail and your horse’s shoulder) Haunches-in is a four track movement. To ride haunches-in: ·         Use your outside leg behind the girth to move the haunches inward ·         Keep your horse’s shoulder and forehead pointing towards the corner Be sure to keep more weight on the inside seat bone ·         Straighten your horse before you reach the corner ·         If you have a camera in the corner, you should see all four of your horse’s feet when you watch this movement A great exercise to practice these movements is to ride the first half of the long side in shoulder-in, then ride a 10m circle when you reach E or B, and come out of the circle in haunches-in. I hope these tips help you with your shoulder and haunches-in. If you are riding down the centerline this year, and would like more help getting ready, be sure to check out my competition courses! Happy Riding! Amelia