All horses will at times fall in on their inside shoulder, and they will drift out through their outside shoulder. If you have ridden, you have experienced this. You've been on a circle that seemed to spiral in on itself. That's your horse falling in on his inside shoulder. Or you wanted to turn across the center of the arena, but your horse kept walking down the long side toward his buddies. You could turn his nose, but he still kept drifting through his outside shoulder.

 

Loss of balance and its related loss of connection to the rider can be that obvious, and it can also be very subtle. This DVD helps you identify those moments where your horse is falling out of balance and you are losing your connection with him.

 

It begins with a short review of the "Why would you leave me?" lesson. That lesson, described in detail in the "Why would you leave me?" DVD, uses cones set out on a circle to teach your horse to stay with you and walk on a loose lead. The handler learns to recognize when her horse is connected to her, and when he is leaning in on her, or drifting away from her. As the horse connects more and more to his handler and keeps himself on the circle, the beginnings of lateral flexions evolve. 

 

This DVD shows you how to turn this lesson into a counted pattern that gives you the ability to separate from the circle without losing the good balance you have created. Like a gymnast on a balance beam, your horse learns how to keep himself aligned even as the patterns you are asking for become more complex.

 

This DVD eavesdrops in on a lesson where the handler is learning how to move from the "Why would you leave me?" circle exercise to the counted pattern of "Three-Flip-Three". Her questions -the places where she tripped over her own feet, or couldn't figure out how the pieces of the puzzle fit together - are very much the questions you will encounter when you first explore this lesson. You'll see not the finished, polished product, but how that product is produced, layer by shaping layer. 

 

The DVD also includes some great "t'ai chi walk" analysis of three-flip-three as the handler sorts out the pattern in her own body so she can understand better what she wants her horse to do.

 

The final section of the DVD looks as practical applications for lateral flexions. Lateral flexions help create not just physical balance, but also emotional balance. You'll see how to use them to:

 

 * get your horse past things that are frightening him.

 

 * to help a timid horse deal with riding in company.

 

 * to maneuver past obstacles out on a trail.

 

 * to teach your horse how to go down a hill without rushing.

 

Lateral flexions are the key to good balance. They help develop great gaits, they maintain soundness, and they build emotional stability. This DVD begins an exploration of lateral flexions, what they are, how to teach them to your horse, how to adjust them when your horse falls out of balance or overflexes, and how to use them for safety and performance.

 

This DVD is the fourth in a series I am producing to accompany "The Click That Teaches: Riding with the Clicker". It is intended to be used in conjunction with those other DVDs and the book.

 

 

This DVD was first produced in March 2007