Best way to teach shoulder in?

[MoonPie730]

What is the best way to start teaching shoulder ins to a horse?

[Balance]

To the horse, or a student?

[MoonPie730]

To the horse, or a student?

sorry! Best way to teach shoulder ins to a horse. A horse who is more on the hotter side.

[Balance]

A horse who is more on the hotter side.

I think I may have some incite into that. My hot horse would tense up after a few steps of shoulder in, so the best approach is to spiral your way down the long side of the arena in a series of ten meter circles. When your circle finishes back at the rail do not straighten to continue down the long side, maintain the bend for the ten meter, and look down the long side and ride straight ahead in SI without changing the bend or your position, this is where your inside leg to outside rein connection is very important, you want to think of riding from his inside hind through his outside shoulder in order to head straight ahead down the rail. Does that make sense? when he starts to tense bring your eyes and head back to the ten meter and circle again, stay on the circle as long as you need to get him to relax again, then try again etc, etc.

If you have trouble finding the correct angle, another approach for introducing the SI is to ride across the diagonal, then without changing anything, turn your head and look at C/A and ride straight toward it, again, from the inside hind through the outside shoulder in order to head straight ahead toward C/A with you horse still lined up on the diagonal, this will require more support from your inside leg, when you start to lose the angle straighten back out on the diagonal, and ride the diagonal line until straight and relaxed and try again. In this exercise you sort of stair step you way across the arena.

I find it hard to put riding into writing, I hope this sounds clear and is helpful. Sometimes E-communication is so difficult! For what it's worth, I think the circle exercise is the easiest way to go, just make sure his shoulders actually move over, and you don't just have his neck bent. If you ride in an arena with mirrors, look for his outside fore, to be on the same track as his inside hind, you should only see three legs when you have the correct SI angle when riding straight toward a mirror. Keep his neck coming straight out of his shoulders with a flexion to the inside so you can see the corner of his eye.

[goeslikestink]

ithere a few topics on movements from schoulders in , revners etc
so rather than type it out all over agian found this gives you instructions of how to perform each movement with diagrams
ok

http://www.eques.com.au/training/june/forward.htm

[merrygoround]

Before "Balance" incites a riot,lets give you a little insite into the shoulder-in. :)

In the shoulder in the horse is bent around the riders inside leg. By doing a 10m circle in the center of the arena, and the expanding that circle but not changing the bend, both you and the horse, get the feel of S/I. In order to do this, you may not relie on the inside
rein. Once your horse is comfortable with that movement, you can start with a 10 m circle on the wall. Do a complete 10m, then as your horse starts back on the 10, quiet your ouside driving forward aide and increase your inside sideways aide, being sure to keep your shoulders away from the wall, and square with his shoulders, while your eyes look down the long side. If he steps forward, use alittle more outside rein. Your outside leg remains alittle bit in back, as it would on the circle. This position is sufficient to weight your inside seat bone. :)

Do this to the next letter, and then back to the 10m circle and repeat.

It is usually easiest if you start this at the walk.

[lstevenson]

First make sure your turn on the forehand and leg yeild are very good.

Then teach the SI in walk by doing a volte on the wall or rail. Make sure that the horse is really moving correctly around the volte, from your inside leg into your outside rein and supporting outside leg. You will know this is so when the inside rein can be soft, and the horse maintains the bend and the volte. Then when reaching the wall, go one or two steps further on the volte to position the horse for SI down the rail, and look briefly down the rail (to help your horse figure out that you now want him to go there) and increase your inside leg to outside rein connection to send the horse down the rail.

When he starts to lose the angle, bend, or engergy, volte again to restore, and try again for a few steps.

[Balance]

[QUOTE=merrygoround;3392098]Before "Balance" incites a riot,lets give you a little insite into the shoulder-in. :)

In just what way would I be starting a riot any more than YOU would since you just essentially said the same thing I did? Only YOU made it more complicated than it needs to be. Be careful in how you choose to talk to or about people on the net. You never know who your talking to or how much experience they have in dressage.

Good God, I get SO sick of the snarks on the net, AND in the arena! If you truly know what your doing then simply respond to the OP, there is no need to tear others down. Different wording and explanations of the same thing can be helpful to different people. Let the OP pick and choose what suits her best.

[slc2]

"Good God, I get SO sick of the snarks on the net, AND in the arena! If you truly know what your doing then simply respond to the OP, there is no need to tear others down. Different wording and explanations of the same thing can be helpful to different people. Let the OP pick and choose what suits her best"

Yeah, but....Um...hon? She was referring to you spelling INSIGHT wrong, except she ALSO spelled it wrong.

I'm not sure what's funnier, your indignation and attacking of her, or her correcting you by spelling the word wrong herself!!!!

ANYWAYS, thanks for the REPEATITION, it's DEFINATELY funny. (Certain words that are spelled over and over and over on COH, such as 'GATES' of a horse, etc).

You can INCITE a riot, but you can't lend INCITE, because it's a verb - to incite.

Middle English encyten, from Old French enciter, from Latin incitre, to urge forward : in-, intensive pref. ; see in- 2 + citre, to stimulate, frequentative of cire, to put in motion; see kei- 2 in Indo-European roots

the commonest example of the word in use is in a sentence re 'incite a riot'

But you also can't INSITE, LOL! INSITE is a legal safe site for illegal drug injection in Vancouver. It is not in the dictionary.

The word you all seek is 'INSIGHT', as in 'lend insight to the situation'.

Now. If you want do learn to do a shoulder in, get an instructor, and prepare to do a lot of circles.

[Balance]

:lol: :lol: :lol: That is what I get for posting with PMS! :lol::lol::lol:

Oh Lord, boy is my face red!! :lol::lol::lol:

Oh well, it is good to laugh at one's self is it not? I think I need to get off the computer and take a nap. Seriously. :yes:

Edited to add, sorry for my own snark!

[slc2]

S'alright, it won't be the last internet misunderstanding. I loved it, and you're a good sport about it too. Plus you got your shoulder in down cold. It's all good.:D

[Hazelnut]

Before "Balance" incites a riot,lets give you a little insite into the shoulder-in. :)

.


No, No riots!!!! Insight!:cool:

[Valentina_32926]

First make sure your turn on the forehand and leg yeild are very good.

Then teach the SI in walk by doing a volte (small circle)on the wall or rail. Make sure that the horse is really moving correctly around the volte, from your inside leg into your outside rein and supporting outside leg. You will know this is so when the inside rein can be soft, and the horse maintains the bend and the volte. Then when reaching the wall, go one or two steps further on the volte to position the horse for SI down the rail, and look briefly down the rail (to help your horse figure out that you now want him to go there) and increase your inside leg to outside rein connection to send the horse down the rail.

When he starts to lose the angle, bend, or engergy, volte again to restore, and try again for a few steps.

Yup - start teaching SI from walk then move into trot!

[MoonPie730]

Thanks everybody!! Okay I will start working circles. I am confused. My mare is OKAY at leg yielding, she is great at turn on the haunches. What's supposed to come first? What builds on the other?

[slc2]

Leg yield, then shoulder in, then haunches in, then renvers, then half pass.

[ms raven]

Have been working on introducing SI to my mare over the past week. My mare and I both have the same off side and so we're great on the right rein and struggle on the left.

Starting with a 10 metre circle helps a little but maybe will not if you are using too much inside hand to turn the horse. I struggle with my left so I found that I could not get any feel for the SI on the left rein until we did a number of diagonals across the arena. This put me in the correct position coming out of the corner and her at the correct angle.

When you are ready you will need to maintain your position and her angle but then encourage her along the rail with your inside leg. Try to push the belly of the horse toward the direction you want to go. Outside leg behind the girth to prevent the haunches from swinging out and outside knee and thigh with supporting rein to encourage the horse to move the shoulders in off the track.

My mare is also very good with turn on the haunches and doing them beforehand seemed to help.

This worked for me. I think once we figure out what we're doing with our bodies, the horse will naturally follow.

Best of luck!

[SillyHorse]

Before "Balance" incites a riot,lets give you a little insite into the shoulder-in. :)

Insight would probably be best. :lol:

[~Freedom~]

Insight would probably be best. :lol:

You bet we don't want to flagellate anyone else.

[ideayoda]

I would never start a hotter horse in shoulder in (the bend of a 10m circle, nor of a volte (6/8). I would start with shoulder fore (the bend of a 20 m circle) and only 2 1/2 tracks instead of three or four). And I would ride a few strides on the long side, then ride a circle, repeat. It is firs that you get a few strides, then relax. If the rider sustains anything to long (particuarly if the rider is tensing) then the horse seeks to exit and looses the positive effects of the exercise. Certainly yes, have clear reactions to toF and LY first, and make SURE that the inside leg (nearer the girth) pulses the aid, and that the outside leg is stretched down/back (and not gripping).

[horsegalriding]

The thing that helped me most with s/i is when I figured out that you need to use the outside rein against the horse's neck firmly, while using the inside leg to push the horse to the outside rein. Using the outside rein will really push the horse's shoulders in where they need to be. The outside leg needs to be at the girth, else you encourage the horse's hindquarters to curl in.