Lateral Exercises for Dummies (A Simple Explanation) The horse is ...

Lateral Exercises for Dummies (A Simple Explanation) The horse is not born a great athlete and is especially not born carrying a saddle and rider. We as the human need to create an easy to understand (easy for us AND the horse) series of exercises to flex, balance and strengthen the horses four legs as they relate to either the hindquarters or the forequarters. Because the horse has four legs, there are FOUR basic exercises (that’s easy, so far). In doing these exercises, the horse works one of two areas of his body, the front or the back end. When he moves one of the four legs on the front or back end, he can move a leg while bent at an arc that allows that leg to move easily or with an arc that makes it more difficult (bowed in or bowed out, let’s say). The four exercises require the horse to balance on the inside foreleg, outside foreleg, inside hind and outside hind.

SHOULDER FORE (preliminary to shoulder-in) Let’s start with the easiest exercise, done in two steps. It is called a shoulder fore which then turns into a shoulder in (done later on a straight line-more difficult). In this exercise the horse will balance himself on his inside foreleg. This is easiest for the horse, because they are used to grazing by placing their weight and balancing on their front end. The first step, called shoulder fore, allows the horse to flex his head and neck more to the inside (using your inside rein) and asking the horse (with an inside leg at the girth and an outside leg supporting) to move his inside hind leg under himself, crossing in front of the outside hind leg. This can be done on a circle to begin with, then with less roundness. It is very important to maintain FORWARD MOTION to gain the most from these exercises.

This simple diagram shows the position and direction of movement going straight and then on a circle

This creates a stretch and flex of the hindquarters that “engages” or activates the muscles needed to use the power in his hindquarters. It is the hindquarters that will be asked to use more and more energy to carry the weight of the rider and the horse as he lifts his back and lightens his front end. This will ultimately allow him to move more freely, more comfortably and with ease, in balance from front to back-all with this one simple exercise. But wait! There’s more…. Renvers - Haunches Out (weight on OUTSIDE shoulder) This lateral exercises demands that the horse balance his weight on the outside front leg and cross his hindquarters from outside to inside (which is more difficult to move-against the bowed out rib cage) with his head and neck bent to the inside (using your inside rein). The horse is crossing the outside hind leg in front of the inside hind leg. Rider uses contact with outside leg to cue the horse. When done on the wall, the horse is looking into the wall with the inside leg of rider at the wall and inside rein bending the head into the wall. The outside leg cues the horse to move the outside hind leg to cross in front of the inside hind leg.

Counter Shoulder In (Balance is on Outside Hindleg) This exercise demands that the horse balance his weight on the outside hind leg with head and neck looking in the opposite direction. The rider then asks the horse to move his inside foreleg (cue with the inside leg at the girth, outside leg supporting) across the outside foreleg. Because the horse is crossing the front legs with the greatest bend (bowed out), this cannot be done on a very small circle, as the horse would be knocking his knees.

Travers-Haunches In (Balance is on the Inside Hindleg) This exercise demands that the horse balance his weight on the inside hind leg with head and neck looking in the same direction. Rider uses inside rein to flex the head and neck to the inside. The rider then asks the horse to move his outside foreleg across the inside foreleg, using the outside leg to cue the horse.