German dressage legend Christoph Hess suggests this flatwork exercise to help your horse work towards collection, without losing impulsion.

First you ride a small, balanced circle, in trot, in a corner. Then you move straight into shoulder-in down the long side, which is useful for testing your horse’s balance, energy and suppleness.

Christoph says: “Collection without impulsion is worthless, and I’ve yet to see a horse at any level who has no issues with straightness.”

Aims

• Collection with impulsion
• Suppleness
• Straightness

The setup

No setup required. You can ride this in an arena or a field, but you’ll need markers to help you stay disciplined on straightness and circle sizes.

How to ride this exercise

• Approach the short side of the arena in an active trot. Before the second corner, half-halt and, instead of a normal corner, ride a very small circle (6–8m) keeping your horse in balance.
• You’ll need to bend your horse around your inside leg, controlling the shoulders with the outside rein. You want to keep the trot’s activity but ask for more engagement. This helps collect your horse.
• As you finish the little circle and return to the long side, straighten your horse’s body while keeping that energy you have created.
• Immediately ride in shoulder-in down the long side. This asks your horse to maintain the balance and engagement from the small circle while moving forward and sideways.
• This lateral work can help with straightness as the horse needs to align his shoulder and quarters rather than drifting or falling out.
• Straighten up and do the same exercise at the opposite end of the arena.
• Repeat several times on each rein.

Troubleshooting tips

1. Losing impulsion

Make the exercise a little easier. Don’t force it – a slightly larger (8-10m) but correct circle followed by a few strides of good shoulder-in is more productive than a messy circle and the lack of balance that follows.

2. Falling on to inside shoulder

Use your inside leg to support the bend, and the outside rein to control the shoulders, do not try to lift with the inside hand. Make the circle bigger so that your horse can stay in balance.

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Even when you don’t have time for a full ride, you can keep developing your horse’s way of doing with this simple groundwork exercise.

All you need is two poles and 10 minutes – and you will reap the long-term benefits as your horse develops his foot-eye coordination and activates his core.

Aims

• Fine tune horse’s motor control
• Activate postural muscles
• Improve rideability from the ground

The setup

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle.

Place two poles at a right angle to each other, with one end touching.

You can raise the outside end of either or both poles on to a block to create a slightly more demanding groundwork pole exercise.

How to do these exercises

Exercise 1

• Position your horse with his head in the corner, adjacent to and parallel to one of the poles
• Ask him to move his hindquarters round, stepping underneath his belly. He should keep his head in the corner and step round with the hindlegs to stand parallel to the other pole. It should take three to four steps.
• Keep the front feet in the corner; he should not pull backwards or step over the poles.

Exercise 2

• Position your horse in a square halt, with this front feet just behind one of the poles (you can stand just in front of the pole and slightly to the side).
• Ask your horse to take a step forward over the pole with both forelegs, then step back over the pole.
• Do this five or six times.
• You can also ask the horse to step just one front leg over, pause for a few seconds to stretch the shoulder, then step back, alternating front legs

Exercise 3

• Ask your horse to do a small circle, over both poles. Stand outside the setup and, as if you were lungeing, ask him to do a 5m circle around you, incorporating the poles.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Knocking poles down

The whole point of these groundwork pole exercises is to help the horse lift his core, and fine-tune his proprioception so he knows where he is putting his feet. His foot-eye coordination will develop through practice.

Make sure you are not restricting your horse’s head and neck with your lead rope, as he needs the release in front to drop his head and look at the poles.

These are simple exercises at a slow pace, so keep practising – little and often, rather than drilling him in one session.

If possible, use heavy wooden poles rather than lightweight ones which the horse will be less aware of hitting. Raise both ends of the pole on to blocks to encourage him to lift.

2. Ride it

This exercise can also be ridden in walk. As you have practised it from the ground, your horse should understand what you are asking from the saddle with your seat, hands and legs, which consolidates your aids.

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The repetitive nature of riding means riders are predisposed to back pain but core strengthening exercises could help mitigate problems, a leading surgeon has said.

Consultant spinal neurosurgeon Anthony Ghosh spoke to H&H about the back-related issues he typically sees in riders, preventative measures equestrians can take and why looking at the body as a whole is important.

“Due to the nature of the sport, where we have what is known as repetitive axial loading – that means vertical impact forces that are repetitive where the spine is sort of upright and going up and down – we do see a much higher prevalence of disc disease,” said Mr Ghosh.

“But the important point for readers to take away is we also know from studies that if we scan people in general who have no back pain at all, we find worn discs in a lot of them. Just because there is a high prevalence of degenerative disc disease, that in itself doesn't mean you have to be a back pain sufferer.

“Your scan isn't the factor that's going to define you and what your life is going to be like. There's a saying in medicine: treat the patient, not the test results.”

He added: “Core gets a bit overplayed in the world of back pain and spine health; the reason you have back pain isn't because you have a weak core. But that said, strengthening the core can be a useful tool in reducing your back pain.”

He explained that these include the muscles that run up and down the spine, the paraspinal muscles, abdominal muscles that come around a person’s front and sides and also the glutes and hamstrings.

“If you build a brace of muscle around the lower back, 360 degrees, what you’re doing in effect is giving the spine a nice, natural brace,” said Mr Ghosh.

Mr Ghosh referred to the “McGill big three” as useful core-strengthening exercises that may help prevent back pain. These are the bird dog, curl up and side-plank.

“If you’re suffering from a bout of back pain, I would advise you to see a physiotherapist – there are variants of those exercises that any good physio will know and will be able to tailor them to your ability,” he said.

Mr Ghosh also recommended riders who have developing aches, weakness, pain or numbness in their limbs to get checked out by a medical professional.

Looking at riders overall, he said that although core exercises are important, people should not be “overly obsessed with the back alone”.

“As part of your day-to-day or weekly routine, there should be some resistance training throughout the whole body; just like any kind of workout, it's all part of a bigger system,” he said.

‘We’ve gone from getting six and a half and seven, to eight and nine’

Phillipa Hendry went to see an osteopath in February after injuring her back lifting soaked haynets.

Mrs Hendry, 61, who won the LeMieux BE100 grassroots championships at Badminton in May with Flyer Des Coupeaux, was told her muscles were going into spasm owing to the heavy lifting – but that she also had an old injury and her lower back was “locked solid”.

She worked out that her original injury must have been caused by a rotational fall in her 20s. It had not been causing her pain, but she had been consistently getting comments on her dressage sheets along the lines of, “lovely horse, lovely movement, just needed to be more supple over his back for higher marks”.

Mrs Hendry wondered if the two were connected.

She asked her osteopath for exercises, which she has committed to doing regularly, and said that the difference in the way “Fly” goes is “like chalk and cheese”, particularly in the free walk.

“We’ve gone from getting six and a half and seven, to eight and nine,” she said. “That’s not only on him, but the marks for my other horse have gone up massively as well.”

She added: “I'm just so gutted for my horses that I didn’t manage to identify this years ago. It’s only now I can feel the difference in the horses that I’m thinking that’s how it should have felt for all those years.”

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Back pain is a common problem among equestrians, but a spinal expert has shared three simple core exercises for horse riders that can help prevent these issues.

H&H spoke to consultant spinal neurosurgeon Anthony Ghosh about why the repetitive nature of riding puts equestrians at greater risk of disc disease.

“The repetitive axial loading – that means vertical impact forces that are repetitive where the spine is sort of upright and going up and down – does mean we see a much higher prevalence of disc disease [in equestrians],” he explains. “But this doesn't mean you have to be a back pain sufferer.”

Mr Ghosh recommends the “McGill big three” as useful core-strengthening exercises that may help prevent back pain.

The McGill big three core exercises for horse riders

The “McGill big three” refers to three exercises highlighted by Stuart McGill, a professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada for 30 years, who is a leading figure in causes and rehabilitation of back pain. These are the bird dog, curl up and side-plank.

The below can be varied and tailored to your situation by a good physiotherapist. If you are suffering from back pain, seek appropriate medical advice before undertaking any of the below exercises.

1. Bird dog

The bird dog is good for activating the lower lumbar back muscles.

• Start on all fours
• Lift one arm up ahead of you, almost like a superman post
• Stretch the opposite leg out behind you
• Repeat on each side

2. Curl up

The curl up activates the abdominal muscles – it is not the same as a crunch.

• Lie on your back – bend one knee and keep the other leg stretched out.
• Place your hands under your back to support the natural arch of your spine.
• Lift your head and shoulders a few inches off the ground as one and hold.

3. Side plank

A side plank activates the oblique muscles.

• Lie on your side with your knees bent at 90 degrees, and prop yourself up on your elbow, positioned under your shoulder.
• Lift your hips off the mat until you have a straight line from your knees to the top of your head and hold.
• You can up the intensity by keeping your legs straight, instead of bending your knees.

Take care: With any new form of exercise, your body needs to build up gradually to avoid strain. Seek the advice of a chartered physiotherapist if you are unsure if you should do any exercises due to underlying health conditions. Particular caution applies if you have any cartilage injuries in your knees or joint replacements; avoid the cardiovascular exercises if you have any unstable cardiac health problems, acute disc bulges/prolapses or referred leg pain, pins and needles, numbness, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, gynaecological conditions – or if you are pregnant or undergoing cancer treatment.

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Joe Stockdale shared this simple two-fence jumping exercise with H&H. He often uses it as a warm-up because it helps builds connection between horse and rider, checking all the buttons are working and your horse is listening to your aids.

The two fences – while built on a related line – are jumped on an angle as single obstacles, which gives multiple options for different lines, angles and patterns.

The angled approach focus here is more demanding than the usual straight lines. This requires your horse to be more engaged and connected, listening to your instructions rather than jumping on autopilot and going through the motions with a lacklustre canter.

Aims

• Jump fences on an angle
• Dictate which lead to land on
• Increase responsiveness to aids

The setup

You need three sets of jump wings and poles for an upright and oxer. You can do this in an arena or field.

Set up a one-stride double, with an upright and square oxer, across the diagonal to give you maximum space around the fences. Both fences can be jumped from either direction.

This jumping exercise is suitable for all levels, so build the fences at the height at which you are comfortable. Joe demonstrated this with his 1.60m jumper Cacharel, over fences at about 90cm-1m, and says he “rarely jumps more than 1.10m at home”.

How to ride this exercise

• Warm up in walk, trot and canter on both reins. Make sure your horse is listening to the aids, with plenty of transitions.
• You may want to jump a warm-up fence before starting the exercise, such as a cross-pole – whatever you usually do at the start of a jumping session.
• For the exercise, both the upright and oxer should be approached on an angle and jumped as single fences, not as part of a double. You can play around with the lines.
• Always approach the fence you want to jump as the second part of the double. This is so that you are not asking your horse to run past a fence it has already locked on to, which would be more likely if isolating the first fence, with the second fence in their vision. This means you always have to come in on an angle.
• Try circles, turn-back and figure-of-eights, dictating which lead you land on, as shown in the diagram.
• At the end, jump straight through the double a couple of times to reset.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Back to basics

For young or green horses, you can set the double on two strides to make it less demanding. This makes the angle of approach less sharp, and gives horses more time to see where they are going.

2. Work on the weak spots

Each horse will naturally have a favoured lead on which to land. You can play around with approaching and landing on different leads. Avoid leaning, but look in the direction you want to go and open the inside rein slightly, which should influence your horse’s landing lead.

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Riding round in circles can seem pointless, unless you create an aim and focus. The goal in this flatwork exercise is connecting simple 20m canter circles and 10m walk circles, with canter to walk, and walk to canter transitions.

The emphasis on precise upward and downward transitions provides huge benefits in terms of accuracy, which helps your horse to be more responsive, lift the forehand and move better overall.

While the focus is on accurate transitions, you’ll also be working on rhythm, balance and bend, which should remain consistent as you change pace and continue on whichever size circle.

It also helps with engagement, suppleness and collection, because of the use of the hindleg when riding a circle and the horse bending his core around your inside leg.

Aims

• Improve walk to canter transitions
• Develop engagement, suppleness and collection
• Help lift your horse’s shoulder

The setup

No setup required. You can do this exercise in a field or an arena.

How to ride this exercise

• Canter at 20m circle at either C or A.
• At X, make a transition from canter to walk and, staying on the same rein, walk a 10m circle.
• When completing the circle, at X make a walk to canter transition and ride a 20m circle again.
• Repeat the sequence five times.
• Change the rein and repeat.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Level up

If you’ve nailed your walk to canter transitions and vice versa so that they take place on X, without drifting, losing balance or outline, the next step is to do one set of circles on the left rein, then change leg over X and repeat a set of circles on the other rein in a figure of eight. Switch leads either through a couple of steps of trot or a flying change.

2. Late transitions

Preparation is key. For the downward transition, prepare three to five strides before X, quietly rebalancing the canter, sitting up tall, and thinking “soften and walk” rather than pulling down into it.

For the walk to canter transition, make sure your walk is forward on the 10m circle but not hurried. Ask for a clear aid up into canter, rather than rushing through a few strides of trot.

3. Anticipation

Your horse anticipating is partly useful because it enables you to use lighter aids for a more accurate transition. However, if your horse is acting before you’ve given the aids, change the exercise slightly. Continue over X without making a transition or switch the moment from X to A or C so that he waits for your aid rather than assuming what comes next.

4. Back to basics

If the walk-canter-walk transitions are too advanced for your level at the moment, swap the canter for trot. You’ll still be working on your transitions, bend and accuracy.

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This hourglass polework exercise only requires four poles, but provides multiple options to improve your horse’s straightness, suppleness, transitions and adjustability.

Sometimes in a training session, you want to work on a variety of things to benefit your horse, rather than focusing on a specific issue – and this polework exercise does just that.

Aims

• Improve balance and straightness
• Develop suppleness and rideability
• Hone accuracy

The setup

Place two poles on the quarter lines between H and M, at a 45º angle as shown in the diagram. Do the same between K and F.

It doesn’t matter if they are not precisely placed – they represent focal points rather than exact markers.

How to ride the hourglass exercise

• There are many different lines you can ride in this hourglass exercise and you can do all the patterns in walk, trot, or canter, which all have different demands.
• First try the loops, incorporating the poles as you leave and return to the track. You can vary the depth of the loop as you fine-tune your aids. A bigger, sharper loop – as far as X – requires more bend and balance, while a gentle curve is easier for a horse to maintain its rhythm.
  • You can go from loop to loop on the same rein, or turn directly up the centre line after finishing a loop to change the rein, and repeat on the other side. This works on both bending and straightness and helps stop your horse anticipating.
• Elongated figure of eight: rather than a classic figure of eight made up of 20m circles, the poles dictate that you ride into the corners before making a straight line across the diagonal to change the rein. This works on accuracy into the corners, balance on the turns, straightness across the diagonal and maintaining rhythm through the change of rein.
  • Within this figure of eight, you can practise transitions on the diagonal line, for example, halt at X, trot-to-walk and so on.
  • If doing the exercise in canter, you can do simple lead changes through trot over X, or more advanced partnerships can execute flying changes.
  • You can also practise shortening and lengthening between the two poles across the diagonal, counting a different number of strides.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Back to basics

If your horse is losing balance on the turns, falling out through the shoulder or swinging the quarters, take it back a step. Don’t get hung up on completing the pattern.

You can break up the patterns so you do segments, such as one loop then go large. Or go through the lines in walk first, so that he understands the challenge at a slower pace.

2. Level up

Raise the poles or add cavaletti to add to the challenge.

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This simple flatwork exercise is a favourite of H&H deputy art editor Sophie Cheeseman to do at the start of a session to encourage your horse to be supple, off the leg and to “get your own legs working too”.

This is a great suppling exercise to do at the start of a session to warm you and your horse up, and is great for practising riding accurate circles.

It entails consecutive 10m circles off the centre line, on alternate reins. This works on your horse’s suppleness, collection and connection with the rider.

Aims

• Suppleness
• Collection
• Connection

The setup

No setup required. You can do this exercise in an arena or a field, though it’s best to mark out an arena to help you stay disciplined on circle sizes.

The diagram below shows the exercise in a 20x60m school. If you are riding in a 20x40m, just do one circle fewer.

How to ride this exercise

• Establish an active walk working into a contact and go large on the left rein. Turn down the centre line and almost immediately ride a 10m circle to the right.
• On returning to the track, walk a few strides straight then ride a 10m circle to the left.
• Establish straightness again on the centre line, then circle on the right rein, and so on.
• Continue with these alternate circles until you reach the end of the arena. You should aim to fit five 10m circles in a 60m school – adjust according to the length you have available.
• You can repeat this exercise in trot.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Space out the circles

When you start doing this exercise, you may want to space out the circles so you’re not rushing your horse. Work on ensuring you have the correct bend on both reins.

Equally, it’s beneficial to practise a few strides of straightness in between the circles as well as the tight turns.

2. Build up slowly

Your horse needs to be established and balanced on single 10m circles before attempting this sequence, which requires significant suppleness and multiple changes of rein in quick succession.

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The butterfly jumping exercise was first developed by showjumper Luciana Diniz. It uses more fences that we usually set up for a daily training exercise, but it’s worth it as if offers some 60 different lines. You can leave it up for the week and revisit.

The focus is on riding through the turn and concentrating on landing on the correct lead. At the same time, you’ll be building your canter rhythm as you jump from fence to fence.

There are several different version of the butterfly jumping exercise. Here, we outline the simplest version.

And it’s not just for jumpers; it’s a handy pattern for those who enjoy polework exercises, too.

Aims

• Land on the correct lead
• Course visualisation
• Link fences in a good rhythm and quality canter

The setup

Set up five jumps in a butterfly shape. One obstacle forms the butterfly”s body in the middle, and four obstacles as its wings.

Build the fences at a height at which you are comfortable. It’s best to start small, as you will be jumping a lot of fences in a session. It’s less about the height, more about the quality of canter through the turns.

Although the butterfly is primarily used as a jumping exercise, you can do this with poles on the ground, cavaletti, or fences that you can adjust. You might also want to incorporate an oxer on either side to give a variation of uprights and spreads.

How to ride the exercise

• Start small – even with poles on the ground – and only once you are taking the lines you intend smoothly and confidently should you consider raising the fences.
• With some 60 different lines that you can take around this set-up, you can simply play around. The diagram shows one potential sequence.
• Decide before each line exactly where which route you will take, as you need to be accurate with your aids.
• Visualise your course before starting, so that you are ready over each fence to influence the correct lead on landing.
• Focus on riding through each turn in balance and landing on the correct lead.
• To land on the correct lead, look in the direction you want to travel, towards the next fence. Very slightly open your inside rein. Do not lean to try to influence the horse as this will throw him off balance.
• You’ll also practise switching from jumping off a turn to in a straight line over the “butterfly’s body” fence.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Landing on the wrong lead: rider influence

Do not lean to the inside as your horse may try to counterbalance. Look and turn your head as you leave the ground in the direction you want to travel.

Slightly open the inside rein but don’t overdo it, and keep a steady, supportive outside rein.

2. Landing on the wrong lead: help with poles

You can also add a pole on the landing side, on a diagonal at least 3m from the fence to close off the rein he favours (see example below).

For instance, if he always wants to land on the left rein, place the left side of the landing pole 3m from the fence so there is no chance of landing on it, at a slight angle as shown in the diagram below. This forms a natural barrier, encouraging him around the turn to the right and automatically landing on the right lead.

Or you can add a half cross-pole behind the fence, with the side raised of the horse’s favoured leg. Putting it behind the fence is safer as if your horse hits it, it will simply fall down.

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“Around the clock” is a relatively demanding polework exercise on a 20m circle, which can be ridden in both trot and canter. It helps you see how well you can control the outside shoulder, requiring the horse to negotiate four poles while bending around your inside leg.

Aims

• Maintain the bend and direction of travel while lifting the shoulder
• Work on your horse’s posture and outline
• Ride from inside leg to outside hand

The setup

Setup: Four poles set up on a 20m circle like a clock face. There should be four canter strides between the centre of each pole.

How to ride this exercise

1. Warm up in walk, trot and canter.
2. First, walk over the circle of four poles on each rein, keeping up a good active pace, and allowing the horse to lift his shoulder and lengthen his neck over each pole.
3. Next, in trot on both reins. Approach each pole in the middle, using stripes if you have them to guide you. Keep looking round to the next pole to maintain the bend. Focus on how you ride each quadrant rather than each individual pole.
4. Now, in canter on both reins, add in one pole at a time rather than going straight over all four poles at once. Start by riding two poles, then missing a pole, then two poles and so on. Take a break on a long rein.
5. Then, do three poles at a time, and miss a pole, for a few circles, and repeat on the other rein. Again, give your horse a short break between each set.
6. Finally, do all four poles.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Level up

Although this exercise is quite demanding in itself, you can ramp up the difficulty level. Try shortening the canter to five strides between poles, and doing two quadrants on five strides, and two on four. This requires your horse to lengthen and shorten the canter without tension, because the poles will disrupt it if your horse is not sufficiently adjustable.

2. Self-carriage

It’s tempting for your horse to drift out to make this exercise a bit easier. Give him a gentle pat with the inside hand over every other pole to check he can maintain his position and bend without relying on that inside hand.

3. Rider position

You can vary your position between sitting in the saddle and a light showjumping seat. One is likely to feel easier to you, so practise both until they both feel as natural as the other.

4. Take a break

This is a demanding exercise both mentally and physically, so make sure you give your horse plenty of breaks on a long rein between sets.

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Transitions – as Olympic dressage rider Becky Moody always emphasises – are the most important part of daily training, whatever pace you are working in. This flatwork exercise incorporates rein-back as well as transitions to increase the difficulty level.

It improves your horse’s balance, engaging the hindquarters to carry more weight while lifting the core. Rein-back is also useful for testing your horse’s response to the rider’s correct seat, leg and hand aids.

We may think that we can’t make much progress in walk, but this is a great exercise that really helps develop your horse’s way of going and your own riding skills. Furthermore, it can be done in an arena or out hacking, and is useful when the ground is hard or your horse is perhaps older or lacking fitness but still needs stimulating work.

Aims

• Improve responsiveness
• Develop balance and straightness
• Hone rider’s coordination

The setup

No setup required. You can do this exercise in a field or an arena.

How to ride this exercise

• Establish an active walk in a straight line, concentrating on your position as a rider – your posture, straightness, soft hands and weight in the heels.
• Count approximately eight steps of walk, then halt for five seconds, squeezing the rein and legs, while sitting tall so that the horse steps into the contact. How early you have to prepare will depend on your connection with your horse.
• Analyse your halt – is it square? Did you horse respond when you gave the aids?
• Ask your horse to go forward to walk for eight steps and halt again.
• Now, rein-back for four steps or as much as is comfortable for your stage in training – pressing with the inner thigh, keeping your abs tight and gently half-halting, softening as soon as he responds.
• Analyse your rein-back as you go. Does your horse move straight back with his legs in diagonal pairs? Does he remain soft and consistent in his outline or resist?
• Go straight back into walk and go large.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Level up

If you are working in an arena, you can start this exercise alongside the fence (or out hacking along a hedgerow). This will help keep your horse straight.

Next, try it on the centre line without any fence keeping him from swinging quarters out or in. Concentrate on maintaining a straight line both in the walk, through the halt and the rein-back.

When you can do this exercise easily, vary the number of steps in walk and rein-back. Be strict with yourself on achieving however many strides you decide so that you don’t drift.

2. Poor halt

Preparation is paramount. If your horse is late to halt, prepare earlier and give clearer aids.

If he halts crookedly, analyse your own position: are you sitting with your weight on both seatbones, with your hands level? Visualise keeping your horse’s shoulders and quarters aligned, rather than forcing the head straight with the reins.

Use the arena fence to help keep you straight.

3. Poor rein-back

If your horse is new to rein-back, try teaching him rein-back from the ground first. When ridden, start by asking for just one step and immediately release and praise him.

Again, this is easiest to attempt initially at the side of the arena, using the fence as a natural barrier. You could also set up some poles to ride between.

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Counter-canter is useful for developing balance, straightness, strength and obedience to the aids. While it also appears as a movement in dressage tests as you progress up the levels (from novice in pure dressage, and in eventing), it’s also very effective for improving the overall canter quality and self-carriage.

However, when you first introduce your horse to counter-canter, like any new move, it’s best to take baby steps.

This teardrop shaped is handy for teaching a few strides of counter-canter in an unpressurised, simple way, so your horse can gain strength and understand of the aids before progressing to more demanding flatwork exercises.

Aim

• To achieve a few strides of counter-canter while maintaining straightness and balance.

The setup

No setup required. You can do this exercise in an arena of field, but if using the latter it’s best to mark out an arena with boards or poles to help you stay disciplined regarding straight lines and circle sizes.

How to ride this exercise

• Warm up in walk, trot and canter on both reins, including doing circles of various sizes. This spiral circle exercise can improve engagement and balance on a smaller circle.
• Pick up an active canter, and go large on the left rein. At the short end of the arena, ride a 15m half circle.
• At the end of the half-circle, take a diagonal line back to the track, thereby changing the rein. Keep control of your horse’s shoulders, and maintain your leg aids for left canter, so that your horse doesn’t drift or anticipate a flying change.
• Maintain counter-canter for a few strides on a straight line, making a transition to trot before the corner. The canter should feel of the same quality and balance, not losing rhythm.
• Repeat on the other rein.
• Next, try the same exercise but with a 10m half-circle. This will require greater collection and rebalance for the smaller circle, and give room for more strides of counter-canter on returning to the track.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Circle size

If the circle is too tight, your horse may lose balance or fall out through the shoulder. You want to go into counter-canter in good balance and maintain those quality steps, so make the circle size relative to your horse’s suppleness. You can make it tighter as your horse develops.

2. Anticipating the change

Some horses are so used to changing leads automatically, they may swap as soon as you turn back towards the track. Work on establishing a quality, balanced canter, and maintain your aids for the leading leg.

For example, if starting on the left lead, the rider’s left leg is on the girth, right leg just behind, with poll flexion slightly to the left – which will be slightly to the outside in counter-canter.

3. Level up

If you horse is doing the teardrop easily and confidently, try maintaining counter-canter through the corner, and eventually into a figure-of-eight. However, if your horse breaks into trot, loses rhythm, changes or goes disunited, take it back a step. Re-establish a quality canter, and try again. The priority is canter quality not completing the pattern.

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The intuitive response, when your flying changes aren’t going well in your dressage tests, is often to ride more of them. The instinct makes sense – practise the thing that isn’t working – but it’s rarely where the fix actually lies.

“Very rarely is getting a flying change, or fixing a tricky change, about doing more changes,” says Becky Moody. “It is nearly always about improving the canter.”

This is the bit that catches most riders out. The change feels like the problem – it’s late behind, or your horse runs out the front door, or swaps and then immediately falls into trot – so the change is where they put the work. But the change is a symptom. The canter underneath it is the actual job.

“It’s the quality of canter, every time”

The canter you need for a change is not the same canter you might ride elsewhere. It has to be collected but full of energy, straight, balanced, and – most importantly – adjustable.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean the problem is with the rhythm of the canter,” Becky says. “It’s very often the straightness of the canter, the balance of the canter. And for me, the adjustability of the canter. I think you have to be able to have a horse that is collected, but stay full of energy.”

A useful image: watch a top showjumper coming into a big vertical. The horse collects, but the energy doesn’t disappear – it gathers. The hindquarters come under, the frame shortens, and the canter gets bouncier. That’s the feel you want before a flying change Becky says. Not slow. Not steady. Loaded.

The springboard step

Here is Becky’s most useful idea, and it isn’t in any textbook.

“I like to have a springboard step,” she says. “The horse doesn’t change on the first part of your change aid. You have a springboard step – it’s like a spring then change, not just a change.”

Translated: your aid has two parts. A preparation stride, where you ask the horse to gather and bounce, and then the change itself. The whole sequence has the rhythm of “Are you ready? Change.”

This is the difference between a change that arrives flat and late, and one that lifts cleanly through the body. Riders who get into trouble are usually applying the aid in a single motion – leg on, change, hope. The horse hasn’t had a chance to load the spring first.

It’s also where anticipation comes in. For Becky, a horse learning changes should be thinking about what’s coming next – not nervous, but expectant.

“You almost need to create a degree of anticipation,” she says. “The horse is a little bit like, ‘Oh, what’s coming? This is good fun.’ Instead of you cantering across the diagonal in a lovely, nice, balanced, steady canter and then putting a change aid on, and the horse is like, ‘What?’”

Don’t lose the counter-canter

A common trap, once a horse can do changes, is that they start offering them unprompted. The rider asks for counter-canter, and the horse, helpful and over-keen, swaps.

“I’m quite a big believer that when you start teaching the horse changes, you shouldn’t stop being able to ride counter-canter,” Becky says. “You should be able to be like, ‘Now we’re doing counter-canter. And now we’re going to do a change. And now we’re doing counter-canter again.’ They have to be listening to what you say.”

The discipline matters because, in a test, you’ll be asked for both – sometimes within strides of each other. A horse that assumes every straight line means a change is a horse that will throw one in at exactly the wrong moment.

Build the change before you ask for it

Long before the change itself, the foundations need to be there. Canter-to-walk and walk-to-canter transitions are the bedrock – clean, on the leg, with no drift through the shoulders. The horse should be able to come back to walk with the outside hind genuinely stepping under, and step up into canter on a specific lead from a specific aid, without hesitation.

A good marker: can you ride around the outside of the arena and pick up eight to 10 walk-to-canter transitions, on the correct lead each time, on a straight line and in balance? If not, that’s where the work is. The change will come from this groundwork, not from drilling changes.

The walk half-pirouette is also useful here, because it asks the outside hind to stretch and step under, and it sets the horse straight before coming back into canter – the same body shape, in effect, that you need before a change.

An exercise: the figure-of-eight at the short end

When the foundations are in place, Becky’s go-to exercise is a small figure-of-eight at the short end of the arena.

“Imagine there’s a row of poles across the 10m line at the short end,” she says. “Then you’re doing your little figure-of-eight within that 20x10m box.”

You come out of the corner as if to ride a 10m circle at M, then take a small diagonal line across the centre line back towards the short side, change rein, and pick up the new circle on the other side.

The point of working in a small box is that it stops everything getting away from you.

“One of the most common things when both horse and rider are learning about changes is that everything gets a bit too forward and away,” Becky says.

“Doing it within a smaller area helps keep everything organised in a positive way without the rider having to do so much with their hand.”

The hand is the giveaway. A rider whose changes have unravelled is usually a rider whose changes finished with both reins pulling. Working in a smaller space buys you the discipline of riding the change with the leg and the seat, because there isn’t room to ride it with the hand.

A note on poles

Poles get used a lot for teaching flying changes in dressage, and they are a lot of productive exercises – but Becky uses them sparingly.

“I’m not a fan of the pole,” she says. She’s used one once, with a client’s horse that genuinely couldn’t grasp what was being asked. “We did what we could to help make it easier for them. It definitely got them more understanding of what we were trying to do.

“Then the changes were late behind, but at least it was doing changes, and we were then able to work on it. It then came back to the quality of the canter.”

Which is, of course, where everything in this piece comes back to. Poles or exercises won’t fix a change if the canter underneath isn’t right.

Build the canter. Then the change will be there.

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A new coaching qualification framework with a stronger focus on horse and human welfare has launched, which aims to be more streamlined and ensure qualifications are “fit for the future”.

The revitalised equestrian coaching certificate, revealed by British Equestrian (BEF) and others, features a single core qualification at each level, covering fundamental coaching skills plus technical certificates in recognition of the discipline or context in which competence has been shown.

Coaches will be able to add technical certificates as they progress.

The qualification will be offered by the Association of British Riding Schools, British Carriagedriving, British Dressage (BD), British Eventing, the British Horseracing Authority, British Showjumping, Endurance GB and the Pony Club.

The development follows a review led by the BEF’s coaching development action team, chaired by Charlotte Osborne, BD’s head of development.

“This review is about more than updating qualifications, it’s about embedding a strong culture of equine welfare and truly inclusive, person-centred coaching,” said Ms Osborne. “By creating a more unified and consistent qualification pathway, we are supporting the development of great coaches and ensuring our qualifications are fit for the future and trusted across the industry.”

She added that it will also allow for greater flexibility and career progression, as coaches will be able to expand their expertise by completing additional technical coaching certificates without needing to repeat the entire core qualification.

World Horse Welfare and the British Horse Foundation (BHF) contributed resources to the updated qualification, which features the latest in equine learning theory. It also incorporates strengthened safeguarding standards and more inclusive language.

Jan Birch, co-chair of the BHF and member of the BEF education welfare group, shared her support for the new framework, emphasising the benefits for horses and the industry as a whole.

“The BHF is delighted to contribute content for the certificates by sharing evidence-based, best-practice knowledge about breeding, youngstock management and equine-centric early training methods that underpin all equine disciplines,” Dr Birch told H&H.

“This will help the next generation of horses benefit from ‘better beginnings’ – leading to improvements in lifelong wellbeing and performance, more suitable horses bred for a wider range of riders and supporting the development of a more skilled workforce.”

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers told H&H the charity believes the revitalised certificate is “very good news for both the horses and the sport and applauds British Equestrian for taking this initiative”.

“Putting the horse at the centre of how they are trained goes to the heart of what responsible horse sport means in practice – it is ethically right and is what society expects,” he said. “Having a stronger focus on equine welfare and how horses learn embedded in coaching provides a substantive foundation to the ‘horse comes first’ mantra that is often cited in horse sport.”

BD chief executive Jason Brautigam said the launch “marks a pivotal moment for coaching across our sport”.

“This new framework reflects our collective commitment to raising standards, prioritising horse welfare and supporting coaches in developing the skills they need for working in the equestrian sector,” he said.

For coaches with qualifications issued before 1 June 2026, transition arrangements will be shared this year. From 2027, coaches will be able to access conversion courses to align with the new framework.

● What do you think? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

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Adult riding camps – have you ever thought about attending one?

Perhaps you went to Pony Club camp when you were younger or maybe you fancy a UK horse riding holiday with some added dressage training. Or is going to camp on your horsey bucket list?

Whether you’re thinking of some horsey time away to help smash training goals or simply a break with like-minded people, adult riding camps offer many possibilities.

Jump to...

• What are adult riding camps?
• Who are adult riding camps for?
• Do I need to have my own horse?
• What to expect
• Packing checklist

What are adult riding camps?

Adult riding camps are residential trips with your horse and last anywhere from a couple of days to a week or more.

They usually take place at an equestrian centre that has facilities beyond simply an arena and jumps on offer. These facilities might include a horse simulator, cross-country course or gallops. Alternatively, the centre might have great things on offer locally, like beach riding or a forest with extensive off-road hacking.

Depending on where the camp is and how much it costs, accommodation might be provided or there might be a field for camping. Meals are usually included in the price.

Who are adult riding camps for?

Simply put, they are for everyone. However, it’s definitely worth finding the right one for you with a bit of research.

For example, you can find camps geared towards:

• confidence and mindset
• general training
• discipline-specific training
• new skills, such as groundwork or liberty
• Western equestrian sports

Do I need to have my own horse?

In short, no! Adult riding camps based at riding schools frequently have horses available for those who don’t have one.

Depending on where you’d like to go and your experience level, there are options available for anyone from a beginner to someone ready to take on high-level dressage movements with a schoolmaster.

If you do have a horse, however, there is plenty of choice when it comes to adult riding camps.

What to expect at an adult riding camp

Jessica Jackson and her 19-year-old Irish sports pony, Bonnie, are riding camp veterans.

“I typically attend one or two a year all over the country,” she tells H&H. “For some I went with friends; others I braved alone.”

Jessica says camps are a great way to bond with your horse, meet like-minded people and challenge yourself.

“You become completely consumed by horses while gaining invaluable knowledge from experienced coaches in a supportive environment.”

In addition, camps offer Jessica a way to switch off.

“My favourite thing about them is the mental escape they gives me, with uninterrupted time to focus on myself, my riding and to strengthen my partnership with Bonnie.”

Jessica also tells us how riding camps have evolved over the years.

“They’re no longer just about time in the saddle, but improving from a more holistic standpoint. Nowadays, many camps often incorporate activities such as Pilates, mindfulness talks, wellbeing sessions, team-building games, sports massages and even mechanical horse sessions.”

Some camps also have talks and demos from equine professionals, such as nutritionists who might bring a weigh bridge to weigh your horse, for example.

Jessica’s advice for would-be adult riding camp attendees is to do your research before booking. “Start by looking at the venue’s location and facilities. Do they suit your requirements, goals and expectations?

“Check out the camp itinerary and ensure it is appropriate. Are you looking to improve a particular discipline? Enjoy a relaxing getaway? Or set a challenge in a new environment?”

Jessica also suggests looking into the coaches. “Their experience, teaching style and areas of expertise should align with what you want to achieve.”

Finally, Jessica suggests making sure the facilities are suitable for you and your horse.

“Do they provide turnout? Stabling options? Check out what accommodation and amenities are available for riders too. Some camps offer an all-inclusive package, while others will require you to bring your own bedding, for example, more like DIY.”

Preparing for your first camp

“At your first riding camp, expect to challenge yourself, learn a lot and have plenty of fun!” says Jessica. “From experience, they all offer a supportive, friendly and relaxed environment where riders and horses are encouraged to develop and progress at their own pace.”

Jessica adds that camps can be physically demanding with multiple sessions each day. “Make sure you and your horse are fit enough to make the most of the experience.”

Jessica also states the importance of going with an open mind. “Be willing to step out of your comfort zone, embrace the opportunity to learn, make new friends and try new things. Book the camp – you won’t regret it!”

Horse camp checklist

Wondering what you might need for a camp? Here is what you should consider:

For your horse

• passport
• tack – saddle, bridle, martingale or breastplate (if you need one) and his girth
• a saddle pad, plus spares so you always have a dry clean one
• protective boots, such as brushing boots or overreach boots
• hi-vis for hacking
• headcollar and leadrope
• any rugs currently in use
• a fly mask (if using)
• enough forage (unless supplied), feed and supplements for the duration
• bedding (if stabling and not supplied)
• water carrier (like this one, for the journey and to put in your wheelbarrow to save lugging buckets)
• feed and wash-down buckets
• haynets
• any licks or treats you use daily
• grooming kit
• first-aid kits, including relevant medication, creams and ointments
• everything on your normal travel kit checklist

For you

• riding hat
• riding boots
• body protector
• air jacket (if you have one)
• riding tights and/or breeches
• riding tops, with extras so you always have clean, dry one
• long riding socks
• lightweight waterproof jacket
• warm layers or a riding robe
• enough pairs of underwear
• toiletries
• a torch
• towels
• your phone charger
• a power bank
• personal first aid/medication

If you’re camping, you’ll also need:

• tent
• sleeping bag
• sleeping mat
• pillow
• camping light
• portable camping fan (if it is likely to be hot)
• plastic crockery and cutlery
• sit mat or picnic blanket
• camping table and chair
• camping stove, kettle and cooking implements (depending on your camp setup)

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Of all the obstacles on a cross-country course, ditches – in their various forms – often cause the most angst. Some horses tackle them with aplomb from the get-go, but most need plenty of quiet repetition to develop their confidence. Olympians and top coaches Nicola Wilson, Chris Bartle and Andrew Heffernan share their tips in this article exclusive to H&H subscribers

Quiet, slow repetition is the key to how to solve your horse’s fear of ditches. To build – or rebuild – confidence in jumping ditches, it’s vital to start this part of his eventing training from scratch, says British team performance coach Chris Bartle. He explains that it is a mistake to ask a horse to tackle a ditch without giving him the opportunity to look at it first.

“With a young horse, or a horse that is nervous, I will always take them to the ditch with no intention of jumping it,” he says. “I will let them stand beside it and walk around it until they are comfortable in the environment.

“Only when I know they are happy about being there – they will stretch their head down and have a sniff – will I ask them to step over the ditch.

“The important thing to remember is that the horse must never be pressurised from behind, either by the rider or someone on the ground, because all that’s doing is encouraging him to think backwards rather than forwards.”

Initially, at least, ditches should be small enough so that human legs can easily step over them.

“I measure a ditch by whether I need to stretch over it on foot,” says Chris. “It doesn’t matter whether the horse is four, seven or 14, my approach will be the same. If a horse is hesitant I will spend all my cross-country schooling time walking quietly over tiny ditches.”

Chris argues that it’s not necessary to school over big ditches.

“If you’ve built solid foundations, these can be saved for competition when your adrenaline’s up,” he says.

How to solve your horse’s fear of ditches: “trust is everything”

When working on how to solve your horse’s fear of ditches, “confidence and trust is everything” says former European champion-turned-top coach, Nicola Wilson.

This starts with laying the right foundations and revisiting the basics on a regular basis.

“When you introduce a ditch for the first time make sure you’ve got a confident horse to give you a lead and choose an inviting ditch to start with,” she says.

Nicola also emphasises the importance of rider position.

“It’s important that you look in the right place – up, not down into the ditch,” she says. “A young or inexperienced horse will often look down into the ditch and dither on the edge. This is fine so long as you stay up in your body and have a nice, supportive leg on them and a long rein so they can stretch down, use their head and neck and safely pop over.

“It’s a really good idea to use a neck strap so you can hold the strap together with your reins in one hand,” she continues. “If your horse jumps bigger than you’re expecting you won’t lose balance and inadvertently catch him in the mouth, which can turn it into a negative experience.”

Nicola agrees that repetition is key.

“If your horse lacks confidence jumping ditches it’s important to keep revisiting them on a regular basis so that walking up to them and popping over becomes second nature,” says Nicola. “There are plenty of five-star horses who will do just this on the lead-up to a big competition, so it’s not something you should be worried about. The key is to be as prepared as possible.”

Nicola also extols the value of praise and patience.

“Tell your horse when he has done well because this helps build trust and solid foundations,” she says. “And always give ditch training time. Never start something that you don’t feel you can see through the end.”

Once your homework is done, testing your training in a competition environment is the next step.

“When you’re out on the course, make sure you stay in a good rhythm and balance, and in the correct tempo for the ditch fence you’re tackling,” says Nicola.

When ditches are your friend

Once you have ironed out how to solve your horse’s fear of ditches and they are confidently moving up the eventing levels, most ditches will become a help rather than a hindrance.

“Where a ditch has a fence over it or behind it, the ditch itself acts as a useful ground rail, defining the take-off point,” explains Chris. “Big ditch-brushes, trakheners, and anything like that where the ditch ledge is on the take-off side, makes for a horse-friendly profile.”

Chris explains that when riding this type of fence, you should resist the temptation to spend too much time much setting up.

“When I was a jockey, before I started eventing, a trainer once told me that you should always increase your speed into a ditch,” he says. “You will never get the wrong stride because there is a groundline. I always remind riders of this when I walk courses with them as it saves a lot of time.”

Ditches through a course-designer’s eyes

Course-designers use ditches in different ways. Olympic event rider, trainer and Bramham course-designer Andrew Heffernan explains that as well as the size of the ditch size, where it is sited will determine the level of the test.

“Part of my job as course-designer is to ensure there is a logical progression in difficulty as you go up the grades,” he explains. “For example, on a B80 course I might include a small open ditch followed three strides later by a rails fence, at BE90 this might change to a rail followed three strides later by a ditch. By the time you get to BE100 I might be asking horses to jump a simple rail-ditch-rail on flat terrain, and then at novice level you can start expecting to see a ditch with a bit of terrain either side.”

This logical progression has obvious connotations for a horse who is a bit “ditchy”.

“Even if a horse is solid with every other type of cross-country question, he needs to be completely confident jumping ditches at one level before moving on to the next,” says Andrew. “The questions asked of him — and therefore the trust he needs in his rider — will be tested to a greater degree every time you step up.”

“We dug a ditch at home and that was the turning point”

Event rider Ivy Fisher’s talented three-star mare, Balief De Reve (Bali), only has one chink in her armour – ditches.

“When I bought her as a young horse she had only ever showjumped and although she quickly took to jumping solid fences, she’s always been suspicious of holes in the ground,” explained Ivy, who grew up in Norfolk but has been based with Dassett Eventing in Warwickshire.

“A few years ago, when I was on the brink of giving up with her, my dad dug me a ditch at home and that was the turning point. It was a case of repetition, repetition, repetition. The penny dropped in the middle of the 2024 season and she started to take them in her stride.”

The pair won the under-21 open intermediate at Kelsall Hill in September that year.

At her current base, Ivy has access to three different ditches and incorporates them into almost every training session.

“Last season I was even including them in our fitness work, popping over a ditch mid-canter,” she says. “We still have the odd wobble, but she’s getting better all the time. Bali’s taught me so much about perseverance, getting the basics right and about not running before you can walk.”

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You may also be interested to read…

How to improve a horse’s gallop: top eventers share their tips for productive fast work

Worried about riding on wet, slippery or deep going? Top event riders share tips on how to help your horse cope

How to get your horse fit like world number one event rider Harry Meade

How to improve your cross-country riding position with secrets from Olympians – including exercises on and off the horse

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US dressage rider, trainer and author Jane Savoie, who passed away in December 2020, explains how to ride the flying change and what skills the horse needs to have established before you to introduce the movement

In order to learn how to ride a flying change, it is important to understand what the movement is. In the flying change the horse remains in canter, but changes the canter lead during the moment of suspension, when all four feet are off the ground. When competing in dressage it is important that changes are made cleanly, with both front and hind legs changing during the same moment of suspension.

A commonly seen mistake is when the horse changes in front in one stride and then behind in the following stride. This is less important when jumping, but the sooner the change is completed, the less balance in the canter will be lost. Cantering disunited to a fence is not giving the horse the best possible chance of cleaning that obstacle without incurring faults.

Preparing for flying changes

Before trying to teach a flying change the horse must be able to:

• Produce a good simple change of lead (canter/walk/canter). The downward transition should be a clear transition to the walk, with no dribbly trot steps. Shorten the canter with collecting half halts before you ask for the transition. If the horse is travelling too fast he will lose his balance on to the forehand in the downward transition. The upwards transition should be quick off the leg without being rushed or explosive.
• Be balanced in counter canter. Develop the counter canter until the horse can comfortably maintain it without tension on circles and lines. To test the horse’s balance ensure you can extend and collect in the counter canter without the horse switching leads.
• Be comfortable in collected canter. As the flying change is another canter stride the quality of the canter is vital to its success. The canter should have big, round, expressive, “off the ground” strides. Any tendency towards a canter that is four-time or flat will not give the horse time to change his legs in the air. Develop and maintain the quality of the collected canter by working on exercises that increase collection such as shoulder-in, travers, frequent simple changes of lead (five strides of walk and five strides of canter), and collecting half halts.

Understanding the collecting half halt

During a collecting half halt the rider should close their legs, push with their seat and close their outside hand for a moment. This engages the horse’s hind quarters and encourages them to wait and “sit” on their hocks.

Ride three collecting half halts in the canter, while thinking about reducing the amount of ground your horse covers with each stride by about 50% but maintain the same rhythm and tempo. During the short, engaged strides, pick a spot on the ground and imagine that you’re cantering on top of it for three strides. Then, go forward for several strides, and ask him to collect again for three strides.

How to ride a flying change

The timing of the aids is very important in riding a successful flying change. Give the aids as the horse’s leading front leg is coming forward. You need to give the aid before the period of suspension because it takes your horse a moment to ‘hear’ your request and another moment to carry it out.

You can practice the correct timing of the aids in the walk and then the canter by watching when the horse’s inside front leg comes forward. Each time you see it coming forward, say out loud, “Now, now, now”. In this way, you learn to coordinate your voice with the inside front leg coming forward.

For a flying change from left to right:

• Seat: Push your right seat bone forward toward your horse’s right ear.
• Right leg: Close your right leg on the girth to ask your horse to go forward during the change.
• Left leg: Swing your left leg behind the girth to signal the new outside hind leg to strike off into the new lead. (Don’t hold this leg back. Pretend your leg is spring-loaded so you give a quick aid.)
• Left rein: Close your left hand in a fist to keep the left hind leg on the ground and maintain uphill balance. Imagine that you’re closing and opening your hand so fast that you can snatch a fly out of the air.
• Right rein: Soften your right rein so you don’t block the new inside front leg from coming forward.

I like to introduce flying changes on a 10-meter figure of eight. Ride simple changes of lead in the centre of the figure of eight. Repeat until the horse understands and anticipates that he’s going to change leads. When you feel him anticipating, give the aids for the flying change instead of doing the simple change. If he changes, praise him a lot. If he doesn’t then stay calm and repeat the process.

Now you know how to perfect your flying changes, why not sign up to Horse & Hound’s eight-week e-training plan to give your training focus and perfect your flatwork basics?

Flying changes are unavoidably cool. I can still remember attempting my first – getting a friend to film me on their pixelated flip phone, beaming a stupid grin at the camera as my little pony leapt into her change and promptly bombed off. We’ll ignore, for now, that she was two strides late behind.

But there’s no doubt they can feel like a mystery until you get that “aha” moment where it finally clicks. And because every horse is different, there’s no single foolproof way to teach them.

The good news is there’s nothing magic about them. A flying change is a natural movement – your horse already does them loose in the field – and with the right foundations, most horses can learn to do them to order (making you look suitably cool in the process).

Here’s what a flying change actually is, how to ride one, and how to start teaching your horse – without flinging your entire bodyweight to one side as I did.

What is a flying change?

A flying change is when your horse switches their leading leg in canter, in one smooth motion, without breaking to trot or walk in between.

A quick step back, in case it’s useful: in canter, your horse leads with one front leg – it reaches further forward than the other, and you’ll feel that shoulder come through underneath you. On a left lead, the left foreleg leads; on a right lead, the right. Which lead you’re on matters for balance, especially on turns and circles, where you normally want the inside leg leading – so on the right rein, going clockwise, you’ll be on the right lead most of the time, and on the left rein, the left.

Canter has a three-beat rhythm, and after the third beat there’s a brief moment of suspension – a split second where all four feet are off the ground, and your horse is, fleetingly, airborne. A flying change happens in that instant. Your horse rearranges their legs mid-air and lands on the opposite lead, so instead of leading with the left foreleg, they’re now leading with the right. Done well, there’s no stumble and no change of rhythm – just a clean skip from one lead to the other, as if your horse has hopped across in the air.

You’ll come across flying changes in pretty much every discipline:

• Dressage: they appear from advanced medium level upwards, ridden on straight lines and, higher up, in sequences down to one change every stride (tempi changes).
• Showjumping: essential for jumping a course smoothly. A horse that lands on the correct lead – or changes to it – can balance through turns and meet the next fence in rhythm, without losing time or scrambling.
• Eventing, showing, and general riding: anywhere you’re cantering, turning and needing your horse balanced, a change keeps things tidy and comfortable.

For a lower-level rider, it’s less about the wow factor – although that’s cool, too – and more about control. A horse that changes lead on request is one you can balance and steer through anything, whether that’s a jump-off turn, a dressage centre line, or just staying upright out hunting.

How to ride a flying change

Assuming your horse already knows how to change (see the next section for teaching it), here’s the sequence of aids. The key thing is that a change is prepared, not just thrown in – you set your horse up, then ask.

1. Establish a good canter first. Balanced, active and collected enough that you feel you could ride a few steps smaller at any moment. A flat, strung-out canter has nowhere to change from.

2. Prepare on the approach to the change. Sit tall, half-halt to gather and balance the canter, and make sure your horse is straight – not falling in or out through the shoulder.

3. Change your leg position. Say you’re on the left lead (left foreleg leading) and want to change to the right. Your left leg, which has been at the girth, moves back behind the girth, and your right leg comes to the girth. This new leg position tells your horse which lead you now want.

4. Change your weight and hips. As you swap your legs, allow your seat and hips to follow – so your weight shifts subtly to the new leading side. Keep it quiet; it’s just a rebalancing, not throwing yourself across the saddle.

5. Ask in that moment of suspension. Apply the new outside leg (the left, now behind the girth) with a clear but light aid, ideally timed to the moment your horse is about to spring into the next stride. That’s when your horse can swing their legs through to the new lead.

6. Keep riding forward. Ride positively out of the change on the new lead. The most common mistake is to ask and then freeze or pull back on the reins – we’ve all done it, but both stop your horse jumping through cleanly.

The rhythm to aim for is almost “prepare… now go!” A change asked for in one flat motion tends to come late or flat; a change that’s set up first has time to jump through the body.

How to teach a flying change

Before you teach the change itself, the foundations have to be solid – it’s not as exciting, but this is the most important part. Rushing to the change before these are in place is the single most common reason changes go wrong. Your horse should be able to:

• Pick up either canter lead promptly, from a clear aid, on a straight line.
• Ride balanced walk-to-canter and canter-to-walk transitions without falling onto the forehand. (“On the forehand” just means your horse is carrying too much weight on their front end, rather than pushing from behind. You’ll feel it as heaviness in your hands, your horse tipping downhill or leaning on the reins for balance. What you want instead is your horse staying light in front and stepping their hindlegs underneath themselves – think uphill, not downhill.)
• Hold a counter-canter (cantering on the “outside” or “wrong” lead) in balance. This teaches your horse to stay on the lead you’ve asked for rather than swapping whenever they fancy.

Once those are established, here’s a simple and reliable way to introduce the change:

1. Use a change of direction. Ride a shallow loop, a figure-of-eight, or come across the diagonal – anywhere your horse is naturally changing bend and direction, so a change of lead makes sense to them.

2. Establish a clean canter, then rebalance. As you approach the point where you’ll change direction, half-halt and collect the canter, so your horse is balanced and listening.

3. Ask as you cross the line. At the moment you change direction, change your leg and seat position and apply the new aid. Because your horse is already changing direction, switching lead feels logical.

4. Reward the attempt. Even a scrappy first change – or one that’s “late behind” (the front legs change but the hind legs lag a stride) – is worth rewarding. You’re building understanding first; the cleanliness comes with practice and strength.

5. Keep it occasional at first. Ask for one, make a fuss of your horse, and move on. Drilling changes over and over tends to make horses tense or anticipatory. A few good attempts in a session are plenty.

If your horse finds it genuinely confusing, some riders use a raised pole or cavaletti on the change line to encourage your horse to jump through and swap behind – but I’d say use it sparingly at first, and only if plain riding isn’t getting there.

Above all, don’t panic if the first attempts are messy. Late, flat or over-excited changes are completely normal early on. They clean up as your horse’s balance and confidence improve – which, as any good trainer will tell you, is really where the whole thing lives.

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Young, weak or unbalanced horses sometimes pick up canter on the incorrect lead. Over time, this has potential to become a habit.

Thankfully, there’s a simple flatwork exercise that requires you to ride a few steps of leg-yield to help your horse pick up the correct canter lead.

Aims

• Correct your horse’s flexion
• Connect the horse into the outside rein
• Improve the canter transition

The setup

You need: a 20x40m or 20x60m arena

How to ride the exercise

• Once warmed up, turn onto the three-quarter line in trot.
• As you pass X, begin to leg-yield to the track. You can sit or rise, depending on what’s best for your horse. Aim to hit the track just after the corner marker.
• Ask for canter as you reach the track going into the corner.

Things to note

1. Avoid over-flexing

When ridden correctly, your horse should show slight flexion away from the direction of travel. Too much flexion often leads to the shoulders leading, and often means the horse drifts rather than crossing the legs.

However, ensure you maintain the flexion, and the connection into the outside rein, into the corner. Alongside balancing him, this is what helps set your horse up to lead with the inside leg in the canter.

2. Ensure your horse’s body is straight

While the shoulders should be slightly in advance of the quarters, they should not be dramatically so. Likewise, the hindquarters should not lead.

3. Maintain the rhythm

Look to maintain the same trot you had while riding large up the three-quarter line and throughout the leg-yield.

Some horses lose their engine in leg-yield, dropping behind the bit, while others might rush forward and away from your inside leg aid.

Ultimately, the contact and rhythm should be consistent. You may need to adjust your aids to help maintain them, or remain in a rising trot to help keep to a regular rhythm.

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A square halt is one of the most underrated movements in dressage – yet it features in virtually every test from intro to the highest levels of dressage, so knowing how to ride one is key. It’s usually the very first thing a judge sees as you turn down the centre line, and a tidy halt is one of the easiest ways to put marks on the board.

Get it wrong, and you hand the judge a poor first impression before you have ridden a single proper movement; get it right, and you set the tone for a lovely, flowing test.

Yet the halt is deceptively difficult. Standing four-square, immobile and on the aids takes a surprising amount of training – and, crucially, it is a skill you build over months rather than something you can drill in a single session. Here is how to teach a square halt from the ground up, how to ride it under pressure in the ring, and how to fix the faults that cost riders marks most often.

What makes a halt “square”?

Before you can train a good halt, it helps to know exactly what the judge is rewarding. Most rulebooks ask for the horse to stand attentive, engaged, motionless, straight and square, with their weight distributed evenly over all four legs, the poll as the highest point, and the nose just in front of the vertical. The horse should stay on the bit and be ready to move off at the slightest aid.

In practice, that means all four legs in two neat pairs, no leg trailing or resting, no creeping or fidgeting, and at least three seconds of genuine immobility when you salute. It’s worth remembering that a halt does not have to be flawless to score well – a soft, straight, immobile halt that is fractionally open behind will still earn a respectable mark, whereas a crooked horse jiggling on the centre line will not.

How to ride a square halt from scratch

The single biggest mistake riders make is chasing squareness before their horse is standing still. Make sure to nail the immobility first.

1. Start with stillness, not squareness

When you first introduce halts, the priority should be for the horse to stand calmly. “The most vital part of the movement is for the horse to stand still and be submissive,” says event rider Coral Keen.

“Don’t make too many adjustments early on trying to make it square, or the horse starts fidgeting, and it becomes an issue. Once they’re happy and immobile, then you think about the squareness.” Make too many corrections too early on, and you’ll teach your horse to fidget – which becomes a far harder habit to undo later on.

2. Build it progressively

Begin in walk and, at first, be content with the front legs square. Use the outside track and repeat walk-to-halt downward transitions, asking your horse to move forwards one small step at a time after the halt forwards until they’re level in front. Only when that is established should you move on to trot-to-halt, making the trot slower and smaller beforehand and allowing a few walk strides into the transition so your horse has time to organise themself.

“It’s fine for it to be a bit progressive to begin with – don’t expect it to be too direct,” Coral says. “Allowing your horse time in the movement helps them develop the feeling of positioning themselves into a square halt.”

3. Move on to asking them to square up behind

As your horse becomes more established, ask them to collect before the halt so their weight is back and their shoulders are light, allowing them to sit into it rather than fall onto the forehand.

International grand prix rider Samantha Thurman-Baker says the key to a square halt is your horse’s balance: “If he’s loading one shoulder or is slightly crooked, the chances are your halt won’t be square.”

Her advice from a faster gait is to bring the horse almost back to moving on the spot before you ask: “That ensures their weight is back and their shoulders are light, allowing him to sit into the halt.” A mirror or a pair of eyes on the ground is invaluable as you learn to feel it for yourself.

4. Remember the quality of the pace is everything

Whether you halt from walk, trot or canter, the transition is only as good as the gait before it. Keep your horse active and in front of the leg so the hindquarters stay engaged – if they drop behind the leg in the approach, the hind legs trail and the halt cannot be square. As with every downward transition, ride forwards into the halt, not backwards.

Riding a square halt in the test

Training at home is one thing; producing a square halt down the centre line with one or more judges watching is another. A few things make it more reliable under pressure.

Most horses are straighter on one rein than the other, so enter the arena on your horse’s better rein. Resist the temptation to ride too boldly at the halt transition – come in with enough collection that you can quietly drop down into a square halt rather than slamming the brakes on. But keep the principle of forward riding front of mind.

As Carl Hester puts it: “Dressage is about forward riding, so even a transition to halt means riding the horse forward, allowing with the hands to let him step under.”

If your horse anticipates the halt – stopping before you have asked, or jogging on the spot in expectation – school plenty of centre lines without halting at all, and practise your halts off the three-quarter line instead so the movement stops being predictable.

Carl Hester’s centre-line halt exercise

Carl has a go-to flatwork exercise to build straightness, responsiveness and a square halt all at once.

Ride down the centre line and halt; only when the horse is square, immobile and relaxed, move off in your chosen gait, immediately circle right, and return to the centre line to halt again. Repeat, this time circling left, and continue alternating left and right circles with a halt between each all the way up the centre line.

The turn before each halt does much of the work for you, helping to position the inside hindleg and encouraging your horse to step into a square halt rather than leaving a leg trailing behind. As an added discipline, train yourself to feel whether the halt is square without looking down: sit level in the middle of the saddle and notice whether both sides of the horse’s back push evenly up into your seat. If only one side does, the opposite hindleg is trailing.

Fixing the most common halt faults

1. The quarters swing left or right

If the hindquarters drift as you halt, think of riding a touch of leg-yield or shoulder-fore into the transition to keep them in line. Riding down the centre line in shoulder-fore, with a mirror or helper checking you are truly straight, is one of the best long-term cures, because a crooked approach almost always produces a crooked halt.

2. A hindleg trails behind

Correct the specific leg that is left out: if the left hind is trailing, use your left leg to ask for one small step, keeping a quiet contact on the rein, and ask your horse to bring it underneath. Reward even an imperfect response so they learn that coming into halt means organising their own legs into a square position.

3. Your horse won’t stand still

Keep your legs gently wrapped around your horse’s sides at the halt so they feel held rather than abandoned, and make sure they wait for you to move them on rather than deciding for themselves. Avoid over-correcting – often a halt the rider thinks is unacceptable is, in fact, perfectly respectable.

4. Whatever you do, correct forwards

Every adjustment within the halt should be made by walking the horse a step forward, never back, so they stay in front of the leg and thinking forwards into the next movement. That also sets up a positive, powerful move-off.

Top tips for a square halt

• Practise, practise, practise. Halt squarely before you mount and dismount, and before every break in your schooling session – the more often your horse halts square, the more it becomes a habit
• Sit up tall, step down into your heels and check that your own weight is even on both seat bones – a crooked rider produces a crooked halt
• Always walk forwards to correct, never backwards
• Reward generously and never tell the horse off for halting unevenly – squareness comes from repetition and positive associations, not punishment
• Learn to feel the halt rather than look down for it – it keeps your test polished and your marks intact

Carl’s closing thoughts

Underpinning all of this is straightness, which Carl calls a lifetime’s work with every horse. One of the first lessons he says he learnt, going back some 35 years, was that whatever you are sitting on – pony, cob or warmblood – “there is no excuse not to ride straight lines and square halts.” Build the straightness, ride every transition forwards, and the square halt will follow.

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In this exclusive article for H&H subscribers, top British showjumper Joe Stockdale demonstrates a simple exercise with poles that he uses to teach his horses the leg aid can mean stay straight, not just go faster

Does your horse have a tendency to drift right or left over a fence? It’s a common problem, particularly with inexperienced horses that are still working out how best to use their body.

Joe Stockdale is riding Millfield Counterfeit (Cooper) for this jumping exercise. Cooper is a 12-year-old by Cooper VD Heffinck who is competing up to 1.50m classes. While Joe is demonstrating this exercise on a relatively experienced horse, he describes it as especially useful for young horses in teaching them what the leg aids mean in terms of keeping straight.

The setup consists of three canter poles 3.2m apart to an upright. On the take-off and landing side of the fence are “tramline” poles, creating a channel through which the horse must travel. He starts with the tramlines set at about two human strides apart, making it a narrower channel depending on the rideability of the horse.

Joe uses lightweight square poles for the tramlines: “If he did happen to jump left or right and step on a pole, they stay flat, it stops them rolling, so it’s a lot safer than using a round pole, particularly on the landing side, where there’s a chance they might step on it.”

Showjumping training for straightness with Joe Stockdale

“This is a simple exercise, especially for a young horse, to teach them the aids to keep them straight,” says Joe. “They must take off and land without jumping to either side. Most horses tend to jump a little to one side, which doesn’t matter at this height, but once the jumps get big or wide it can be problematic.”

Joe starts with the planks at about 90cm high, popping through a few times so that the horse understands the exercise, before increasing the height. While Cooper stays straight through the set-up, he initially cuts the corner afterwards, so next time Joe asks for a couple of extra strides in a straight line before turning.

Both the canter poles and the tramlines serve a purpose in this exercise that encourages the horse to stay straight without rushing.

The role of the canter poles

“The canter poles are to help the rhythm, because I want to use the leg for support to keep the horse in the middle of the jump,” says Joe. “The poles prevent them from thinking that the leg only means go faster.

“The poles stop them opening the stride, so they learn I’m supporting them to keep straight – not asking them to open up.”

Joe adds: “The line of poles makes it hard to fail. If it was an isolated fence, with the tramlines, when I put my leg on to support his straightness, the temptation for the horse would be just to go faster. The canter poles contain them.”

The role of the tramlines

“First I jump it with the tramlines nice and wide, making sure he’s confident, then slowly bring in the channel so he has to be really disciplined to stay straight,” Joe says.

“Even though I have the tramlines to keep the horse straight visually, I’m giving instructions with my legs to back it up. The young horse will then learn what the aids mean. The answer’s there, I’m just showing him how to get there.”

Joe explains how his own position is paramount.

“I need to focus on my position, staying centred, tall and light. For straightness, the first thing that will make him go to one side is if I’m unbalanced, so my priority on the approach is to keep my body and head in the middle of the horse.”

The beauty of this exercise is in the mix of the two arrangements of poles.

“If I was to take this all away and put a load of right leg on to keep him from jumping right, that’s when he’d get quicker,” Joe explains. “But because we’ve got the canter poles and the tramlines, he’s naturally going to stay straight because he has to. On the approach to the tramline channel I’m going to give him the leg aid at the same time so he starts to associate my right leg with not jumping to the right, but staying straight instead.

“So it’s like I’m giving him the answer to the problem, and then showing the aid that I want to use.”

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Groundwork exercises can be highly effective for building your horse’s strength as they can develop core stability, balance and muscle tone without needing to compensate for the added weight and restriction of a rider.

All horses have a dominant side – like us being right- or left-handed – and with this exercise you can target developing the weaker side as well as building overall core strength. The use of raised and angled poles make horses lift their knees and bend the hocks, think where to place their feet, engage their core and and open their shoulders.

Aims

• Develop weaker side
• Engage core and get horse working through the back
• Improve proprioception

The setup

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

Setup: You can use as many poles as you have time to lay out, but six is a good number. Arrange them in a zig-zag as shown in the diagram, raising the points where the poles meet on to 15–20cm blocks on one side.

Because this is a walk exercise, don’t worry too much about the spacing – they can be quite close together or at right angles. It’s up to your horse to work out where to put his feet.

How to do the exercise

• Before you try the polework exercise, warm your horse up by leading him on both reins for about 10min. You should do transitions from walk to halt, to check he is paying attention to you. You can also ask him to rein-back from the ground or do some basic lateral work. Your horse should be walking actively forwards and straight, as you would expect under saddle.
• Approach the zig-zag directly in the centre. As you are working in-hand, you should keep yourself parallel to your horse’s head but outside the poles, rather than stepping over them as this may affect how you lead and balance your horse.
• Because the spacing between the poles varies, and they are higher on one side than the other, this will encourage your horse to think about where he puts his feet, constantly adjusting his balance and stride length. Stepping over uneven, raised obstacles asks your horse to lift their core, thereby building topline.
• You should do this exercise several times in each direction, bearing in mind one side is higher than the other. To work on your horse’s weaker side, do more lines where he has to lift that side higher. For example, if his weaker side is the left, have the raised side on the left.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Alternate raised poles

This exercise is equally effective if you alternate the raised sides, so your horse has to keep adapting as they go down the line.

2. Don’t overface

If your horse has never done this exercise before, he may find the visual challenge of a line of asymmetric poles offputting. You can build up from three poles rather than going straight into six.

Likewise, don’t underestimate the impact of this polework exercise, even though you’re not riding. It requires plenty of physical and mental effort.

3. No drifting 

Although you’re leading your horse and cannot use your legs and hands to keep him straight, the asymmetric layout should do the job for you as the angled poles channel the horses into a straight line. Give them plenty of freedom with the head and neck to assess the layout and use their back.

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Extended canter is all about energy. Dressage judges want to see an increase in stride length and ground cover, not just more speed, with the horse staying straight and connected.

The same applies when jumping: you want lift, airtime and adjustability, maintaining your rhythm – not simply a faster canter that’s flat and hollow.

This very simple flatwork exercise works on boosting the quality of the steps in extended canter – not the quantity.

Aims

• Increase stride length and ground cover
• Develop an uphill, open frame
• Maintain the rhythm while increasing the reach
• Stay straight and connected, both into the extended canter and back out again

The setup

No setup required – simply the space to ride a 20m circle on the flat.

How to ride the exercise

Many riders try to practise their extended canter by firing off down the long side of the arena. However, it’s best taught over short, repeatable efforts where the horse can learn to make a distinction in stride length.

• Warm up in walk, trot and canter on both reins, including plenty of transitions to make sure your horse is listening and responding to your aids.
• Establish an active working canter and go large.
• Now go on to a 20m circle in working canter, and make a transition to five or six bigger strides, before collecting back to working canter. Use your inside leg to push the shoulder up without blocking. The circle should encourage your horse to step under with the hindleg, rather than running flat on the forehand.
• This short effort discourages the horses from becoming flat and running, because they’ll anticipate the re-collection. It also teaches riders to feel a few good steps as the quality is developing and not chase for more.
• Each horse will vary on how much you need to push and how much to hold. By practising, you’ll find your own horse’s sweet spot.
• Repeat a few times on each rein.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Running

Keep the increases short, before collecting back. While the horse is developing the extended canter, he may only be able to manage a few good strides, then unravel, losing balance and energy. It is better to make the transition back before that happens. Prioritise quality over quantity.

2. Flattening

To extend properly, your horse needs to lift. Think shoulder-fore going into the circle, so you encourage you horse to keep his inside shoulder up, without establishing a full shoulder-in. The frame needs to be open to be able to extend, not overly flexed.

3. Too much hand

Some riders hang on to the reins to try to control the canter, so you need to work on your hands being independent. Work on giving and retaking the rein on a circle. And when you come back to a more collected canter from the increased strides, don’t just pull! Use a half-halt and soften.

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This groundwork exercise is handy for keeping your horse engaged and stimulated in walk, because of the constant changes of direction combined with negotiating poles.

Aims

• Provide mental and physical stimulation
• Strengthen core and hindquarters
• Focus on changes of bend while negotiating poles

The setup

Setup: Three sets of two poles set up in like chevrons, with about 4m between the points of each set.

You will need: training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

How to do this in-hand exercise

• Just because you’re working in hand doesn’t mean you don’t need to warm your horse up. Before you start the polework exercise, spend 5–10min in walk. Your horse should be walking actively, as you would expect if you were riding. Incorporate plenty of transitions to check your horse is focussed and working with you, not being distracted.
• First, approach the chevrons on a straight line (orange line above). The poles should draw the horse into the point.
• Approach the points in the opposite direction, aiming for the points. Without the poles guiding you both into the point, you need to be accurate so the horse doesn’t meander to the side.
• Now you can play around with the formation. Do circles and loops making a cross-section through the chevron, varying whether you cross near the point or where the poles widen out (green line). Taking the poles on an angle like this will increase the emphasis on footwork as the horse needs to work out how to lift and put down his feet.
• You can also approach the sides of the chevron at a right angle, then dogleg off to the opposite arm of the next chevron (blue line). This works on changing the bend while negotiating poles. All the time, you are asking you horse to assess, react, be supple and precise with his footwork.

Make sure you work equally on both reins.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Layout

If you only have four poles – or are short on time – just two chevrons will also provide a great workout.

2. Accuracy

Striped poles are really useful for keeping disciplined on accuracy. If you decide to cross from, say, white stripe to white stripe, can you stick to it?

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Lengthened or extended trot strides are often seen in a dressage test across the diagonal. The consequence is that many of us practise them by speeding across the longest straight in the arena, inadvertently encouraging our horses to become flat, hollow and rushed. The trot strides don’t so much lengthen as simply speed up.

Instead, we want to encourage our horse to push off the hindleg, with the strides getting longer but, crucially, not quicker. To do this successfully, the horse needs to be supple, which will produce longer steps with more airtime thanks to a looser back and more engaged hindleg.

This flatwork exercise works on suppleness alongside lengthening the steps to improve the latter.

Aims

• Longer, but not faster, trot strides
• Increased suppleness

The setup

No setup required. All you need is sufficient space – and an arena is ideal. If you are riding in the field, it’s helpful to lay out arena boards, poles or other markers so that you can be disciplined about where you make transitions.

How to ride the exercise

• Warm up in all paces, incorporating plenty of upward and downward transitions to ensure your horse is responding to your aids or cues.
• Establish an active working trot and go large, riding around the edge of the arena.
• As you come round the short side, turn up the quarter-line in the same trot, and leg-yield to the track.
• When you reach the track, ask for a few lengthened strides, thinking “bigger, but slower” to prevent rushing. The leg-yield should help loosen your horse’s back, while engaging the inside hindleg so that it can push off more for bigger, longer strides. This is particularly helpful if your horse has a choppy trot.
• Before you reach the end of the next short side, collect the trot again, keeping the energy but containing the stride length.
• Do this exercise the same number of times in both directions. Because it loads the inside hindleg more, you need to work both sides equally.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Tempo control

If you do this exercise in rising trot, you can use your rising to help control the horse’s tempo. This is useful if your horse tends to go faster, not bigger, when you ask for the extension.

2. Rushing

For horses that rush or hollow, you can practise lengthening on a circle. The curve of the circle will encourage you to ride from inside leg to outside rein to engage the hindleg. You can change between rising and sitting trot to help your horse by allowing the back to swing more in the longer strides.

3. Trouble re-collecting

For horses that struggle to come back into a balanced more collected trot after lengthening, ride a 10m circle at the end of the lengthened strides. This will encourage you to keep your horse in balance so that he is ready to do a small circle, rather than allowing him to rush down the side of the arena.

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This polework exercise can be done in-hand or ridden, but it’s best to teach it as a groundwork exercise first to give your horse the chance to learn the concept without the additional weight of a rider. The act of simply stepping over a line of poles can bring huge benefits to your horse in terms of both stimulation (mental and physical) and building strength, coordination and horse-rider harmony.

Aims

• Develop your horse’s core strength
• Improve foot-brain coordination
• Develop horse-rider relationship and understanding

The setup

Setup: Four poles laid end to end in a line. They can be on the ground or sightly raised on small blocks or bricks. You need to have space either side, so ideally down the middle of an arena or field.

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle.

How to do this in-hand exercise

• Begin by leading your horse in-hand around the arena or field for five minutes or so, checking he is walking purposefully without pulling you around. Do transitions to and from halt to ensure he is responding.
• Approach parallel to the line of poles so that they lie just to right of your horse. When you are level with the first pole and their right foreleg is about to leave the ground, ask the horse to step over the pole until all four legs are on the right side of the pole.
• Walk in a straight line away.
• Next, approach so that the poles lie to your horse’s left. When their left fore is leading, ask the horse to step to the left over the line of poles and walk away in a straight line.
• Once the horse understands the concept, you can link up several step-overs. Starting with the poles on the right, step over the line leading with the right fore, then take an odd number of steps parallel to the pole until the left fore is leading, and ask the horse to step to the left back over the line of poles. Again walk an odd number of steps and then move sideways right.
• Continue until you reach the end of the line.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Difficulty level

This exercise is more demanding the higher the poles are raised, and the more frequently you ask the horse to step over. Start with seven steps on each side, progressing to five or then three as your horse understands.

2. Stay parallel

It can be tempting to serpentine over the poles, but the aim is to step laterally, one foot after the other. Stay parallel and don’t meander!

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In this exercise to improve medium trot, we are using lateral work – specifically the half-pass – to improve the push in the more extended paces. Half-pass should only be attempted once your horse is established in both shoulder-in and haunches-in (travers), being able to bend around the inside leg, maintain a forward rhythm and move sideways in good balance.

The half-pass enhances a horse’s longitudinal and lateral suppleness, enabling the hindleg to step under more and therefore boosting the power and push, to encourage ground cover without your horse losing balance. It also frees up the shoulders, which gives your horse more reach in the medium trot.

Aim

• Improve impulsion and engagement

Setup

No setup required: This flatwork exercise is easiest to do in an arena. If you are riding it in a field, we suggest marking out an arena to help your accuracy.

How to ride the exercise

• Once warmed up, establish an active working trot and go large.
• As you come out of the corner, ask for half-pass across the diagonal.
• After six strides or so, straighten the horse and ask for some lengthened or medium trot strides.
• Proceed in medium trot across X. This should improve impulsion and engagement.
• After around six strides of medium trot, half-halt and position your horse in half-pass again.
• Half-pass back to the track.
• Repeat on both reins and from both ends of the arena.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Failing to prepare

Without preparing your horse properly either for the half-pass or the medium trot, he will lack engagement and balance. Try a couple of steps of shoulder-in before the half-pass to engage the hindleg and establish the bend.

When it comes to the medium trot, make sure he is straight before asking him to lengthen.

2. Too much, too soon

Half-pass is a lateral movement for established horses. If your horse is twisting his head or struggling with his balance and bend, go back to basics. He should be well established in shoulder-in before you start attempting some steps of half-pass.

3. Twisting head

This can occur when the inside rein is forcing the bend, with the outside leg pushing the horse, which blocks the inside leg from coming through.

Or, the rider is asking for more sideways movement than the horse is ready for.

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Teaching sidepass and other lateral work from the ground encourages your horse to “think” with his feet, as well as listening and reacting to what you are asking of them. It can take a while initially for the penny to drop for some horses learning this lateral sidepass pole exercise, but it’s great for creating engagement and learning how to move the hind and front end.

The pole provides a visual and tactile boundary, which is a tool in this exercise. All you are asking the horse to do is move sideways along a pole which separates the hind and front end. However, it is quite a demanding exercise mentally, requiring your horse to understand your cues to move laterally and not to step forwards over the pole with the hindlegs.

Before you attempt this groundwork exercise, your horse needs to understand how to move his front end and his back end from your cues on the ground. These are simple movements that you would do, for example, when you open and close a gate.

Aims

• Develop lateral coordination, suppleness and precise footwork
• Engage the core as the horse learns cross their legs over in balance
• Improve your horse’s overall manoeuvrability and responsiveness

The setup

You will need:

• A pole on the ground – ideally a heavy one that doesn’t roll easily when kicked or stepped on
• training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle
• Lunge line, long rope or reins
• Schooling whip (or you can spin the end of your line or reins as the cue)

Once your horse is comfortable standing over a pole, ask him to move sideways along the pole, keeping his hind and front legs on either side

How to do the sidepass pole exercise

• First lead your horse towards the pole, asking him to halt when just his front legs are over it, and the pole is dividing his front and hindlegs. It may take some adjustment and steps of rein-back for him to understand where you want him to position himself.
• Make sure that your horse is comfortable standing squarely with the pole dividing his front and hind end. This may take time initially, especially if he is used to walking over poles rather than stopping halfway.
• In the middle of the pole, stand facing your horse and slightly to his left side, and ask your horse to move to the right, away from you.
• Your left hand should steer the horse sideways to his right, containing any forward movement so that he does not walk over the pole with the hindlegs.
• To move the hind end laterally, either spin or shake the loose end of lead rope in your right hand, or point to the horse’s ribcage with your schooling whip to ask him to move right.
• The moment your horse makes a step or two sideways, release the pressure and praise. Over time he will understand to move laterally along the whole pole, crossing his legs over as he goes.
• To start with, just try going from the middle of the pole to the edge, and eventually you’ll be able to side pass along the whole pole.
• Repeat in the other direction.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Patience

Break this exercise down into small steps, so you do not overface your horse – it takes time. In one session, you may only get as far as standing quietly over the pole.

2. Confidence and competence

To start with, your horse may move the front end and hind end separately, but as they grow in confidence and understanding, they will step sideways with both fronts and hinds simultaneously.

3. When to step away

If your horse starts to get frustrated with the exercise, which can feel claustrophobic as he gets used to the pole in between his legs, break it up with some forward trotwork.

4. Ridden work

You can also do this exercise ridden, and having already taught your horse from the ground, it should be much easier to achieve.

5. Progress

You can develop this exercise by adding further poles, for instance into an L shape or a zigzag so the horse they have to negotiate corners, requiring a little turn on the forehand or haunches to move onto the next pole.

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We know straightness is a crucial element of how our horse goes, and one of the scales of training. Canter, being asymmetrical, is the hardest gait to achieve straightness, with many horses falling out at the shoulder and swinging the quarters in.

This flatwork exercise uses shallow loops to straighten the canter, improving engagement and encouraging your horse to accept the outside aids. Straightness still applies when the horse is bending. The horse is straight if their hindlegs are following their front legs travelling on the same two tracks in self-carriage.

Quarters-in is a common fault at lower levels. As the outside hindleg strikes off (and starts each canter stride sequence), it carries the most weight. Horses may try to compensate for this by swinging the quarters in so this weight-bearing leg doesn’t have to step under so far.

Aims

• Straighten the canter
• Teach your horse to accept the outside aids
• Achieve self-carriage

The setup

No setup required: This exercise is easiest to do in a school to help you be disciplined about the size of loop. If you do it in a field, we suggest you mark out an area to work in.

How to ride this exercise

• Once warmed up in walk, trot and canter on both reins, go large in a balanced working canter.
• At the first quarter marker on each side of the area, ride a 10m shallow loop. The bend of the horse’s head and neck should follow the direction of travel.
• Repeat, progressively decreasing the size of loops to 8m, 5m, 2m and 1m.
• Finally, ride the same exercise with barely noticeable loops of 20cm – with the aim that your horse is completely straight.
• Repeat on both reins.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Your horse goes disunited or hollows

Just come back to trot, try to relax, and then try again starting with shallower loops.

2. You lose the quality of canter

Some horses rush as they anticipate cantering across the diagonal. Perform a half-halt in the corner before starting the loop to keep him on the aids.

3. An unintentional flying change

Maintain the existing canter lead (the lead you started the loop on) with your true inside leg and the outside leg slightly behind the girth. While the horse’s body should bend around the loop, their nose should be slightly pointing toward the leading leg to prevent the horse from interpreting the turn as a cue for a flying change.

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This S-bend or maze exercise is designed to be done in walk. However, you can choose either to ride it or do it in hand – both have benefits. As your horse navigates their way through the maze of poles, it’s a mentally stimulating challenge to encourage suppleness, build core strength and balance, while teaching your horse to take care where he puts his feet.

I personally love this polework exercise and find it to be really beneficial. Plus, walk is a very effective pace for polework because there is no moment of suspension, which means your horse has to use muscular effort, thereby building core strength.

Aims

• Improve proprioception
• Boost balance and core strength
• Provide mental stimulation

The setup

Setup: six poles arranged in a maze or S shape

You will need: if working in-hand, a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle. Otherwise, your usual tack.

How to ride the maze exercise

• Whether you are riding or working in-hand, warm up the horse for 10 minutes or so, including transitions and circles. Check he is responsive to your aids, listening and ready to work.
• Let’s say you want to ride the exercise. Approach the entry to the maze (blue line) in a nice active walk.
• The corners will be tight. Open your inside hand to encourage your horse to bend through his body in the direction of travel. Control the shoulder from falling out with the outside rein. Apply pressure with the inside leg, to encourage him to step under and cross over with his hindlegs, like you would in turn on the forehand. The outside leg behind the girth should be in contact with their side to stop the quarters swinging out.
• To do this exercise in-hand, you will need to use your body positioning, line and stick to encourage your horse to bend and step under.
• You can also use this layout to walk and trot over the poles as shown in the diagram by the orange and yellow lines.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Start simple

Start with wide channels (around 1.5m) when introducing this layout. You can reduce them to about 1m when the horse is proficient at this exercise.

You can also start with a basic L or U shape rather than the full maze while the horse works out the challenge.

2. Rushing

Horses can feel trapped by the narrow boundaries and rush, or try to go over the poles rather than chicane around them. If this happens, widen the channels. You can also walk the horse around the layout first so they can inspect it.

3. Steering problems

Your horse may be confused by the layout and what you want him to do in the tight space, or lack lateral suppleness. Take it slowly, using clear aids whether you are doing the exercise ridden or in-hand.

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This simple groundwork exercise might not look demanding, performed at a walk on a loose rein, but it works your horse’s back, strengthens the hindquarters and core, and improves their proprioception as the negotiate poles of different heights and angles.

Aims

• Provide mental and physical stimulation
• Strengthen core and hindquarters
• Focus on footwork

The setup

Setup: four poles set up in a cross shape, with the outer ends raised on blocks

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

How to do this in-hand exercise

• Warm up your horse first in straight lines in walk by leading him around the arena or field for around 10min, checking that he is active and obedient to your aids. Do frequent transitions from walk to halt to ensure your communication and your horse’s responses are working well. You can also do some rein-back in-hand.
• This polework exercise has two patterns – one a circle and the other in straight lines.
• For the circle, stand toward the middle of the circle and ask the horse to circle around you, stepping over the poles. You can touch your horse behind the girth to encourage him to bend around you. (You will need to be in one quarter, and step over the poles as you turn). The bigger the circle, the higher your horse will need to lift his feet to clear the raised poles.
• Give your horse plenty of rein or rope so that he can lower his head and use his back. The uneven heights require him to look down, assess, and improve hoof-brain coordination.
• For the straight lines, simply lead your horse into the middle of the cross so that he has to take a big step over the X.
• You can add variants, such as small circles over each pole, or making serpentine shapes.
• Perform these exercises equally on both reins to promote symmetrical muscle development.

Tip

Circle sizes

Asking the horse to circle around the edge of the poles requires less bend, but for the horse to lift and engage his core more as he’s travelling over the raised ends. If you bring the circle in closer to you, it will require more bend and suppleness. Either size brings benefits.

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While a horse’s paces are largely down to natural talent, there’s plenty you can work on to improve their quality, scope and cadence. Paces will typically improve as your horse strengthens and you can use poles on the ground to help them develop.

This polework exercise uses just three poles, but by putting them on a fan, you can vary the line and therefore the adjustability of your horse. This works on the ability to collect, lift and lengthen, while staying in a rhythm to negotiation the poles.

Aims

• Improve your horse’s paces
• Encourage a forward, balanced rhythm
• Stop your horse falling in round the corner

The setup

Setup: place three poles in a fan anywhere in the arena, as long as you can ride a straight line towards the fan and away at a right angle. Ideally you will use matching poles so that you can visually ensure you stay on the same curved line.

To ride the exercise in trot, set the poles at around 1.25–1.50m apart (approx 4.5 to 5 toe-to-heel steps for most adults)at the centre point, making a wedge shape.

To ride the exercise in canter, set the poles at around 3–3.5m apart (approx three adult walk steps) at the centre point.

Ponies will need shorter distances (or to take a tighter inside line).

How to do this exercise

• Once warmed up, pick up an active trot and ride over the fan crossing the centre of the poles making a smooth curve around the corner.
• Keep the rhythm and ride over the inner line, again with a smooth (albeit tighter) curve. This is to shorten the stride and encourage your horse to use his hocks.
• Then try the outer line, encouraging your horse to take a longer step, while keeping the rhythm. He cannot simply go faster, as the poles will guide his stride length.
• The inner and outer lines enable you to practise lengthening and shortening the stride, using the poles as an aid to help the horse to stay engaged as he has to lift his shoulder and use his hocks.
• Once your horse is working well over the fan in trot on both reins, widen the distance between the fanned poles for canter.
• Repeat the exercise in canter, working on inner and outer lines and always maintaining a smooth curve.
• If your horse is confident with this exercise, you can then raise the middle pole into a small fence.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Falling in or escaping through the shoulder

Make sure you are following the line through the poles, looking forward around the bend and keeping the contact from inside leg to outside hand. Identically marked poles can help you stay on the same curved line throughout the fan.

2. Shorten and lengthen

This is a great exercise to help your horse’s medium or extended trot. Ride the fan on the inner line to encourage a correct collected trot, giving your horse more lift. Then take that energy and put it into a medium trot across the diagonal or down the long side.

3. Simplify the setup

If you have six poles, you can set up two fans – one at trot and the other at canter distance so that you don’t have to get off and reset the poles.

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You may be keen to know how to start riding bridleless if you’ve been inspired by recent events.

Much of the interest generated recently is a result of the first British Bridleless Competition. Mia Rodley of The Heart of Horsemanship, who organised the show on 31 May 2026, has long said that any horse and any rider can go bridleless – but not straight away.

Her number one top tip on how to get started in bridleless riding is:

Leave the bridle on.

Steps to riding bridleless

“The bridleless riding is the pinnacle, it’s almost showing off!” Mia says. “It’s showing that you’ve got that connection with your horse.”

So if you want to start riding bridleless, as is the case with anything to do with horses, there’s a lot of work involved to get to that point, but it’s something you can start on straight away.

Relaxation

“First and foremost, you have to have relaxation,” Mia says. “Your horse has to be calm, and able to stand still, on the buckle, without having to halt them. You’d be amazed how many people can’t just stop and chill on a long rein – that’s the first step.”

Once you have relaxation at halt, you need it in all paces; you must be able to walk, trot and canter, on the buckle, at all times and in all situations.

“Can you do it on a hack?” Mia says. “Can you do it in a warm-up at a competition? Is your horse really calm enough to not have to pick up your reins? That’s the first game and challenge a rider can give themselves; if I want to ride bridleless everywhere, or in a competition, can I do it in a competition environment with my bridle on?

“The game is ‘Don’t touch my reins’, or count, how many times do you need to pick up the reins in a ride. That’s another really good exercise, because any time you touch your reins, if you were bridleless, that could be a dangerous situation.”

Connection

Once relaxation to this level has been achieved, the next step is connection. The phrase Mia uses is “calm, confident and connected”; the horse must be calm and confident in his environment, and have the connection with his rider.

“My favourite way to read connection with a horse is their ears,” Mia says. “Can you sit on your horse and cause the left ear to flip back on to you without touching the reins? It’s gauging the level of connection you have with your horse’s mind; can he think back to you or is he looking into the distance at the sheep?”

If so, the test is, can you then keep this while successfully asking for the basic yields; a turn on the forehand and haunches, backing up?

“You have to be able to go forwards, backwards, left and right where you want, without touching your reins,” Mia says. “Then again, in walk, then trot, then canter.

“Count how many times you have to touch your reins while doing this as that’ll give you a really good gauge of whether you’re ready to go bridleless.”

Emergency brakes

“Your horse has to be able to stop, from a canter, if things get emotional,” Mia said. “Unfortunately a whistle stop and a treat isn’t going to cut it in that moment; verbal signals will not work in an emergency. If the horse has bolted, you have to be able to push the turn to slow them down.”

Mia carries a stick, used to inform rather than ever to punish; she has explained before that using the stick to “push the air” by the horse gives him the information to turn, or when needed in an emergency, to stop.

“You’ve got to make sure your horse is ok with the stick,” she says. “A lot of horses have trauma around sticks but once they’re trusting and confident with the tools, you can use them for communication. It’s like a one-rein stop, but rather than pulling on the inside rein, you’re pushing the outside. You can pair that with a whistle, and really reinforce the behaviour to interrupt a bolt or spook, but it’s got to be so solid.

“You need to practise and rehearse your emergency stop a lot – and that’s all before you take the bridle off. Because although this is more natural for horses, most haven’t been trained in it; it’s a new form of communication with the rider and they have to learn it too.”

The relationship

But what if the relaxation, the first step to master if you want to start riding bridleless, isn’t there? This is how it becomes clear that bridleless riding is the means rather than the end; without building the relationship, it is not possible.

“Relaxation first, in all gaits, all environments, on the buckle first and foremost, and that’s massive,” Mia says. “It takes a long time just to get to that level with any horse, whether it’s a warmblood or a cob. That’s where most of us do a lot of groundwork already, a lot of personal development. We’re really looking to improve our own awareness of our horses.

“That’s where liberty work comes in so much for me with bridleless riding, because really it’s the same thing, you just take it under saddle.”

How long does it take to go bridleless?

The main thing to remember if you want to start riding bridleless is that this will take time; no one should just “give it a go” without the foundations.

“I was doing a step by step, how to ride bridleless, at a demo and someone said ‘What happens if your horse won’t stand still?’ and I said ‘Then you’ve got a lot of work to do before you take your bridle off’,” Mia said. “If you can’t just stand on a long rein and let go, you’re not going to be able to do anything else; the horse is not relaxed if they can’t just stand.”

Safety

Safety is of paramount importance. At the British Bridleless Competition, all who competed had to apply, by sending in videos of themselves riding bridleless, including evidence of the ability to perform three different emergency stops, and the class they wanted to enter. All warmed up in some sort of bridle, watched by Mia, while horsemanship expert and relationship judge Lyla Cansfield had the final say on whether each combination was allowed to compete.

“And obviously when horses are learning, it’s really important they’re in a secure space as well,” Mia says. “You have to have checked out every scenario and situation and rehearsed it with your bridle on before you take the bridle off.”

Benefits of bridleless riding

Many people, including dressage judge Mary-anne Horn, have commented on how relaxed and tension-free the horses at the British Bridleless Competition looked – but again, this is a result of the process rather than the bridleless riding itself.

“It’s because we’ve put so much emphasis on the connection first,” Mia says. “Serena Kullich is such a good example; her horses all go so beautifully and that’s because of the work she’s done to get them riding bridleless.”

Not having reins to rely on also means the rider has to use their seat and legs more effectively.

“A great quote is, ‘You exaggerate to teach, but you refine as you go’,” Mia says. “When you’re not using your reins, you might have to exaggerate your body language a bit more to get a turn or a stop – and that’s really good for the human to do as well, as it’s the conscious competence to get what you’re asking, and then it becomes second nature.”

Equipment

The neck rope is important but this is not about neck-reining; it sits at the base of the neck, which has plenty of musculature to protect key structures and minimal nerve endings, and it should never go more than halfway up the neck.

Neck ropes will not be needed for those who are looking to start riding bridleless, but for when you get to that stage, they should be made at least partly of leather so if, in an extreme situation, your horse gets its head down or stands on it or it catches anything, it will break.

Bridleless training

There are many ways to get help to start riding bridleless. Mia gives lessons and clinics, and there is plenty of information on how to work towards it in her online academy for subscribers.

Lyla Cansfield and Tracey Duncan are among the other trainers recommended.

Bridleless competition opportunities

A series of British Bridleless Competitions is planned; there will be at least one more this year, although the date and venue are yet to be confirmed, and the plan is also to include bridleless competition at next year’s British Liberty Show at Hartpury. Follow the British Bridleless Competition social media for updates.

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A correct halt is not achieved by simply closing the rein, it is the result of preparation, engagement and control in the preceding strides – and this polework exercise will help you get one step closer to riding a perfect square halt.

The halt is a key movement at every level of dressage. Whether it appears at the end of the final centre line, at X on the first centre line, or any other location during the test, it offers the judge a clear opportunity to assess balance, straightness and obedience. This exercise to improve your square halt will help develop all of these skills.

Aims

• Help the rider create an active balanced trot
• Help with accurate placement of the halt
• Create a square halt

The setup

You need: four poles

Setup: place two parallel poles either side of the centre line at X, spaced approximately one trot step apart (around four to five heel-to-toe steps), with two additional poles placed before and after them to frame the exercise.

How to ride this exercise to improve square halt

1. Before introducing halt transitions, it is essential to establish an active, balanced trot. Ride over the pair of trot poles on the E-B line. They will encourage the horse to step more actively underneath with the hind legs, promoting engagement and rhythm.

2. Start by practising trot–halt–trot transitions on the track. The long side provides a natural guide for straightness, which means you can focus on the quality of the transition without worrying about line. At this stage, the higher scales of training (impulsion, straightness and eventually collection) become increasingly important.

As you prepare for the halt, maintain an active trot with a closed leg and steady contact. Use your seat and core to ask for the transition, thinking of the horse stepping into the halt rather than stopping abruptly. A good halt should feel balanced and attentive, with the horse ready to move off again without resistance.

3. Ride the trot-halt-trot transitions on the centre line within the pole layout. As the horse steps over the pole into the halt, the hind legs naturally engage more deeply beneath the body, often resulting in a straighter, squarer halt. Moving off again over the following pole encourages an active, forward transition back into trot while maintaining alignment.

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Halt not straight

When preparing the halt ensure your hips stay square and level, a horse wanting to be crooked will often push one of the rider’s hips forward or upwards. For example, if your horse is halting with their haunches to the right, they will have pushed the riders right hip up or forwards.

2. Knocking pole on the way in

This often means your halt is not square. Make sure the trot is active without being quick. While the upper leg helps maintain the straightness of the trot, the lower leg encourages activity. Your horse should feel short and bouncy as opposed to slow and flat.

3. Overshooting the layout

This is often due to lack of preparation, or the preparation being too late. If you overshoot by a stride, next time try starting the preparation a stride earlier. Half-halts should be clear and quick, followed by a release. If you hold for too long the horse will likely lean on the rein and be slow in their reaction.

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In this guide for H&H subscribers, FEI judge Stephen Clarke and four-time Olympic medallist Carl Hester explain why the walk is so often where dressage tests are won or lost – and what riders can do to improve their marks

Back when I was training, I can’t remember ever spending much time on how to ride the free walk on a long rein. It was one of those movements where you get to the test, throw the reins forward, mumble a quick prayer that no one slams a car boot or drops a coffee, and hope for the best. Sometimes, on a trickier horse, it was a brief pause to think about how I’d disgraced myself in the previous movements, casting apologetic glances at the judges.

And I don’t think I was alone. Even at the top levels of dressage, you see horses scoring eights and nines for their trot and canter, then plummeting down to sixes for the walk.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. The walk is the pace that reveals more about a horse’s training than almost any other. It’s the first to go if there’s tension in the back, and in most tests it carries a coefficient – meaning a low score hurts more than other movements.

Get it right, and you score handsomely. Get it wrong, and there’s nowhere to hide.

Why the walk matters more than you think

The walk isn’t just one movement in a dressage test – it runs through the whole horse’s training picture. As FEI judge Stephen Clarke puts it: “The extended walk is the tell-tale movement, because you see whether the horse is truly relaxed and supple, obedient and confident.”

He’s particularly emphatic about how revealing the free walk is: “It is a good safeguard – it makes sure that riders and trainers always look after that freedom of movement. As the horse reaches the higher levels, there is such an emphasis on collection that, sometimes, freedom is lost.”

In other words, free walk isn’t a break from the real training – it’s the test of whether the training is honest or not.

How to ride free walk: what the judge wants to see

In the free walk on a long rein, the judge is looking for:

• A horse seeking the contact forward and down, with the rider allowing the rein
• Long, free, purposeful strides – not slow, lazy ones
• A regular, four-beat rhythm with clear overtrack
• A relaxed, supple back, with the horse lengthening the frame naturally
• Light contact maintained throughout – the rein lengthens, but doesn’t disappear
• A smooth, balanced return to a medium walk before the next movement

As Stephen explains, the score reflects “the regularity of the four footfalls, as well as all of the qualities described in brackets within each of the collective marks: rhythm, suppleness, contact and co-operation.”

Where free walk goes wrong

Most riders, when they reach the diagonal for free walk, do one of two things: they drop the contact entirely and lose all influence on the horse, or they hold on and never let the horse genuinely stretch down.

Neither approach produces what the judge wants to see.

Stephen sees the pattern repeatedly: “Often it is the extension and collection which cause the problem. Riders sometimes fall into the trap of restricting the horse with the reins to collect, which constrains the neck and stiffens the back, thereby limiting the steps. This will have a damaging effect on the regularity of the four beats. At worst, this ends up as almost a two-beat movement, where the horse moves his limbs in lateral pairs.”

A lateral walk – where the legs on the same side move together rather than in true four-time beat – is one of the most damaging faults a dressage horse can develop. And once it appears, it’s a sign that something in the training has gone wrong.

Stretch without losing the contact

The technical heart of free walk is allowing the horse to lower and lengthen the neck while maintaining a light, elastic contact through the rein. The reins lengthen – they aren’t dropped.

Carl Hester puts it simply: “The use of the head and neck is so important in walk. It should be like a rowing motion. The horse has to take your hand forward and not fiddle and get behind the vertical.”

That “rowing motion” is a useful image to hold onto. The horse is actively seeking the bit forward and down, and the rider is allowing that movement without losing the connection. If the horse curls behind the vertical, the stretch isn’t honest. If the rider holds the rein too short, the stretch can’t happen at all. If the rider drops the reins, the contact is lost.

Slower is usually better

A common mistake – particularly in tests – is for riders to push the walk forward, driving with the seat in the hope of looking impressive. “When you walk, make it a slow walk,” Carl says. “The quicker it goes, the smaller the overtrack.”

The mathematics of the walk are a little counter-intuitive. A horse that hurries will shorten his stride; a horse that takes his time will lengthen it.

Carl adds: “If we have a one-hoof overtrack, the horse needs time on the floor – he doesn’t need to come off fast. A one-and-a-half overtrack is better. And if the front legs move too quickly for the hindlegs to keep up, the horse has to learn to use his shoulder. Then we will get closer to two hooves overtrack.”

How to practise the free walk at home

We all know this, really, but the free walk shouldn’t only be ridden during dressage tests. Stephen emphasises that the walk needs work every time you’re in that pace: “Whenever you give the horse a period of rest between movements, be aware of what’s going on underneath you. You should feel the rhythm and swing in the back – and should be influencing the walk, always.”

Try incorporating these three practical exercises into your schooling to help improve your walk:

1. Improving overtrack with leg-yield in walk

A shallow angle of leg-yield on a circle or straight line can encourage a longer stride. Feel down the inside rein for a slight bend and ask the horse to move away from your inside leg. The pace becomes more relaxed, and the overtrack will improve.

2. Riding the free walk as it appears in your test

Sit centrally with loose hips and soft hands. Slowly let your arms move forward while maintaining a slight inside bend. Push the walk forward gently with alternate legs until your horse is reaching for the bit. The reins lengthen progressively, not all at once.

3. Practising the transition back

Some horses predict the upward transition and jog. Make a series of halt transitions in walk during training, then remind your horse in the test with a half-halt. Keep a soft leg contact to reassure him, and gather the reins carefully – keeping a slight inside bend through the transition.

4. Get eyes on the ground

The walk is one of the hardest movements to accurately feel what’s going on underneath you. The footfalls are slower, the overtrack can be deceptive, and tension in the back is easy to miss when you’re focused on the contact. A second pair of eyes can confirm whether the rhythm is genuinely four-beat, whether the overtrack matches what you think it is, and whether the horse is honestly swinging through the back.

If you don’t have a coach available, video yourself again and again – ideally from the side – and check that your sense of what’s happening below you matches what’s actually showing up on the ground.

When the walk goes bad

Although we often consider the walk a natural pace, a poor walk often isn’t the horse’s fault.

Stephen is direct: “A bad walk is usually created because a rider has a disturbing influence on the horse – either a backward influence on the reins or a poor riding position. If the rider is stiff, then the horse will be stiff.”

The walk is the gait where rider faults show up first. A tight seat, busy hands, or a fixed contact will all interfere with the natural rhythm. Even small habits – pulling on the reins when the horse curls, pushing too hard with the seat – can disrupt the four-beat pattern.

Stephen’s solution is patience: “It is important not to try to collect the horse too early. Collection develops naturally. Wait for the horse. It is the gymnastic training which makes the horse strong enough to collect within all the paces.”

Common mistakes and fixes

1. Your horse jogs into the free walk

Fix: Use small half-halts before the diagonal to settle the horse, then allow the rein gradually rather than all at once.

2. Your horse drops the contact entirely

Fix: Maintain feel through your fingers. The rein lengthens, but the connection doesn’t disappear.

3. Your horse curls inwards

Fix: Encourage him forward to the bit, not down. Think “out” rather than “down”.

4. The walk becomes lateral

Fix: Slow the walk down. Resist the temptation to push for more overtrack with speed. Allow the horse to find the rhythm naturally.

5. The return to medium walk is abrupt

Fix: Gather the reins progressively as you approach the next marker. Don’t snatch them up at the end of the diagonal.

Marching on

The most important thing, Stephen says, is to remember that the walk reflects everything else in the training: “Honest training is the only way to preserve the walk. The work is done before the walk happens – it is all about whether the horse is truly in front of the leg, in real balance and self-carriage.”

Carl agrees that the answer is more straightforward than riders often make it: practise correct walk at home, ride forward without rushing, and trust the horse to march resolutely.

Or, as Stephen puts it: “Just let it happen”.

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It’s all too easy when out hacking to do long stretches in one pace. By mixing it up and incorporating transitions, this will ensure your horse is listening to your aids and engaged, and improve your flatwork while you’re at it.

If you’re hacking out in company, you can still do this flatwork exercise. Count strides together and make it fun!

Aims

• Improve your accuracy in making upward and downward transitions
• Be disciplined about making the transition at the intended moment, rather than drifting into the new pace
• Ensure your horse is listening to you in a distracting environment, and that your aids are clear

The setup

No setup required. You can do this in an arena, field or out hacking.

How to ride the exercise

• Decide on a sequence of transitions that you will stick to. For example, trot 20 strides, walk 10 strides, trot 20 strides, walk 10 strides. You can also include canter and halt.
• Be disciplined about when the transition happens, rather than drifting into walk or trotting two strides after you intended. Prepare early, using one or more half-halts, so that your horse is ready, then execute the transition at the designated point.
• If you’ve nailed the straightforward transitions, work on transitions within the gait, for example lengthened strides, free walk to medium walk, collected trot to working, or skipping a gait, like halt to trot or walk to canter and back again.

You may find your horse is more easily distracted out hacking than he would be schooling in the arena, so this is a great way to keep him listening.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Lack of response into trot

Your horse does not have enough impulsion. Transitions are an excellent remedy for helping the horse be sharper off the leg, so try doing more frequent transitions. Also use transitions within the gait to build responsiveness and engagement.

2. Falling into walk

This reveals a lack of engagement, and could also mean the rider is leaning forward or collapsing through their core into the downward transition. Wrap your leg around your horse’s belly, close your thighs, sit up tall and maintain a consistent contact to keep the quarters engaged as he steps forward into walk.

3. Horse hollows

Your horse may hollow its back and lift his head as you make a downward transition. This can occur when the rider blocks with the reins. Soften your hand slightly during the transition, without losing the contact completely, to allow the horse to lift its back and step under.

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When you don’t have the time or motivation to ride, but still want to give your horse a constructive session, incorporating polework exercises as part of your groundwork training is one solution.

This in-hand groundwork exercise is ideal for establishing good communication with your horse from the ground, engaging them physically and mentally, as well as building their core strength and proprioception (body awareness). With one groundwork setup, you can practise a variety of lines and work on different areas of the body.

Aims

• Encourage accuracy and precision on the straight lines
• Develop flexion, core strength and engagement over the poles and round tight corners
• Mental stimulation and increased proprioception

The setup

Setup: four poles arranged in a square shape with each one touching end to end

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

How to do the exercise

• First lead your horse around a few laps of the arena on each rein, checking he is listening to you by making frequent transitions to halt. You can also ask him to rein-back or do some basic lateral work. Your horse should be walking actively forwards and straight, as you would expect under saddle.
• Approach one side of the square in the centre of the poles and walk directly through, keeping on the same straight line as if you were riding a centre line in a dressage test (see green line above). Repeat this on the opposite axis and on both reins. You can incorporate halts in the middle of the square.
• Next, try diagonal lines through the square (see orange line above), walking in and out over the corners. This requires a bigger step from the horse to clear the right angle. Always focus on staying straight – it’s easier for the horse to veer away from the point. Also incorporate transitions to halt in the middle.
• To introduce bend, set up a curved line which asks the horse to step over each pole on an angle (see black line on the left above). You can adjust the curve to make the bend easier or harder to improve your horse’s flexibility and work on both reins.
• Another pattern to try is loops in and out of the square, changing bend through the centre – it’s a small space, so your horse will have to be clever with his footwork
• Work up to walking a complete circle over one corner of the square (black line top right), which requires your horse to bend through their ribs and be aware of their foot placement to clear the poles. Adjust the size of the circle to suit your horse.
• Finally you can ask your horse to work on his suppleness by turning a small circle around the inside of the square (black line inside the poles). This will require him to engage the inside hindleg and develop his flexibility (see note below).

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Larger circles

If walking a tight circle around the inside of the square is too taxing, try initially circling around the outside, which gives your horse more space. However, he should be able to work up to manoeuvring around the inside with practice.

2. Progress

To increase the difficulty level, raise the poles (using risers like these) to place a greater demand on the core strength and hindleg engagement.

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When it comes to lengthening and shortening the canter, this simple exercise is a must-try

Speak to any event rider about how to improve canter adjustability and, more often than not, they’ll recommend this polework exercise – but it’s not just useful for competitors.

When you’re schooling at home, this simple two-pole setup takes the guesswork out of lengthening and shortening the canter stride. It will reveal much about your horse’s strength, as well as just how effective your aids are, all while you’re working on improving the canter.

For young horses, it offers a framework for learning to shorten – establish the aids and mechanics here to set him up for dressage movements, variations within the pace (such as extended canter and collected canter) and course riding.

Aims

• improve canter adjustability
• refine the rider’s aids
• engage the hindleg

The setup

You need: two poles placed on the three-quarter line – it doesn’t matter about the distance between them

How to ride the exercise

• Once warmed up, approach the poles in an active, rhythmic working canter. Aim for the middle and to maintain the rhythm without interfering too much. Your horse should look and adjust to meet the poles in the middle of the stride.
• Repeat, noting how many strides your horse fits comfortably and consistently down the line without interference.
• Now, still your seat over the first pole and make the shortening adjustments needed to fit an extra stride.
• Re-establish the working canter pace. Then ride forward over the first pole and open the canter to travel down the line in one stride fewer.
• Repeat, varying the number of strides you aim for each time.

Things to note

1. Don’t panic about half strides…

… or if your horse breaks into trot. This only means your horse is finding it tricky to engage the hind leg to shorten or maintain the power for a longer stride. Practice will improve his ability and interpretation of your aids.

2. The exercise doesn’t end with the second pole

Be mindful of your approach and getaway; you should still aim for a straight line and a quality corner. Furthermore, ensure the canter retains its quality, balance and control away from the second pole, and that your horse doesn’t lose momentum or get too onward bound.

3. Take breaks

Your horse may get tired, and some may become excited as they anticipate what’s to come. Take care to walk your horse if he’s blowing, or spend a couple of minutes working on something else if he lights up. It can help to give young or sharper horses a shorter approach to the poles. As ever, match the length and intensity of a schooling session to your horse’s age, fitness and ability level.

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This spiral circle exercise can help you avoid getting stuck in a rut of riding aimless 20m circles. With a bit of focus, you can turn those circles into a really productive flatwork exercise.

Aim

• to improve your horse’s suppleness, engagement and focus.

The setup

Setup: No setup required. All you need is enough space to trot a 20m circle.

How to ride the spiral circles exercise

• Once warmed up, pick up an active trot on a 20m circle. Make sure your horse is bending correctly on the line of the circle, with your inside leg on the girth and outside leg just behind.
• Use the outside leg to spiral in to a 15m circle, then 12m then 10m.
• Your horse should not be falling in or out, but maintaining the bend through his body as the circle gets tighter.
• Leg-yield back out to a 20m circle, using your inside leg to outside rein.

You can repeat a few times, working on your horse’s suppleness and response to your aids, and they should soften. Adjust the size of the smaller circle, and how quickly you return to the larger circle, to be appropriate for the horse’s level of training.

Repeat the exercise in canter if you’re both ready for it. When you spiral in, your horse will need to collect the canter strides a little while maintaining their bend and impulsion.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Falling in

All horses will be stiffer on one rein and this spiralling exercise will help. Keep the inside leg on the girth, encouraging your horse to bend through his body, and your weight on the inside seat bone. Support the outside shoulder with the outside rein.

Check you are not pulling the horse’s head round and back with your inside hand, instead opening the inside hand to guide him. Turn your shoulders in the direction of the turn, don’t lean inwards.

2. Falling out

Use your outside leg behind the girth to prevent the quarters swinging out. The outside rein should guide and contain the shoulder.

The inside leg should encourage your horse to lift through his ribcage rather than sinking. Keep your weight on the inside seat bone.

3. Slowing down

This is a sign that your horse is finding this exercise is challenging. Stay in trot and repeat little and often in your schooling schedule as it will gradually improve their suppleness. You should find that he is much softer on a 20m circle after doing this exercise.

In canter, your horse will have to take shorter strides to make the tighter circle. Keep the rhythm and impulsion to enable him to maintain the canter quality throughout the spiral.

4. Flying changes

Sometimes in canter, when riders apply the inside leg to leg yield back out to the 20m circle, the horse does a flying change. Make sure your leg is on the girth and not behind.

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This zig-zag polework exercise is particularly useful for encouraging more lift, cadence and expression within the paces.

Polework exercises are a really effective way to develop a horse’s strength, balance and way of going. The unusual shape created by the zig-zag poles, combined with the spacing between them, encourages the horse to sit more on the hindquarters, lift through the core and open the shoulder. It is an excellent exercise for horses who tend to run onto the forehand or become flat through the body.

Aims

• Improve your ability to keep your horse straight and upright
• Encourage your horse to push more actively from behind
• Develop greater lift, cadence and shoulder freedom within the pace

The setup

You will need: four standard 3m poles

Setup: Set the poles out in a zig-zag formation along the three-quarter line. The gaps between each section should be approximately the length of one pole. A simple way to build this is to create an initial triangle shape, then move the base pole to begin the next section of the zig-zag.

How to ride the exercise

1. After your usual warm up, start by riding walk-trot-walk transitions, focusing on your horse reacting promptly from the leg, stepping forwards into the contact while remaining balanced and waiting for the half-halt.

2. Before introducing the full exercise, ride over a single pole on different lines across the school. This allows the horse to understand that poles are part of the session and helps establish relaxation. You can ride over the single pole in walk, trot or canter.

3. When ready, turn onto a line that takes you directly through the centre of the zig-zag. Make your turn early enough that both you and the horse are completely straight before reaching the first pole. Ride through in an active, forward-thinking trot, maintaining rhythm and balance throughout. Straightness is crucial. If the horse drifts left or right, the distances immediately become uneven and the exercise loses its intended effect.

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Loss of straightness

If the horse drifts off line, the distances between the poles will no longer ride correctly. Practise riding straight lines away from the track before attempting the exercise. When riding through the poles, some horses benefit from the rider carrying the hands slightly lower and wider, with a more supportive upper leg to help maintain straightness and alignment.

2. Spooking or stopping

The unusual pole angles can look visually challenging to some horses. This is partly what makes the exercise effective, as horses do not naturally have strong close-up vision and must learn to assess the question while staying relaxed.

If your horse feels tense or unsure, begin by riding the line in walk to allow them time to process the exercise. You may also choose to remove one or two poles initially until their confidence improves.

3. Rushing or breaking into canter

Horses who find lift and lengthening difficult often try to solve the question by quickening or cantering. Focus on the clarity of your trot aids. Use more half-halts if needed, alongside a quieter, slower seat.

Some horses find the exercise easier with the rider rising; others prefer a sitting trot. Whichever you choose, stay tall through your upper body, avoid tipping forwards and remember the value of the voice. A quiet “steady” or “trot” can often help maintain rhythm and confidence.

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One of the easiest ways to impress a dressage judge is by riding accurate corners. But it’s not just about scoring high marks; improving how you ride corners encourages the correct bend, suppleness, straightness and balance from the horse with the rider prioritising using their seat and leg, over their hands. This is the foundation for all lateral movements and more advanced work.

Here’s how to work on your discipline and accuracy round the bends with the help of a simple flatwork exercise.

Aims

• to ride into the corners of the arena
• achieving bend through the horse’s whole body, without drifting in or out
• to encourage straightness and suppleness
• improve your transitions

The setup

Setup: No setup required, but you do need an arena – whether permanent or marked out in a field – so that you have corners to ride into.

How to ride the exercise

• Once you’re warmed up, ride a 20m square in trot, turning across the school from E to B (or B to E, depending on the rein).
• Two strides before each corner, ask your horse to walk. Imagine your horse’s whiskers touching edge of school so that you ride deep into the corner, then turn and trot out. The downward transition should help rebalance your horse.
• As you approach each corner your horse should begin to naturally take their balance back on to the hindleg as they anticipate the downward transition. When you feel this, you can continue around the corner in trot without walking.
• Build up to a consistent trot rhythm on the whole square, without changing tempo or cutting any corners, then repeat on the other rein.
• If you feel the horse fall in or try to cut a corner, do the next one in walk.

Tips

1. Stop the drift

If your horse tries to cut the corner, half halt and check your inside leg is there to encourage them to bend their body around your leg through the corner.

2. Building up

Once your horse is becomes more consistent, instead of walking in the corners, just half-halt to rebalance the trot before the turn.

3. Progress

As the balance of both horse and rider develops, you will be able to ride a consistent trot rhythm through the whole square without cutting any corners. If you lapse at any stage, go back to walk and establish correct corners again so the horse understands what you are asking him to do.

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Being able to change your horse’s canter lead while in the air over a jump might seem daunting, but it’s a necessary skill if you want to ensure a smooth jumping round – and be competitive. Plus, horses do flying changes naturally in the field all the time. Use this figure of eight jumping exercise to master lead changes in the air at home so you can save vital seconds when it counts.

Aim

• use a four-fence set-up to practise and improve lead changes over a fence

The setup

You will need: four fences – you can use cavaletti, full jumps with wings, or ground poles – and cones or markers if you have them.

Setup: construct two sets of two fences at right angles with a distance of approx 20m between the points of each set as shown in the diagram. You can set the fence at whatever height is appropriate, or even start with poles on the ground.

If you have cones, place them as a guide about 10m from the point where each set of two fences meet, at each end.

How to ride the exercise

• Once warmed up and ready to jump, in left lead canter ride around the cone to the first fence (red) – follow the black line in the diagram above.
• Change lead in the air. By looking round to the next fence in the sequence (yellow), the natural shift in bodyweight and direction sends the message to the horse to land with the new leading leg. If you and your horse have not yet established changing leads over fences, see “tips and troubleshooting” below.
• Go round the outside of the other set of fences (blue/green) on the right leg.
• Jump the next fence (yellow), changing to the left lead in the air.
• Go round the cone and repeat. After a rest, repeat on the other rein.

For a more testing challenge, you can come inside the second set of fences making a tighter circle (following the white line), increasing the focus on your rhythm and balance.

Do the same over the blue and green fences to mix it up. Just switch the direction of the set-up, starting on the left of the diagram above, so that you jump the blue and green jumps and go around the yellow and red ones.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. My horse won’t change leg

All horses have a favourite leg to land on, so training them to land on a particular lead takes practice, starting by making sure your aids are super clear and consistent.

Do not lean into the new direction as this can throw your horse off balance. Instead, sit straight and balanced, looking ahead in the new direction.

Support your horse with the new outside rein, and put the new inside leg on at the girth while opening your new inside hand in the direction you are turning.

2. Course-building tactics

If you build one set of fences small and the other slightly higher, you can start over the small set and not have to dismount to adjust before jumping the bigger one.

3. Mix it up

With this set-up you can also practise riding dog-leg turns.

4. Keep it smooth

Being able to change legs in the air will save you time and enable you to produce smooth, rhythmic rounds in competition. Keep thinking ahead, preparing for the next fence as you jump each one.

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Improving your horse’s way of going doesn’t require a perfect arena or a strenuous workout – this halting exercise is an excellent example. You can make significant gains using simple transitions without ever moving faster than a walk. You can ride this flatwork exercise out hacking, in the field or in an arena.

Aims

• to improve your horse’s responsiveness
• hone your horse’s walk-halt transitions, so you can perform them on demand with light aids
• for the horse to understand that go means go, and stop means stop

Setup

No setup needed: You can practise this exercise in an arena, field or out hacking.

How to ride this exercise

• Once warmed up, establish an active walk. Choose a marker, whether it’s a letter in the school or a bush on a hack, where you will aim to halt.
• Sit up tall and reduce the amount your core and hips are following your horse’s back, then gently close your fingers around the rein to ask for halt.
• If the horse doesn’t stop within two strides, check your aids. Were they clear? Repeat and be black and white. As soon as your horse halts, release the rein and praise, with the voice or a stroke on the neck. How long it took to achieve the halt will give you feedback on how early you need to prepare next time, but your horse should become more responsive as you practise.
• Take a moment to assess the halt. Is it balanced? Is your horse square? Does your horse stand still when you release the reins?
• Ask your horse to move off in walk by giving a light leg aid. If he doesn’t react positively from first touch, immediately reapply the leg clearly. If he still doesn’t react, don’t nag, but give a stronger leg aid – it doesn’t matter if the horse trots off as long as he goes forwards. More refined seat and back aids can come later, but the horse can only interpret a limited amount of information, so start with the basics.
• Practise this exercise at regular intervals until your horse is responsive while remaining soft and in a good balance through both the upward and downward transitions. You can do it after four strides or after 40 – what matters is that the horse is listening and responding to your aids.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. It’s a conversation

Give your horse a chance to understand what you’re asking him and try to make it enjoyable. When he tries, show him you appreciate his effort.

2. Don’t fidget with your hand and leg

Many riders never stop twittering with their hand and leg, so the horse learns to ignore them as he doesn’t understand what’s being asked. Ride with clear intent. Ask for a reaction and then leave your horse alone as a reward. Be decisive and have clear boundaries.

3. Let your horse find his balance

If your horse needs to put his head up initially to find his balance, let him. To start with, it’s about the legs: do they go, do they whoa?

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Poles are a useful tool to improve the quality and balance of your horse’s paces, strengthening the core and boosting cadence. You don’t need intricate patterns and dozens of poles to work on the canter – this polework exercise to improve canter quality requires just three or four poles.

Aims

• to improve your horse’s canter quality
• work on the quality and balance of your horse’s canter
• help the rider to feel the canter rhythm and see a distance

The setup

You need: three or four poles

Setup:

• Place three or four poles on a straight line with approximately 3m between each (adjust this according to what suits your horse or pony, aiming for an easy, balanced canter).
• If setting up in an arena, place the poles in the middle of the long side, so that you have sufficient space both to approach and after.

How to ride the exercise

• Once warmed up, ride a good corner to give a straight approach to the canter poles, counting your horse’s strides out loud.
• Focus on the centre of the poles and aim to canter smoothly over them in the same rhythm, without your horse having to stretch or chip.
• If your horse is rushing, sit up and half-halt. If your horse is struggling to reach each pole, keep your leg on, and if that still doesn’t work, shorten the distance so he is comfortable.

You can repeat this exercise several times on each rein, aiming for a regular, relaxed canter rhythm without resistance.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. I can’t see a stride

If you keep getting the distance to the first pole wrong, the whole exercise can disintegrate with poles flying everywhere. It may be too much for your horse to handle mentally, so start with just one pole and practise cantering into that. Once you’ve nailed meeting a single pole correctly, build back up to three or four poles – avoid two as that encourages your horse to jump the lot.

2. My horse rushes towards the poles on the approach

Sit up and ask your horse to halt and stand as soon as he grabs the bit. Reassure him, then quietly turn away and approach again. Keep asking him to stop and stand until he approaches on your terms.

3. My horse jumps the poles

Some horses just do! Repeat the exercise a few times until hopefully he relaxes and canters through quietly. Don’t worry too much if he jumps them, so long as he’s maintaining his canter quality.

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Rein-back from the ground involves working with your horse, unridden, to train him to step backwards calmly and without resistance in response to simple cues.

We use groundwork exercises to teach our horses cues from the ground, so that they clearly understand what is being asked, while also improving balance, suppleness, coordination and core strength.

Aims

• establish good manners, relaxation and softness from the ground
• engage your horse’s core and achieve response to your cues or aids
• release tension and relax your horse

The setup

You will need:

• Usual bridle, without reins (or twisted and secured inside the throat-lash), or a training halter or lunging cavesson
• Lunge line or long rope
• Schooling whip

No setup required: you can do this in an arena, outside the stable, in a field or on the yard if you have sufficient space.

How to rein-back from the ground

If your horse is wearing a bridle, attach the lunge line or long rope to the opposite bit ring to whichever side you are standing, and thread the line through the inside bit ring. For a headcollar, have the rope attached behind the chin. For a lunging cavesson, have the line attached to the central ring at the front.

• Position yourself facing the horse’s tail while standing slightly to one side of the horse’s head, with the horse standing fairly square.
• Applying gentle downward pressure to the rope, to ask the horse to step back, while using your voice to say “back”.
• You can also point the whip towards the horse’s front hooves or chest to encourage the horse to step backwards.
• As soon as the horse takes one step backwards, release the pressure and praise the horse.
• Wait for a moment to allow the horse to process what they’ve learnt, then repeat the cue or ask.
• Halt and stand still for a few moments.
• Lift the rope and step backwards yourself to encourage the horse forwards one or two steps, then stop to stand again.
• If the horse doesn’t understand the cue to walk forwards, point the whip behind the girth, following up with a light touch if needed.

You can repeat this exercise several times until the horse understands what you are asking and will move forward and back confidently without resistance. To start with he may only manage one or two strides, but you can build up to six or more.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Diagonal pairs

You want to see the horse stepping cleanly backwards moving his legs in diagonal pairs, rather than shuffling or dragging their feet.

2. Good foundations

Reaching rein-back from the ground early in a horse’s training can help prevent the horse from learning to lean on you when you are handling them from the ground. Once it is established on the ground, the horse should understand the movement much more easily when ridden.

3. No rushing

The aim is for the horse to step back deliberately and confidently, in a relaxed frame with his poll at a similar height to his withers. You want to avoid the horse becoming tight in the neck or back and raising the head during this movement. If this happens stop, give the horse a moment to relax, and then ask again.

4. Pre-ride softness

This is a great warm-up exercise to do before riding, especially if your horse is sharp, as it encourages him to slow down and work with you without too much pressure. You can also do it tacked up, just secure the stirrups so they don’t bang on your horse’s sides.

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Riding accurate corners is one of the simplest ways to improve a dressage test. Just as importantly, riders must be able to show a clear difference between the corners of the arena and a 20m circle at either end.

Too often, horses drift through the corners as though riding part of a circle, losing both balance and accuracy, but this polework exercise will create a visual guide to help you clearly distinguish between riding a corner and riding a circle.

Aims