Fundamentals – Riding a Circle

,Circles and turns should be easy, we ride them all the time, but they are among the most difficult movements to produce consistently well. Often only part of the circle creates a balanced horse before the movement deteriorates and the horse loses balance. Riding a corner well creates a balanced horse on the straight side of the school, not riding the corner means that your horse is unbalanced on the next side making following movements more difficult.
When the horse loses their balance, they place weight into their shoulder usually more to one side than the other. This can take the rider off balance as well. Equally, if the rider loses their balance, it has a negative impact on the horse. The more that the rider is able to maintain a stable position, the easier it is for the horse to retain their balance.
 
Riding circles and corners are the same, you just have fewer steps around the corner. One of the most common issues with riding these movements, is that riders try to turn the horse with the reins, forgetting the impact that their position has on the horse. Moving a horse through a corner or around a circle is done by influencing the horse’s posture through your own position.

Slightly advance your outside shoulder to align with your horse’s shoulders. Allow your hands to follow the rotation of your shoulders. Your hips need to be in line with your horse’s hips, seat balanced, weight even across both seat bones. You may need to bring your inside seat bone and hip slightly forward to maintain the alignment of your hips with your horse’s hips.

In this position, your weight will be correctly balanced, and your outside rein will come lightly against your horse’s neck. Your inside rein will move away from your horse’s neck. As your horse finds his balance, you will feel him offer a connection into your outside rein which is perfectly positioned to accept the contact offered. Your inside rein should remain soft, if you pull this rein backwards, you will block your horse’s inside hind leg from coming through and he will be unable to maintain his balance. Avoid purposely putting your weight into one or other stirrup as this will make you unbalanced in relation to your horse. If your body is correctly aligned with your horse, your weight will be in the right place.

When you want to ride out of the circle or turn, all you need to do it sit straight. Avoid trying to straighten your horse as this often results in the rider unbalancing the horse and putting weight back to their shoulder.
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Practicing very correct circles and corners consistently will greatly improve your horse’s strength and suppleness, they will start to engage their inside hind leg and this develops better straightness.

In the photos below, the first shows an unbalanced horse and the second shows a balanced horse.