Constant tugging on the reins to keep a horse straight is a common response to a common problem. However, straightness is often caused by an imbalance of the horse or the rider. There are several solutions that, used together, may resolve the problem permanently.
Straightness is often treated as the horse’s problem rather than inquiring whether the rider may be out of balance. At many of my clinics I address rider side-to-side balance issues before riders mount their horses. Terrestrial animals utilize side-to-side weight distribution to change direction. Humans weigh the inside hip to change direction. Horses do the same thing; they weigh the inside hip and hind leg to turn in that direction. Consequently, if the rider’s side-to-side weight is uneven, the horse is inclined to turn in the direction of the most weight. This is great if the rider wants to turn in that direction but annoying otherwise.
If a rider’s side-to-side weight is uneven it also may keep the horse from picking up the correct lead. For example, when the horse is asked to initiate a left-lead canter, the weight must be off the left foreleg while the outside (right) hind must carry more weight. If the rider is heavier on the left side, the horse will have difficulty picking up the left lead but will not have a problem picking up the right lead. Additional problems caused by the rider’s uneven side-to-side weight distribution include saddle slippage, unevenly stretched stirrup leathers, and horses dropping one shoulder and being stiff in the other. Riders’ uneven side-to-side weight distribution can also cause horses to become lame.
I ask riders to stand with each foot on a bathroom scale and play with balance and imbalance so that they can learn to balance evenly. For a minute or so the rider stands with eyes closed once the scales weight the same under each foot. Then I ask the rider to put five, ten, twenty, or fifty more pounds of pressure on one scale and play with these imbalances with eyes closed. The rider learns how dropping or twisting the hips or shoulders, or turning one’s head changes the weight distribution. In this way the riders’ muscle memory can learn the feel of the weight as it is being redistributed from side to side.
Other activities that we do to help riders find their balance is standing on one leg, jumping on a pogo-stick, walking a plank, and balancing on a bongo-board.
However, the most important balancing activity is the target game. Riders walk toward a target with eyes closed; count their strides and open their eyes after every fifth step to make sure they haven’t wandered off course. They discover that a balanced walk takes them directly to the target while an unbalanced walk causes them to veer away from the target toward their heavier side. They also learn to keep their shoulders, hips, and head perpendicular to the target.
Next the rider plays the target game with his or her horse. As before, the rider walks straight toward the target but, with the horse at the rider’s side. The horse and rider match feet, count strides, half halt, and come to a full halt every fifth stride until they reach the target. Once the target is reached the rider says “Nice” and offers a kibble before turning toward another target and repeating the game. This is the first step in teaching the horse-rider team to walk and halt while perfectly balanced together.
Playing the target game while mounted perfects the ability of the horse–rider team to move straight and balanced. The rider must keep himself and his horse perpendicular to the target. It is crucial that the rider keeps the horse’s hips, shoulders, neck and head absolutely straight. The rider can imagine that the horse has a helium balloon attached at the poll just between its ears and line up the balloon string with the target. The rider must keep his or her eyes absolutely on that point where the target and the string intersect. The rider should rest his or her hands on the upper thighs and maintain even contact with the reins to prevent the horse from turning its head. If the horse begins turning its head, the rider can squeeze the opposite hand to remind the horse to keep its head straight. As in previous versions of the target game, the rider repeatedly counts five strides, half halts, and then halts until the target is reached and the horse is rewarded for its efforts. Riders will find that targeting improves both straightness, and balance.
Occasionally the horse is out of balance due to physiological issues, lameness, improper hoof care, or caused by unequal muscle build-up due to repetitive training in one direction or with an unbalanced rider. Physical problems must be appropriately treated by a veterinarian or hoof-care experts. However, most of the time, if the balanced rider learns to “target”, the balance of horse-rider teams improves dramatically and the horse will naturally travel in a straight line. If the basic concepts of the target game are utilized on the trail, the dressage court, or jump course, the rider will be surprised to find how straight they have become.
By Chris Forte
Other articles that will help you and your equine partner travel straight and balanced are:
Very good written about the importance of balance. I sent your article to my students to study. I think they will benefit!
Thank you!