| Shoulder-in is the father of the advanced lateral | | | | left enough to place the outside front leg in front of the |
| dressage movements. It does many wonderful things | | | | inside hind leg. Use your inside rein as an opening rein. |
| for your horse. Here are just some of them: | | | | Bring your outside hand very close to the withers, but |
| 1. Shoulder-in is a suppling exercise because it | | | | never let that hand cross over the withers. |
| stretches and loosens the muscles and ligaments of | | | | What's the Sequence of Aids? |
| the inside shoulder and forearm. During shoulder-in, your | | | | Always ask for bend before you ask for angle. The |
| horse passes his inside foreleg in front of his outside | | | | formula for the advanced lateral exercises is: Bend + |
| foreleg. This motion increases his ability to move his | | | | Sideways = Engagement. (It's NOT Sideways + |
| forearm gymnastically in other movements. | | | | Bend=Engagement.) |
| 2. It's also a straightening exercise because you should | | | | * Make a 10-meter circle (or ride a corner with a |
| always straighten your horse by bringing his forehand | | | | 10-meter arc) to bend your horse. |
| in front of his hindquarters. Never try to straighten him | | | | * You'll know your horse is bending easily when you |
| by leg yielding his hindquarters out behind his shoulders. | | | | can soften the contact on the inside rein, and he stays |
| 3. Shoulder-in is also a collecting exercise. It increases | | | | bent by himself. He'll also feel like he's "giving" in his rib |
| your horse's self-carriage because he lowers his inside | | | | cage. (i.e. If you're circling to the right, his rib cage feels |
| hip with each step. As a result, his center of gravity | | | | like it's bulging to the left.) |
| shifts back toward his hind legs. His hindquarters carry | | | | * Once he's bending nicely, start a second 10-meter |
| more weight, and his front end elevates. | | | | circle. |
| What Does Shoulder-In look like? | | | | * Interrupt that circle during the first step, and continue |
| The horse flexes to the inside, and bends around your | | | | down the long side. |
| inside leg. His forehand comes in 30 degrees off the | | | | * To interrupt the circle, look straight down the long |
| wall so he's on three tracks. At this angle his inside hind | | | | side, and give a squeeze with your inside leg. |
| leg lines up behind his outside foreleg. | | | | * Bring both hands to the inside to place the forehand |
| Sometimes in competition, the judge likes to see a | | | | 30 degrees away from the wall. |
| hoof's width more than three tracks. But don't bring the | | | | * Make sure you do shoulder-in with the same amount |
| forehand in more than that, or you'll lose the bend. | | | | of bend and angle in both directions. Don't ride on three |
| What Are the Aids? | | | | tracks in one direction and on three and a half tracks in |
| If you're doing left shoulder-in, the aids are: | | | | the other. |
| 1. Put your weight on your left seat bone. | | | | How Can You Tell If You're Doing a Good |
| 2. Keep your left leg on the girth for bend and to ask | | | | Shoulder-in? |
| for engagement of the inside hind leg. | | | | * The quality of the shoulder-in really comes down to |
| 3. Place your right leg behind the girth to prevent the | | | | BEND. |
| hindquarters from swinging out. | | | | * You know your horse is bending if his hindquarters |
| 4. Use your left rein to create a +1 flexion at poll. | | | | are in exactly the same position (i.e.parallel to the wall) |
| 5. Keep your right rein steady and supporting to | | | | in shoulder-in as they are when you're just riding |
| prevent too much bend in the neck. | | | | straight down the track. |
| 6. Keep both hands low and equidistant from your | | | | * If his hindquarters swing out at an angle to the wall, |
| body as you move them to the left. Move them to the | | | | you're just doing a leg yield in a shoulder-in position. |