# horse leans around corners



## dynamite. (Jun 21, 2008)

Hey guys, I have a small problem. I noticed the other day that willow is leaning when we trot or canter around corners. I thought it was because of me throwing her off balance, but she also does it when I'm not riding her. Now that I think of it, I have a tendancy to lean a bit around corners, and maybe that is why she is doing it all the time. Does anyone have any tips for me to stop leaning, as well as getting my pony to? Thanks


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

How do you mean leaning.

Is the front end (shoulder) falling to the inside of the arena?


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## dynamite. (Jun 21, 2008)

Yea, like instead of bending (which she is very good at, but when she gets excited she does not listen to my aids at all) she leans down. Like instead of looking like this | she looks like this \. Idk if that helps any lol.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Ah, Daytona does that too sometimes. Sorta like a banana? LOL, what I do is I really press my thigh & lower leg into her, to sorta move her over.


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

Take a look at this thread for it is a common problem.

http://www.horseforum.com/english-riding/help-keeps-dropping-his-right-shoulder-25137/

I posted on that thread--post 6 and in that post there is also a link to a further thread that will help, as well as other responses that be of benefit as well.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

OH! Thanks for that Spyder! Nelson does the same thing when we are doing our arena work. He leans into my inside leg, and drops that inside shoulder so it feels like we are going around like this / which sucks....so I end up crossing over my inside rein to lift him up.


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## TroubledTB (Jun 26, 2009)

Working with a horse with that problem ATM. Instead of crossing over the mane with your inside reins try lifting it straight up to pick up his shoulder. This can be subtle to very obvious, but it makes him lift his jaw not just bend his neck more. Its kind of hard to describe but even on a human try turning your chin as far up to one side as you can go and then pull your shoulder away and see how low it goes. Now simply turn your head to gaze over your shoulder and try to lower your shoulder. If I explained it right you probably see what I'm saying. Turning your head to gaze is just like a horse bending his neck in response to the rein. If you pull straight up as a correction he has to swivel his jaw and therefore lift up his neck and shoulder subsequently. From my experience the next evasion tends to be a haunches out which can be corrected with outside leg, but I dunno horses are crafty, yours might have a whole different plan on how to get out of working hard. He might also just need a "tune up" from a profesional or more advanced rider and they can explain what they did to deal with your particular horse.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I hate the indirect rein. It just constricts movement. Like TroubledTB said, lifting the inside rein ever so slightly up works wonders for freeing up the inside shoulder. What it does is provide a very subtle shortening of the inside rein and results in a very slight vertical flexion of the poll which in turn lifts up the inside shoulder. To build on that, at the same moment you lift the inside rein, put your inside seatbone slightly forward. It has the same benefit as the rein affect.


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