# Fixing a bulging shoulder, suggestions?



## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

I am riding a horse that bulges out through the right shoulder. I find it extremely noticeable when two tracking or side passing to the right. Also very noticeable when pivoting on the front to the right, he wants to lead with that right shoulder or leak through. 
I have been working on it the last couple of weeks off and on with sidepassing on the fence and retarding the front end movement with rein and leg when he tries to come through with that shoulder rather than using both ends equally. Also been riding on a straight line picking a point, pivoting on the front a half turn and walking back onto the same line. Teaching to use the hinquarters and keep that shoulder in. 

It is getting better but I thought I would pick some brains on some additional exercises that I could try.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Sometimes and I say 'sometimes' if my horse is bulging or dropping anywhere and it becomes 'consistent' and he starts relying on me to 'hold him up' I will drastically push him over in the other direction fast opposite to the side he's bulging or dropping......it seems to be a good reminder to him that he better stay upright and straight. If the right shoulder is bulging I'd pick up the right rein and really shove him to the left as if to say ' stand up or I'm going to make you' it also keeps them guessing!


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Sky has this issue at all gaits and I prompt him with either my foot or my whip asking him to keep that shoulder straight. 

It improved significantly in only two sessions (this is while I was visiting back in Jan/Feb) 

I feel like pushing them over and over and over isn't really going to drill into their head that they have to be straight. Instead I have him yield whatever it is that is "out of place" and then there aren't any problems.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Is he stiff to the right. A bulging shoulder often comes with one side that 'over-bends' (in this case going to the left) and one side that is stiff. Some horses like this are good at giving you their head and neck but are stiff through the body. Some just need a good Chiropractor. I like to have eyes on the ground or a video camera set up and can sometime see that a horse is stiff through the body or not tracking the same going to the right as they track going to the left.

One surefire exercise that works very well is to back in a circle. In this case, you would take his nose to the right and use your left leg to make his hip also go to the right while backing up. I find that really tough ones will do this best at the beginning by backing inside the round pen with the pen on his left.

Then, as mentioned, when going forward and a horse pushes a shoulder out, you can 'over-correct' it by driving a horse hard the opposite direction and asking for a 'leg yield' to the right. As Muppet said -- Never let a horse 'lean' on one rein or one leg. They will learn to expect it there and will keep leaning harder and harder on you. If a horse gives you a bulging shoulder you would 'rate' as a 3 out of a possible 10, Do a leg yield at about an 8 out of a possible 10 the other direction and then take all leg off to see if the horse will stay straight. It is real easy to fall into a trap of having to 'hold' a horse in a centered position. If you do that, the horse is not centered.

If a horse does this at the lope, it is time to teach it to lope with a reverse bend any time that shoulder comes out. Just maintain your exact same circle to the left only make the horse stay on the circle with it head to the outside.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Cherie - boy I've tried that backing up in a circle stuff.....I find I get all my cues muddled because I'm working backwards!!! Kudos to anyone who can back up a horse like a semi and trailer!!! 

Note to self - try backing a circle tomorrow!:wink:


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

I totally agree, and as much as I hate to admit, it is easy to fall into the trap of 'babysitting' the shoulder and I think that is what I have been doing. 
I have been doing the "pushing out" especially when I feel him lead with that shoulder or diving into the corners when doing loops for speed control and anticipating stops at the end of the arena by picking up the inside right rein and pushing him out causing him to bring the shoulder in.
When loping on the left lead I have been counter bending and I do feel the resistance. 
I do back circles and actually find it more noticeable with the pivot on the front and two tracking so that is why I have been working on it there. Perhaps I need to feel a little better! 
I unfortunately heve tried, unsuccessfully, to upload video. My phone gives them to my computer as a picture from the first frame rather than a video and my camera makes choppy videos not worthy of watching otherwise I would be a regular poster in the riding critique section. 
I will say that it must of not been so obvious as I have ridden with a few decent trainers and it was never mentioned for fixing? It took riding with a Dressage coach to say that it needed work....well now that I type this all out I am thinking this may be a by product of my position? After all, horse error is usually due to human error.

ETA..Maybe I am overthinking instead of feeling...gah!


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

COWCHICK77 said:


> I totally agree, and as much as I hate to admit, it is easy to fall into the trap of 'babysitting' the shoulder and I think that is what I have been doing.
> I have been doing the "pushing out" especially when I feel him lead with that shoulder or diving into the corners when doing loops for speed control and anticipating stops at the end of the arena by picking up the inside right rein and pushing him out causing him to bring the shoulder in.
> When loping on the left lead I have been counter bending and I do feel the resistance.
> I do back circles and actually find it more noticeable with the pivot on the front and two tracking so that is why I have been working on it there. Perhaps I need to feel a little better!
> ...


A dropped shoulder irritates me like no other.. so I can relate. 

Is this Dressage coach able to give you pointers?


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

If you stop riding in a ring, you can fix it a lot easier. Lope circles and squares in a big open pasture. Then, any time the horse shoves that shoulder out or 'drifts to the right, you can over-correct by driving him 2o feet out to the left while taking his head to the inside.

When loping squares (a much better exercise than circles and a LOT more difficult) you can make sure that your horse is tracking straight. [I'll bet he isn't.] At some point, you are (or have) taken more hold on the left rein when you should have taken hold of the right rein and tried to drive a spur to his heart. This is how horses get a limber side and a stiff side. It means that you have to do a lot of circles to the left with reverse bend and a LOT of over-correcting when doing circles to the right and doing squares. 

If this horse is 'dead' on the right corner of his mouth when you try to take his head that direction, ride him in a gag for a couple of rides.

Hope this helps. Cherie


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

Oh gosh. Well I can say I wholeheartedly disagree with most of the content on this thread. Yucky  we have a problem so let's blame the horse, wail on him and put him in a gag, no thank you!

Yes, OP, the problem is with you and your position. You need to give on both reins, take your left knee off (i bet you didn't realize it was clamped on) and ride the horse up to the left with your right leg. When you sit crooked, the horse goes crooked. He is simply responding to your left knee clamping on.
Think about riding a shoulder for using nothing but your seat and right leg - no rein, no left leg. That eventual combo of aids is how you are going to straighten him - a mirror is helpful to see when you have the shoulders to the left of the haunches. Of course, if he runs away through your right leg then give him a kick by the girth until he moves the shoulder over, but don't pull him up using reins. Only seat and right leg.

Good luck!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> Oh gosh. Well I can say I wholeheartedly disagree with most of the content on this thread. Yucky  we have a problem so let's blame the horse, wail on him and put him in a gag, no thank you!


 That is really not what my post was about at all. I'd be mortified if someone even suggested behaving that aggressively towards my horse. He's still learning!!

I should have video'd it. Sky is like a snake with his shoulders... you can be as straight ontop as you want (not collapsing in your hips, not dropping or man-handling the reins) and suddenly he drops his outside shoulder.. then you gently prompt him to straighten up again (keep in mind he is not by any means a fully trained horse) about 5 minutes later he'll drop the inside shoulder. Then he'll be fine, then he'll drop one and then drop the other. 

He did this with everyone that rode him. It was just him and past habits (if you ever saw my old videos of him not being on the rail) but once he understood what you wanted (straightness) he was fine and he's much much better about it.

Not saying I'm a perfect rider, because I am definitely not. But yeah that time it was definitely him and he just needed some sort of guidance.

Maybe the OP's horse was the same way since other disciplines don't really focus on "straightness" as much as Dressage so it could be out of habit instead of soley being influenced by the rider's position.


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