An Exercise to Help You Ride ROUND Circles

Description

Have you ever wondered why we do so many circles in Dressage? It is because a well ridden circle is highly beneficial to the horse - improving his balance and self carriage. An oddly shaped circle, however, is quite unproductive. It causes a loss of balance. So, whether you are in front of a judge or not, you should always be striving for perfectly round circles!

There are a number of exercises to help riders find a truly round circle, but this is one of the best! It was first introduced to me by a former rider of the Spanish Riding School. And at a time when I thought my circles were already pretty darned good... Well, I was proved wrong! As this exercise instantly shows you if your circle is deviating even slightly from a perfectly round shape!