Horse Exercises | Small Circles in Hand

Ensure that you are on a flat non slip surface. Stand facing your horse's girth line and ask him to walk forward and around you on very small circle. Using the hand holding the lead rein ask him to bend slightly to the inside of the circle and your other hand to encourage his quarters forward with inside hind leg slightly further underneath his body. The aim is to get your horse to walk around you smoothly with the back relaxed and the hind legs stepping through, the walk should be active but not rushed.

Tip: try not to step backwards and allow your horse to step into your space or let your horse swing the quarters out and pivot on the forelimbs. Encourage your horse to walk forward using your voice and you may need to use your hand holding the lead rein rope to apply gentle pressure on the inside shoulder to prevent your horse ‘falling in’.