08/06/2026
𝘾𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨
One thing I see often during warming up/loping around the arena is horses being allowed to cut corners. They start turning whenever they feel like it, drift across the arena, or step in before being asked. Instead of the rider deciding where the turn happens, the horse makes that decision.
It may seem like a small detail, but I believe it carries over into a run.
Ironically, many of these same horses in a run will start their turns early, drop a shoulder, and plow barrels down. They develop a habit of anticipating the turn rather than waiting for guidance.
I’m very particular about riding square, and in turn, I want my horses to stay square underneath me. That doesn’t mean I’m glued to the fence. I can lope a square or rectangle as big or as small as I want. The point is that I’m guiding my horse to the turn, not the other way around.
Everytime we ride our horses we are training them. If we allow horses to cheat us during the simple stuff, we shouldn’t be surprised when they start cheating us during a run.
