In this segment of “A Prescription For Parelli“ I want to talk to you about two easy exercises that will help your horse improve flying lead changes, sideways, being straight on the circle, and upper level lateral movements like haunches in and shoulder in.  As we’ve discussed in previous segments, horses can pick up habits of movement and posture such as holding their ribs bent to a particular direction, like being right or left-handed.  They become one-sided and this can cause them to have difficulty with lead changes or picking up a particular lead because their own body simply gets in their way.  They need to be able to swing their ribcage freely in either direction to perform flying lead changes, not to mention all the many different lateral movements you might want to do, particularly if you do dressage.  

Does Your Horse Hold Its Ribs To One Side All The Time?

Horses that have their ribs habitually to one side all the time tend to have one or more of the following symptoms?  

• Saddle slips over to the same side all the time
• One stirrup lower than the other
• Difficulty with lateral flexion on one side
• Braciness on one side while riding
• Dropping the shoulder
• Difficulty picking up a particular canter lead
• Difficulty with lateral movements in one direction
• Backing crooked

The ribs have a major effect on the movement of your horse.  By freeing up the ribcage you will help your horse to move in a more balanced way and pave the way to more advanced movements without the stress of overcoming physical obstacles which can cause both mental and physical braciness.  

Our Horses Are Our Mirrors!

I’ve said this before many times:  Remember to check yourself!  Our horses will often mirror our own bodies.  This can be a very good thing when our own bodies are in a balanced state.  However, conversely, our imbalances can be translated to our horses.  It is very important when performing the exercises below that you also have the proper body position or you horse will have great difficulty in performing these exercises.  

Snakey Bends And Circles

Two really simple exercises you can do the next time you ride your horse are called snakey bends and small circles around barrels or cones.  For the snakey bends, you will lay out your barrels or cones in a row, preferably 5 or 6 of them, so they form a weave pattern.  You can start at the walk at first until you and your horse get the feel of the exercises, then move on to the trot.  When doing these exercise, you will change your own body position to mimic your horse’s shape around each barrel or cone.  You may need to really exaggerate at first until your horse understands what you are asking.  Snakey bends are used to continuously switch the ribs from once side to the other in a repetitive pattern, thereby freeing up the spine and ribcage.  They also really help us humans to get our own bodies loosened up.  The small circles provide a longer, more pronounced focus for each side (focus longer on the hard side) and really help with muscle memory and getting the horse to arch and step under with the hind legs.  The barrels and cones provide focus for you and your horse and give the horse a purpose for the exercise.  Horses like having a job and a purpose behind everything they do and this will make the exercises seem more interesting for them and not seem so much like a drill.  

In the video segment below, 4-Star Parelli Natural Horsemanship Senior Instructor Christi Rains demonstrates how to do snakey bends and circles while riding with her National Show Horse “Annie”.  Christi has been a Parelli Natural Horsemanship Instructor since 1997 and offers natural horsemanship clinics at her ranch on the Brazos River near Glen Rose, Texas.  

Let me know how these exercises work for you using the comment section below this article.  Share your success stories with us!

Lisa Carter is a Certified Equine Massage Therapist (CEMT), with multiple certifications from several different equine bodywork schools.  She incorporates her knowledge and experience with Parelli Natural Horsemanship, equine bodywork and as a veterinary technician to provide her clients with the resources they need to make informed decisions for their horses.  She encourages and facilitates network building between equine health care professionals, working together to find the best combination of therapies to meet the needs of the “whole horse”.

Are you ready to get better results with your horse?  Put your equine health care team to work so you and your horse can be doing what you were meant to.  Click here to get started!