Warming Up – Part 3, at the Trot.
Riding the 10 meter Canter circle.
For a good balanced 10m Canter circle it is imperative to have the hind quarters engaged. Without this engagement the horse will not be balanced enough to complete this circle. By using the trotting pole grid to encourage articulation of the hind quarters your horse will develop the flexibility and strength to remain balanced and collected.
Spiraling Out to a 20m circle iand back in to a 10m circle in Canter.
Now make the circle larger yet at the Canter, riding a 20m circle after going through the trotting pole grid.
Spiraling In, Spiraling Out
Next make the circle smaller by spiraling in to the medium size circle in Canter.
If your horse feels balanced enough, sit up and ride the 10m “small size” circle in the purple cone corner. The grid work should have helped to articulate the joints in the hind quarters making the 10m Canter circle easier.
Then, at the canter make the circle larger to the medium size circle.
Then larger again to the trotting pole size, trot over the poles and stay trot.
Change rein on the long diagonal from F to H through X and then repeat the exercise on the right rein.
Your horse should now be well warmed up, reaching over the topline, bending left and right. If all goes well you should have about 10 minutes or so to get down to some real work.
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