Book excerpt

When riding in a group, each rider must individually ride toward the points on the circle. Photo by Gabriele Metz.

Book Excerpt:

Dressage School A Sourcebook of Movements and Tips

By Britta Schöffmann

Circle

A school figure 20 meters in diameter that touches both long sides of the arena, started usually at the letter in the middle of the short side, or occasionally the letter in the middle of the long side—in which case “X” is the center of the circle. How It’s Supposed to Look Usually, a circle is ridden by starting from the short side of the arena. It must be perfectly round and planned so that its four outer points touch the middle of the short side, both circle points on the long sides of the arena (10 meters distance from the short side), and the center at “X.” The line of the circle must always be the same distance from its center—you do not ride into the corners of the arena.

Riding circles procircle. Keep your inside vides you a variety of leg at the girth and slide additional training your outside leg slightmovements and exerly behind the girth to cises, including changprevent the haunches ing rein out of the circle from evading. These (p. 20)*, changing rein leg aids bend the horse through the circle (p. along his longitudinal 29), and decreasing and axis. Yield your outside increasing the circle (p. hand slightly forward 172). Circles can be ridto allow the muscles on den in all basic gaits. the horse’s outside to Most Common Mistakes This book may be ordered from stretch; however, mainThe Rider: does not plan horseandriderbooks.com tain enough contact to a perfectly round circle; gives the circle keep the horse from falling out through his “edges” (squares it off); allows the circle outside shoulder. to be egg-shaped; does not meet the circle Goal of the Movement Since it is of generpoints on the long sides; rides into the corous proportions, the circle is one of the first ners of the arena. movements on a bending line that is suitCorrect Aids In order to ride a perfectly able for a young horse or a horse that’s not round circle, you should have mastered yet warmed-up. In these cases, the horse the aids for turning (p. 1), and be able to should not execute any tight turns that focus on both the bending line ahead and could damage the joints; however, with the the four circle points you need to pass circle he can be safely suppled and gently through. This means looking ahead toward bent to the right and left on his longitudithe next point and always turning. To do nal axis. Riding circles is a good loosening this, flex the horse to the inside with your exercise, and it prepares the horse for tightinside rein—according to the line of the er turns later on.

Furthermore, if you want to demonstrate a perfect circle, you will need to master the coordination of your rein and leg aids or the circle will not be round as desired. So, the ideal of a neat, round circle is not some futile “invention,” but is there to always give information about the overall correctness and effectiveness of the rider’s aids. Fast Facts Basic exercise; can be ridden in the warm-up in all basic gaits; suitable for the work phase of a schooling session, excepting extended gaits; improves lateral mobility.

Decreasing and Increasing the Circle

Alternately decreasing and increasing the size of a circular school figure.

How It’s Supposed to Look Decreasing and increasing the circle is not a movement required in a dressage test but a gymnastic exercise for daily training. From a regular 20-meter circle (p. 170), the horse spirals in around the circle’s center, but to no smaller than the smallest volte (p. 162)—6 meters in diameter. From there, you gradually spiral out again until you reach the original circle line. It’s important to always flex and bend the horse evenly, and ride a line accurately around the center of the circle. Most Common Mistakes The Horse: loses rhythm; evades with the haunches; falls out through the outside shoulder; is tight in the neck; is on the forehand. The Rider: overflexes the horse; asks for too little lateral bend; “pulls” the horse around; approaches

the center of the circle at an angle (instead of spiraling in); creates an egg-shaped bending line. Correct Aids When decreasing and increasing the circle, you are really applying a combination of aids used for circles and voltes. During the decreasing spiral, flex the horse to the inside with an inside, shortened rein, and bend him around your inside leg at the girth. Slide your outside leg slightly behind the girth to keep the haunches on their track. To achieve an evenly ridden “inward spiral,” you need to increase the inside rein aid a bit more, and shift your weight slightly more to the

Decreasing the circle. Illustration by Cornelia Koller. inside seat bone. The inside leg keeps the horse on the desired line and prevents him from “cheating” inward suddenly. When increasing the spiral, replace the amplified lateral bend of the decreasing spiral with a “normal” one so the horse can ease his way out of the volte in the center and travel on a spiraling line back out to the original large circle. Goal of the Movement Decreasing and increasing the circle at any gait strengthens the horse’s inside hind leg, encouraging him to step further underneath his center of gravity. It is a very useful exercise to prepare a horse for collection. Changing the pace within the gait—shortening the stride when decreasing, lengthening it when increasing—strengthens his muscles and promotes impulsion. You can vary the exercise by riding it in shoulderin-like manner (p. 118) or in a leg-yield (p. 112) at times, one movement following the other, or in other instances alternating it between decreasing and increasing. This way, you can improve the horse’s “straightness.” And last but not least, circle decreasing and increasing is used as a preliminary stage to the working pirouette (p. 12). Fast Facts Basic exercise; can be ridden in the work phase of a schooling session; suitable for working trot and working and collected canter; improves “carrying power” and lateral bend.

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