Counter Flexion - I cant do it!!!

[hApPiNeSs]

In my riding lesson i was being helped by my instructer to school a young irish draught. He is very heavy on the left rein, so my instructer told me to counter flex his neck to the right whilst cantering on a left 20 metre circle, to lighten it. However, i just couldnt do it! I felt that i needed to use my rein to guide him round the circle, and my circle ended up either being egg shaped or being too big. Any tips on guiding the horse without reins would be much appreciated! :)

[Kate F.]

There are lots of ways to steer without reins, but as the horse doesn't seem to be listening to the reins anyway I suspect he won't listen to seat or leg aids either. (Basically, if you look where you want to go, the balance of weight in your seatbones changes, and the horse goes in the direction you're looking - but if he's switched off to the left rein, he may well have switched off to the finer signals too!) I can't quite imagine what your instructor means - I'd have thought that is he's leaning on the inside (left) rein, flexing him to the outside will just make him go over the inside shoulder - but perhaps we've both misunderstood what he/she meant.

Why don't you ask him/her to show you what they mean?

Cheers

kate

[cvb]

Happiness

a quick answer before I go for my train home !

Don't try too hard - try strating with jujst "straightening" the neck. i.e. normally there is a curve round the circle, take the curve out but stay on the circle.

The perverse thing about this exercise is that we have all ridden horses that go round a circle like a banana, but when asked to do it on purpose it seems impossible ! :eek:

You can also try it on shallow loops off the long side. e.g. turn off short end of school onto long side. Ride a shallow loop away from the fence. On the first paert the horse will be bent as they were around the short end. But as you get level with E or B, and start to incline back to the side again, don't change the bend (as you would normally do) and just "keep" the original flexion, which is now counter-flexion.

If you reply, I'll see if I can add anything more tomorrow :D

[helenc]

Try not to use your reins at all - you should be asking for the bend with your outside leg, same as you would ask for inside bend with your inside leg.

[cvb]

helenc - I can see where you are coming from, but you need to be directing the horse around the circle, whilst also indicating the counter-flexion.

Therefore the aids are different from both riding a correct flexion circle in the direction you are going, AND from riding a circle in the opposite direction.

The horse needs to know that you don't just want a change of direction !

Happiness - could you do it in trot, and it was just canter that was the issue ?

[hApPiNeSs]

trot was easier - but we only did that along the long side. :)

thanks for the help guys :D

[cvb]

Happiness

aw shucks - you need to walk before you canter ;)

Seriously, practice the lateral flexion (counter and true) in the walk, then in trot, and THEN in canter.

You'll find whichever beastie you're on will already be more supply be the time you get to canter, so its easier for two reasons. One cos you have both got the idea at a slower pace, and two cos they are already more loosened up ! :D

I really like figure 8s for counter-flexion work... you ride one circle in "true" flexion and then go across the X of the 8 and change the rein but keep the flexion. If the horse is quite stiff, you can just ask for a few strides before you change back to true flexion, and then do the same. if they are nice and supple, then I - ride circle in true flexion, change rein and ride circle in counter flexion. As I come through the centre I stay on the same circle but change back to true flexion and ride a circle, then through the centre to change rein and ride circle in counter flexion... and so on.

(NB this is in walk or trot so I'm not adding simple/flying changes into the equation :eek: ).

As we can manage smaller circles in trot, I'd do this at 10 or 15m depending on the horse...

[helenc]

helenc - I can see where you are coming from, but you need to be directing the horse around the circle, whilst also indicating the counter-flexion.

Yes sorry - didn't explain myself very well, was in a bit of a rush.

I didn't mean that you should do the whole thing off the leg, hands should be used to guide around the circle but the bend itself should be dictated by the leg

[cvb]

helenc

but aren't you then asking for quarters out on a circle, rather than counter flexion ? All we want to achieve here, as I understand it, is the body going round the circle, but the head and neck are bent the other way ?

so my instructer told me to counter flex his neck to the right whilst cantering on a left 20 metre circle

So the leg asks for the inside (left) bend through the body. But you use your hand to ask them to soft and flex right.

Happiness - have you ever down leg yield across the diagonal ? That has a similar feel. (say you are on left rein, turning across diagonal. Then you ride straight for a step or two and then ask for leg yield with right leg. So you have gone from "inside"/left bend on your original rein, to right bend in the leg yield.

[SO1]

Don't worry counter canter is quite hard especially on a green horse that might not be that supple or is a bit tired if this was introduced later on in the lesson.

Usually the best way to master counter canter is to practice round the edge of the arena first before trying to do any smaller circles.

Try asking for counter canter on one the long sides by flexing to the outside and moving your outside leg really far back behind the girth to give a clear indication of what you want.

You may at first not be able to canter the whole way round the school, its a lot harder work for the horse to counter canter than just to canter on the incorrect leg.

Once you are easily able to counter canter round the whole school you can then gradually try smaller circles. I suggest you do this again by asking for counter canter down a long side and then doing a 20 meter circle at either A or C in the first instance.

Don't be despondent that you haven't been able to do this on your first attempt (it might also have been the horses too!), it took me ages to get a good shoulder in on a green horse and we practiced two or three times a week for about 3 months.

[cvb]

its counter flexion not counter canter :D

[SO1]

Never heard of that before, thought that was the same thing, silly me :cool:

So is counter flexion when you canter on the "correct" leg but bend the opposite way to normal? I know its sort of off thread but do you think this could be used as a tool for preparing for counter canter on 20 meter circles then?

[cvb]

its about being able to move their head and neck independent of the direction they are travelling in. This helps them with balance, co-ordination, suppleness etc :D

You sometimes see showjumpers doing it - cantering along with horses doing rubber neck impressions either way :cool: (possibly eventers as well ?)

I'm not sure it would directly prepare for counter-canter (cc) - but, the rider accuracy and co-ordination required would be a good pre-cc exercise ;) and any lateral suppleness you can get will stand you in good stead for cc

[hApPiNeSs]

I can do leg yields, but not on this particular horse. He is UNBELIEVEABLY stiff, I felt like I was hauling his head round and desperatley turning him in the other direction with my legs - my legs aid felt very strong and i didnt like the feel of it at all, although my insturcter said i was doing brilliantly. I did manage to get him to free up his left side, and get his head 'straight', but not actually 'counter flexing'

I may have to practise this on Happy in walk. I expect she will feel much obliged (not) :p