Staying straight

Sometimes, I find the simplest of exercises the most useful. Just because they appear to be straightforward (and quick to set up), it doesn’t mean they’re any less challenging for you and your horse – especially if you stay disciplined.

In training, I like to use simple exercises to help establish the core skills and set my horses up for success – whatever they go on to do – and the exercise I’m about to share with you does exactly that.

Why is straightness important?

A straight horse will…

• have even weight distribution and develop muscles evenly
• stay in better balance
• have more impulsion
• be more supple
• have a reduced risk of injury

Transferable skills

This exercise is so useful because it’s suitable for any type of horse, at any level and in any discipline – I’ll even run through it with Lordships Graffalo from time to time to check-in on our straightness and controls.

Riding a truly straight line is much harder than many people think, but this exercise isn’t only about working on the horse’s straightness. It’s a great one for us as riders, too, as the poles are points to focus on but not look at directly. Our job in the saddle is to look one step ahead of what we’re doing, so we can prepare and guide the horse. So, although we’re training on the flat here, these skills are easily transferable to jumping.

You’ll need…

• Two short poles or dressage boards for this exercise. Position them down the long side or centre line, at least 20m apart.

Top tip

I really like using raised boards because they require the horse to lift. If you can, use skinny poles for straightness exercises, as they’ll encourage you to be more accurate.

Ros’s rider tips

Whatever stage you’re at, remind yourself of the end goal – yes, you want your horse to be working straight, but it’s about refining your skills to improve your controls and communication. So, as you come around the corner onto the line, look at your first board or pole. Once you’re on the line, fix your eyes on the second board until you’re riding over the first one, then look up and ahead towards the end of the arena.

Find out how to use Ros’s simple exercise for straightness in July Horse&Rider – on sale today!