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10/16/2026

WHAT IS A SIDEPASS?

& Why It Matters

It looks simple enough. Ask your horse to move sideways.

But why is the sidepass a maneuver that so many horses and riders struggle to perform correctly?

The answer often comes down to body control, timing, straightness and how well the horse understands the rider's cues.

What is a sidepass?

A sidepass is a lateral movement in which the horse moves sideways with little to no forward movement. The front and hind legs cross as the horse moves, with the shoulders and hindquarters travelling together.

Unlike a leg yield, where the horse moves both forward and sideways, a sidepass is primarily sideways movement.

While the basic idea is straightforward, there's much more to a quality sidepass than simply moving sideways. Balance, body alignment, timing, responsiveness and the rider's ability to coordinate the movement all contribute to how well it's performed.

Why does it matter?

The sidepass is particularly important in Ranch Trail, where a horse may be asked to move sideways over a pole or between obstacles.

But the skills behind a good sidepass carry over into almost every ranch performance class.

Being able to control the shoulders and hindquarters helps with positioning at a gate, maintaining straightness, making accurate turns, negotiating obstacles and responding promptly to the rider.

It's also a useful everyday skill when opening gates, moving around obstacles or positioning a horse in a confined space.

What are judges looking for?

When evaluating a sidepass in Ranch Trail, judges want to see a horse that:

Moves willingly and smoothly in the requested direction.

Maintains reasonably straight body alignment.

Moves the shoulders and hindquarters together without one end noticeably leading or trailing.

Demonstrates consistent, controlled sideways steps.

Responds to the rider without excessive resistance or repeated corrections.

Negotiates the obstacle accurately, without unnecessary hesitation or rushing.

A horse doesn't need to race sideways. A steady, deliberate sidepass performed correctly is far more desirable than a hurried, crooked one.

What commonly costs points?

Some of the most frequent problems include:

Leading with the shoulders or hindquarters. When one end gets ahead of the other, the horse becomes crooked and loses the quality of the lateral movement.

Moving forward or backward. Unintended steps can affect accuracy, particularly when working over a pole.

Hesitation or resistance. Repeated stopping, backing away or needing excessive encouragement can reduce maneuver quality.

Rushing. Quick, uncontrolled steps often lead to crookedness and poor obstacle positioning.

Hitting or stepping on the pole. Contact with a pole or obstacle component may result in a specific penalty under the applicable Ranch Trail rules.

Stepping outside the obstacle. Depending on the error and the rulebook, stepping out of an obstacle can result in a substantial penalty.

Remember, maneuver quality and specific penalties are evaluated separately. A horse can perform much of the sidepass reasonably well and still receive a penalty for contacting the obstacle.

What earns credit?

Here's where a correct sidepass becomes a good sidepass.

Judges can reward a horse that demonstrates:

Smooth, coordinated lateral movement.

Accurate positioning throughout the maneuver.

Consistent rhythm without rushing.

Willing responses to subtle rider cues.

Minimal unnecessary corrections.

Confidence and attentiveness while negotiating the obstacle.

In AQHA's maneuver-scoring system, a correct maneuver receives a 0 maneuver score. Good, very good and excellent performances can earn +½, +1 or +1½ respectively.

That means simply completing the sidepass isn't necessarily enough to earn positive maneuver credit.

Correctness is the starting point. Quality is what earns the pluses.

Something to try at home

Before introducing a pole, ask yourself:

Can I move my horse's shoulders independently?

Can I move the hindquarters independently?

Can I then ask both ends to move sideways together, without drifting forward or backward?

If one of those pieces is missing, you have a useful starting point for your next practice session.

Start with one correct sideways step. Develop consistency before asking for more.

The goal isn't simply to get from one end of the pole to the other. It's how well your horse performs the maneuver along the way.

Understanding what judges are looking for gives you a better idea of what to work on during your next practice session.

Ranch Riding & More | What Is… & Why It Matters



10/10/2026

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧.

But are you actually coachable?

Because everybody wants the results.

Everybody wants to win.

Everybody wants the horse that works, the clean run, the buckle, the confidence.

But then someone tells them what they’re doing wrong…

And suddenly they have an excuse.

“That’s just how I ride.”
“My horse doesn’t like that.”
“I’ve always done it this way.”
“That doesn’t work for me.”

That’s not being coachable.

Being coachable means you can hear something you don’t want to hear without taking it personally.

It means you can be told you’re wrong without getting defensive.

It means you can try something that feels completely foreign and stick with it long enough to see if it works.

And sometimes?

You’re going to feel worse before you feel better.

Your timing might get worse.
Your run might get slower.
You might feel awkward.
You might make mistakes.

GOOD.

That means you’re actually changing something.

The easiest rider to coach isn’t always the most talented.

It’s the one who hears:

“Do it again.”

…and does it again.

“Change this.”

…and changes it.

“That wasn’t correct enough.”

…and comes back to the next lesson ready to try again.

No attitude.
No excuses.
No ego.

Just “Okay. What do I need to do better?”

If you only want coaching when it confirms what you already believe…

you don’t want a coach. You want validation.

Those are two very different things.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙜𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧.

10/06/2026

Some unsolicited horse advice from Twin Pines…

Buy the horse that fits your actual life.

Not your aspirations. Not your ego. Not the rider you plan on becoming after watching three clinics and subscribing to a trainers weekly YouTube videos.

If you want to trail ride twice a week and drink a b**r afterward, you probably don’t need the 3 year old futurity reject with “a lot of buttons.”

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a horse that’s safe, sane and maybe even a little boring.

You know what is boring? Owning a horse that makes you think “You know what? Today actually seems like a great day to scrub water troughs.”

Moving on.

Stop asking everyone you’ve ever met what they think about your horse.

Your trainer says one thing. Your vet says another. Your farrier has an opinion. Your friend’s cousin used to barrel race in 2009 and has thoughts.

Then you ask Facebook.

Now you have 73 opinions, six diagnoses, someone wants you to test for EPM and a woman in Arkansas is concerned about one blurry screenshot of his left hock.

Pick people you trust and listen to them. Otherwise why are we paying these people.

Not every mare needs to reproduce. And way more c**ts need to become geldings.

I said it.

“She’s so pretty.”
Great.

“She’s registered.”
Wonderful.

“Her great grandsire is….”
We are absolutely crushing the prerequisites.

But does she actually possess qualities that should be reproduced?

And on the other side of it, your c**t having testicles is not evidence that he should keep them.

“He’s really sweet.”
Great. He’ll probably make a lovely gelding.

“He has good papers.”
So do thousands of geldings. And there are plenty of stallions with even better papers.

“He has a pretty head.”
It’ll still be attached after you geld him.

There are plenty of very well bred, well built, proven stallions available to breed to.

We do not have a stallion shortage.

We may however have a gelding shortage.

Breeding should make the next generation better, not just make the next generation exist.

And while we’re at it, give young horses some time.

Your 3 year old is not behind because you saw somebody else’s 3 year old doing lead changes on Instagram.

You saw 34 seconds of that horse’s life.

You did not see Tuesday when it forgot how steering worked.

Sometimes they’re brilliant.

Sometimes they wake up and discover the mounting block has apparently been replaced overnight by a mountain lion.

Sometimes you spend an entire ride fixing something they could do perfectly three days ago.

Welcome to horses.

You don’t get the nice seasoned broke horse without somebody putting up with all the weird little unfinished horse nonsense first.

Do the boring stuff.

Build the foundation.

Let them grow up.

And stop acting like every ride needs to end with a breakthrough.

Sometimes everyone leaves the arena slightly better than they entered it.

Sometimes everyone just leaves the arena.

Both count.

— Twin Pines Performance Horses

09/17/2026

Royal has come a long way since starting in July. He’s decided to become a willing partner with a fun personality!

09/17/2026

Someone recently asked what audible cues we use for the different manoeuvres in our program. The simple answer is that we use a cluck, a kiss, a shush and a whoa. But if all you learn is which sound goes with which manoeuvre, you have missed the most important part of the lesson.

Let us begin with the basic principle.

A cue should never be treated as a random noise that we condition a horse to obey. A proper cue must agree with the rider’s breathing, posture, legs, seat and intention. The sound is only one part of the conversation. Your entire body should be delivering the same message at the same time.

Every cue in our system belongs to one of two categories. It either engages movement or disengages movement. It either adds energy or releases energy. Once you understand that distinction, the entire system becomes much easier to follow.

We use a cluck to ask for the trot or to increase speed within a manoeuvre. We can cluck to speed up a spin, add energy to a backup or ask for more speed in the lope. The cluck does not necessarily mean one specific gait. It means to add effort, increase energy and continue the movement with more purpose.

We use a kiss to engage the lope or canter. Unlike the cluck, the kiss has a more specific job. It tells the horse that we are not simply asking for more speed. We are asking him to organize his body and transition into the lope.

The cluck and the kiss are both engaging cues. When we make those sounds, we draw air inward, our posture naturally rises and we bring more energy into our body. The horse hears the sound, but he also feels the rider become more active. Our voice, body and intention all begin moving in the same direction.

The shush and the whoa belong to the other category. They are disengaging cues. When we shush, we release air from our body. Our posture softens, our energy lowers and we begin taking away the physical aids that were driving the horse forward. That release travels through the rider’s seat and into the horse.

Think of the shush like pushing in the clutch on a semi. You are not slamming on the brakes. You are disengaging the power and allowing the horse to fall out of gear. When we combine that shush with the inside leg coming off or both legs coming away, we stop driving the hind end forward. The farther we carry that release through our body, the more clearly the horse should understand that he is being asked to slow down.

This is also why the shush can be used to regulate speed without completely stopping the movement. We can use it to slow, bring the lope down or prepare the horse for a downward transition. It reduces the energy without necessarily ending the manoeuvre.

Whoa has a different level of authority. Whoa is like pulling the emergency brake on that semi. It means stop now. It should not mean slow down, think about stopping or take three more steps. When I say whoa, I mean WHOOOAAA. Forward motion is finished.

In our program, whoa does not just mean stand still. It means stop the forward motion, get your weight back and be ready to back up. If I continue asking, the horse should continue backing until I release him. A correct backup begins with the horse stopping his forward motion, shifting his weight and waiting for the next direction. The horse must first understand that the forward door has been closed before he can correctly move backward.

The difference between a shush and a whoa is important. A shush regulates and reduces energy. Whoa ends the forward movement. If we use both cues carelessly or interchangeably, we blur their meanings and eventually force ourselves to use more pressure because the horse no longer knows which response we expect.

The cue must also stop when the horse gives the correct response. If you cluck and the horse speeds up, quit clucking. If you kiss and the horse lopes, allow him to lope. If you shush and he slows down, soften your body. If you say whoa and he stops or backs up, release the pressure. The release is what tells the horse he found the right answer.

The goal is not to make a horse dependent on louder noises, stronger legs or heavier hands. The goal is to develop a horse that notices the smallest change in the rider’s breathing, body and energy.

When your voice, body and intention all agree, the horse does not have to guess. That is where communication becomes timing, timing becomes understanding and understanding becomes good horsemanship.
Written by Dusty Harvey


09/17/2026

Don’t discredit the younger generation of horsemen and women.

The equine industry is deeply rooted in tradition, routine, and history.

Older generations of horsemen and women have paved the way through tireless work, decades of experience, and a willingness to pass down the knowledge they’ve gained along the way. The foundations of these horsemen is invaluable, and the generations coming up have much to learn from it.

Today’s young horsemen and women are bringing innovation, adaptability, fresh perspectives, and an incredible amount of passion to the industry… Challenging old ideas, breaking barriers, evolving the culture, and finding new ways to succeed while still respecting the traditions that came before them.

And while we hear the occasional:
“You’re very young.”
“When you’ve been in the industry for — years…”
“That’s not how it has been done.”

Being young does not mean being inexperienced, incapable, or unworthy of a seat at the table.

You don’t have to agree with every new idea to recognize the value in the people bringing those ideas forward.

This generation is resilient.
Hungry for knowledge.
Willing to work.
Willing to listen.
And driven to build something of their own.
So, share your knowledge and meet those who are new to the industry with kindness and enthusiasm rather than skepticism.
Give them opportunities to learn, make mistakes, ask questions, and grow.

We, as an industry, need to engage, uplift, and cheer on those who are interested in being seated at our table.

At the end of the day these are our future professionals who will be sharing the knowledge and expertise learned from several generations of horsemen, pushing the standards and carrying the industry forward.

09/09/2026

An Endless Game of Whack-a-Mole

One thing I see a lot, especially with younger trainers and owners training their own horses, is that they actually know quite a few training techniques. They know how to correct a horse that moves at the mounting block, get a horse to lower its head, slow one down, move a hip, or get a horse to respond to a leg. The problem is that they can spend the entire training session jumping from one of those behaviors to another without ever actually training the horse.

The horse moves at the mounting block, so they work on the mounting block. Then he gets too fast, so they work on slowing him down. Then he throws his head, so they work on getting his head down. Then he pushes through a leg, so they work on moving his hip. Every correction may make perfect sense by itself, and they may even know exactly how to get the response they want. But what if all of those behaviors are symptoms of the same underlying problem? Now they aren't fixing four different problems. They're correcting four different ways that one problem is showing itself.

A Horse Can Know a Lot and Still Not Be Trained

This is something I see quite often with horses that have been pulled from another trainer and sent to me. The horse may know a surprising number of things. Someone has obviously spent a lot of time working with him. He may know how to move his hip, move his shoulder, back up, lower his head, flex his neck, and sidepass. Yet when I actually ride the horse, the pieces don't work together. The horse has been taught a collection of responses, but the underlying problems that connect those responses were never really addressed.

That is where I think there is an important difference between knowing training techniques and understanding how to train a horse. The symptom is usually easy to see. The actual problem takes more insight and knowledge. If a horse throws his head in the air, I can see his head in the air. If he runs through the bridle, I can feel him pulling on my hands. If he bucks, everybody can see the buck. Figuring out why the horse is doing those things is where training becomes more complicated.

The Bucking May Not Be the Problem

I was recently messaging with someone whose horse was bucking her off. She wanted advice about how to stay on the horse when it bucked. Her thinking was that if she could stay on long enough, eventually the horse would learn that bucking didn't work and would quit. I understood the logic, but staying on wasn't the problem I thought she needed to solve.

From what I could see in the video she sent, the horse's bucking was related to his poor carriage. The way the horse was carrying and using his body under the rider was creating the situation that eventually resulted in the bucking. If she became better at staying on, she might get better at surviving the symptom, but she still hadn't changed what was causing it. She was focused on the buck because that was the obvious problem. I was focused on what was happening before the buck because that was where I believed the actual problem was.

I wasn't particularly interested in teaching her how to ride the buck. I wanted to improve the horse's carriage so there wasn't a buck to ride. I'm not sure she completely understood the distinction. When a horse is bucking you off, it is difficult not to see bucking as the problem. It's dramatic, dangerous, and obvious. But the most dramatic symptom isn't necessarily where the training needs to begin.

The Same Symptom Can Have Different Causes

That doesn't mean every horse that bucks has a carriage problem. It also doesn't mean every horse that throws its head or won't stand at the mounting block is doing it for the same reason. Two horses can show almost identical symptoms and have completely different underlying problems. That's exactly why I have to look at the horse in front of me instead of automatically matching a technique to a behavior.

If my training becomes, "Horse throws his head—do this. Horse won't stand—do this. Horse bucks—do this. Horse gets fast—do this," training can turn into an endless game of whack-a-mole. I fix one behavior and another pops up. I correct that one and something else appears. Pretty soon the entire ride is spent reacting to whatever the horse did during the previous ten seconds. The rider is busy and the horse may respond to those corrections, but that doesn't necessarily mean the horse is actually getting better.

Fix the Problem and the Symptoms May Improve

One thing I look for is whether improving one important area starts improving several other things at the same time. Maybe improving the horse's balance makes him less dependent on my hands, reducing the head tossing and rushing. Maybe improving his understanding of my leg makes him easier to steer, improves his transitions, and reduces some of the anxiety caused by confusion. Maybe improving his carriage allows him to perform something correctly that previously resulted in a much bigger reaction.

Suddenly I haven't fixed five different things individually. I improved one important thing and five symptoms started getting better along with it.

That is also why someone watching a trainer may think, "Why isn't he correcting that? Can't he see what the horse just did?" Yes, I probably saw it. I just may not believe that what you saw is the actual problem. I may be looking underneath it and working on something that doesn't appear directly connected until you understand why the horse is doing what he's doing.

Train the Horse in Front of You

The horse in front of me determines what I work on. I have to decide which behaviors are actual problems, which are symptoms, which need to be addressed immediately, and which will probably improve as I fix something more important. That takes more than knowing a collection of exercises. It takes experience, observation, and an understanding of how the horse's mind and body fit together.

Techniques are important, but techniques are tools. Knowing how to use a tool isn't the same as knowing what needs to be repaired. Before I correct the thing I can see, I need to ask a more important question: What is causing me to see it?

If I keep fixing symptoms, I can stay very busy for a very long time without ever really getting the horse trained. But when I look past the obvious behavior and find the actual problem, I may fix one thing and watch several other problems start disappearing with it.

The symptom is what everybody can see. Knowing what is causing it is where training begins.

Address

Chattaroy, WA

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 7pm
Tuesday 7am - 7pm
Wednesday 7am - 7pm
Thursday 7am - 7pm
Friday 7am - 7pm
Saturday 7am - 7pm

Telephone

+12513779297

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