03/07/2026
Bends & circles
NOT as hard as the article below
You thought you knew how to turn a horse.
Then I write something long winded and you second guess yourself.
Isn't it simply- You pull the inside rein to draw the horse’s nose and shoulder around ?
Try this simple exercise:
Sit comfortably on your horse in the middle of an arena, and let your legs drape loosely on the horse's barrel. Ask you horse to walk. Then pull the right rein either toward your body or away from your body (open rein). If that were the way to turn a horse, then your horse should turn right. But more likely, what will happen is that your horse's haunches will swing away from you, and the horse will walk in a wider and wider arc, moving closer to the rail.
So no, that's not how you turn a horse.
This is how you turn a horse.
Move your outside leg (the leg "closest" to the rail) slightly behind the girth, and keep it firmly on your horse's barrel.
Press your inside leg (the leg "in" the middle of the arena) on your horse's barrel at the girth.
Keep a firm feel on your outside rein, which should be level with and just outside the horse's withers.
Squeeze the inside rein, and, if necessary, pull it gently toward your inside hip.
Voila!
Your horse will bend their body around your inside leg and will turn in that direction. You can ride a deep corner or a perfect circle that way.
When the outside rein is held in a supporting place with the leg so the haunches couldn't swing out. That creates a "wall" on the outside of the horse.
By creating a "wall" on the outside while applying pressure on the inside, the horse will bend the body around your inside leg. Because the outside rein is holding the neck straight, the neck can't crank too much to the inside and the shoulder can't "pop" to the outside. Because the outside leg is holding the haunches, they can't swing away. And because the inside leg is applying pressure at the girth while the inside rein flexes the jaw (and perhaps pulls the jaw toward the inside), the horse can't do much of anything other than bend gently around the inside leg.
If you turn your horse this way, they won’t fall on their forehand, slow down through the turn, lose balance, or pop the shoulder out on a circle. Instead, your inside leg will gently drive into your outside hand and your outside leg will be slightly behind the girth to prevent the haunches from swinging away, and your inside leg will allow the spine to bend and the barrel to yield to your leg.
Now here's the surprising part.
Suppose you do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with your inside hand. Your horse will turn anyway because your legs and outside rein will be bending the body in the direction you want to turn. You can turn your horse through every bend with just these aids. The inside rein adds the final polish. By gently squeezing your inside hand, you encourage your horse to soften and flex the jaw. They will remain perfectly balanced and glide smoothly through the turn (no matter how wide or sharp it is), driving with the inside hind leg toward your outside hand, and remaining on the bit throughout the turn.
Happy riding!
