Change Of Bend
Wow, have you ever felt, I mean really felt what a correct change of bend feels like. Flowing, rhythmic, effortless. Having worked hard on establishing correct bend on a 20m circle in both directions, I worked through the change of direction over X, as shown in the diagram.
Whilst this seems a very simple exercise, getting it right is a major building block to so many other exercises that it is really worth taking time to perfect.
- A good rein contact
- Spot on rhythm
- and tempo, absolute maintenance of the bend throughout each circle without allowing the hindquarters to fall out, maintenance of the size of the circle in the correct position in the menage and, of course, ride the correct diagonal.
Oh, and don’t forget that momentary straightening through X. So, this simple exercise, done properly is not so simple. Get all that and you’re there!
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