Training Tip: It all Starts With Lateral Flexion

Long before I even think of teaching a horse how to give vertically to the bit and collect, I teach him how to flex his head from side to side. Whenever a horse’s body is straight from his head to his tail, he’s practicing resistance. With that being said, once you start to teach your horse vertical flexion, don’t fall into the trap of completely ignoring lateral flexion. It’s important to constantly balance vertical flexion with lateral flexion. When you first start working with a horse, you do 100 percent lateral flexion. Then when you start to teach him vertical flexion, you might spend 10 percent of your ride on vertical flexion and 90 percent on lateral flexion. As the horse gets softer, you can gradually even the ratio out so that you’re working on 50 percent vertical flexion and 50 percent lateral flexion during the course of your ride.