A Forward Movement

Lateral work - a FORWARD movement

Lateral work is extremely helpful at creating better hind leg flexion, bend, and helping create ambidextrous use of both sides of the body.

But what so many people miss is the STRAIGHT part of a lateral movement, focusing way too much on the sideways.

If we aren’t careful, we turn the horse into a floppy wet noodle, overbending their necks and throwing them sideways. Instead of creating better (more correct and deeper) flexion of the inside hind, we often push it beyond the center of mass and twist the joints.

They feel cool, they look cool, and they’re fun to do. But the easier part is sideways. The harder part is the straight and then the forward.

One of the landmarks I remind myself often of good lateral work is it should make the horse straighter.

If I decide to leave it for a straight step and the horse wiggles all around, I did not have good hind leg flexion- I was just throwing them around.

So if you can’t leave your movement for a straight line in one step, you’re not teaching lateral movement, you’re wiggling the noodle around.

Something to think about as you practice