Q: I have noticed some riders ride different versions of turn on the forehand. Some riders ride it with a lot of bend, others with no bend. Some ask the horse to describe a large circle with his forehand, others remain on the spot. Does it have a different effect? Which version is most beneficial?”
This is a wonderful question for me as I use the turn on the forehand a lot. I think what you are observing are variations of the exercise more than different versions.Turns on the forehand are basically lateral movements, we teach them because they promote suppleness. A certain degree of obedience and submission is necessary to perform the exercise. A larger circle of the front feet and more bend through the body, is easier than a smaller circle with the front feet staying more on the spot with less bend through the body because the outside rein has not been added to a greater degree.
The smaller diameter of the forehand turn with less bendrequires that the horse has learned how to stay in a frame, that he is obedient to the driving aids and submissive to the rein aids. He has learned to respond to a complex combination of aids: He can 1. Go forward and move his front legs and shoulders up and down pretty much on the spot. While doing this maneuver on his forehand he can 2. obey the rider’s inside rein and upper leg so that he is bending his spine around the inside thigh and at the same time he can 3. obey the lower inside leg which tells the hind legs to cross, and he can also 4. obeythe rider’s outside rein which will limit the degree of bend through his body. We are talking about collection here. I would offer that the smaller turn is being done by a horse that is more advanced in his training. Since progress can be measured by the degree of collection a horse is capable of, the turn on the haunches is a good indicator of where the horse is at in his education!
(One of my challenges for advanced horses is to start the turn with the bend to the inside then, keeping the front feet on a small circle, gradually change the bend to the outside. I call it the Rubix exercise!)
.
Referring to the easier turn on the forehand, I start training the turn on all green horses regardless of their age because I find it the crucible of their dressage education. You must help them understand what you want. Once the horse is comfortable with the driving and turning aids, I ride a ten meter circle and start asking the hind legs to cross to the outside. In the beginning I hold the horse’s head to the inside with the inside rein. I use the whip gently on the flank to get the hindquarters to move away from pressure. I combine that with a cluck and soon the horse will move away from a very light pressure on his side. Most horses already know this from being asked to move from side to side in the grooming area. At the early stages, I don’t care how much they bend their neck, because I want them to concentrate on obedience to the leg aids. When they obey the leg aid consistently I start to add the outside rein to limit the degree of bend throughout the whole length of the body. When the horse can comfortably move around my inside leg, I start to ask for a little more straightness laterally. That creates more crossing of the hind legs, therefore has a more supplying affect on the loin muscles.
Some horses are more coordinated from the start, others are just klutzy. When the straightness becomes too difficult, I relax the outside rein a bit. When teaching the turn, I do it continually until the horse finds his balance and is confident in the exercise. Gradually, I reduce the diameter of the circle so that the front legs stay more on the spot and limit the degree of bend. When horses accept making the circle smaller, they have started to understand the requirements for collection.
With young horses I do it as a way of changing direction. For instance, I’m working on a 20m. trot circle, I come to walk, then do a 180 degree turn on the forehand then straighten and go off in the new direction. This exercise allows me to teach the horse to understand the forward aids, the retarding aids and the bending aids all on a 20m. circle.
As with everything new, patient repetition is the key. Of course you have to do it on both sides and one side is always better than the other. I teach lateral exercises in the walk so the horses learn the response to the aids without loosing their balance. When a horse can be adjusted from a big circle to a smaller one, I feel an important plateau has been reached.