26/02/2021
This is gold
The Shoulder In is the Vitamin B (balance) for horses.
Cowboys used this suppling exercise for long time without knowing that someone already name it.
In the seventeenth century, Antoine de Pluvinel used the basic shoulder-in exercise to increase the horse's suppleness and to get the animal used to the aids, especially the leg aids. He felt the exercise helped to make the horse obedient. Independently, the Duke of Newcastle developed the exercise. In the eighteenth century, the French riding master Francois Robichon de la Gueriniere adapted the movement for use on straight lines.
In the shoulder-in, the shoulder of the horse is brought to the inside, creating a 30-degree-angle with the rail, with the neck bent only the slightest amount, only softening in the jaw so that the corner of the eye is visible to the rider. The horse's hind legs track straight forward along the line of travel while the front legs move laterally, with the inside foreleg crossing in front of the outside foreleg and the inside hind hoof tracking into or beyond the hoofprint made by the outside foreleg. The shoulder-in can be performed at any forward gait.
A young horse is first introduced to the movement when coming out of a corner or a circle on which the horse is already correctly bent, from nose to tail, along the arc of the corner or circle, as it is usually easier to maintain bend than to establish it from a straight line.
Going left at the walk or jog, ride a 10-meter circle in the corner
Q - H to set up for the shoulder-in bend on the long side H to B.
The rider is positioned on the horse in a manner similar to riding a circle or corner, with the shoulders aligned to mirror the angle of the horse's shoulders, while the rider's hips and legs mirror the position of the horse's hind legs. Thus, as the circle becomes the shoulder-in, the rider's shoulders are turned to the inside, while his/her hips remain "straight" on the track. The rider uses the inside leg at the girth to maintain the bend and encourage the horse to step under its body with its inside hind leg, while the rider's outside leg prevents the horse's haunches from swinging out. While the inside rein is used to create the bend, the outside rein steadies the horse and helps maintain the correct bend. The rider's back and position in the saddle shift toward the horse's outside shoulder in order to restrain the horse from moving off the track, maintaining movement along the track.
Reaching the long side, continue shoulder-in. The inside hand guides your horse's forehand to the inside; the outside hand limits the bend and keeps the right shoulder from falling out. The inside leg lies close to the girth to maintain the bend and drives your horse's inside hind leg forward; the outside leg helps hold the bend. If the haunches swinging out, move the outside leg slightly behind the girth. Lightly weight the inside and ride forward for few steps.
