07/29/2024
I have seen this at several shows I have judged recently, and had some clinic students ask about it as well, so I thought I would make a whole post about it.
The Shoulder-In. We all know a shoulder-in is a 3-track movement, where the horse is bent around the inside leg, opposite the direction of travel. The angle should be 30 degrees, so that the inside hind leg travels on the same path as the outside fore leg. The neck should not be over bent, as the bend should occur from the horse displacing the rib cage to the outside, and the neck follows the curve of the body with inside flexion of the jaw. The inside hip of the horse will lower, creating more engagement of the hind end with an increased lifting of the withers via the thoracic sling muscles.
The question has arisen- when you are riding the shoulder-in and it is immediately followed by either a circle or a turn across the arena (a turn at E or B, or a short diagonal line), SHOULD YOU STRAIGHTEN THE HORSE FIRST? The answer is NO, do not straighten, but ride directly into the next movement. This will allow the movements to flow together and the horse can maintain bend and balance. If your shoulder-in ends at E and your circle begins at E, there is no room or time to straighten.
YES, You DO need to straighten before the CORNER, because the movement ends at the corner letter, and you should ride PAST the corner letter for your corners at 2nd level and above. If you have questions about that, throw them in the comments, and I can give you a geometry tutorial.
(This photo is not a shoulder-in, but does show the reach of the hind leg and lowering of the croup, and bend through the rib cage.)