Keeping Circles on Track - The equestrian’s quest for the perfect circle crosses all disciplines. For Western and English riders, geometry matters. Horse show judges expect to see circles of uniform size and curves ridden with the horse’s body shaped to follow the arc. In dressage and reining, riders must show a clear distinction between large and small circles. In working equitation, circles around barrels and figure-eights must be symmetrical. In equitation and horsemanship patterns, judges frown on oval-shaped “circles.” In all classes, judges will deduct marks for circles of inaccurate size and over-arced or counter-flexed body alignment.

Accomplished show jumper, horse trainer, and resident rider at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta, Brian Morton’s defines collection as "the shortening of the horse's outline and stride, with increased impulsion and engagement from the hind end." He emphasizes that "If you are not able to shorten your horse’s stride, you will never be able to get a horse to fit a stride into a line that is set short. And, if you lose the impulsion when you shorten the stride, you will never be able to produce a powerful round jumping effort off a short distance.”

Do you sometimes yourself leaving the mounting block, fixing your stirrups, and unsure of what to focus on in your next training session? When your coach asks about your progress since your last lesson, do you often admit that you’ve mostly just been riding without a clear goal in mind?

Sadly, ponies get a lot of bad press. Even so, their reputation as being lazy, stubborn, and difficult to train, plus their seemingly inherent displays of poor behaviour, have less to do with their innate nature and more to do with a lack of training.