Balancing act

If someone asks you what having good balance means, you’ll probably think about being able to stand on one leg without falling over! But did you know that balance is really important in riding? If you and your pony are both balanced, it’ll help you form the perfect partnership and it’ll make achieving your riding goals way easier, too.

Getting even

When he’s in balance, your pony will carry his weight evenly across all four feet. It’s something he learns to do when he’s a foal, but then everything changes when he starts being ridden and has to balance with someone on his back! You can help your pony as much as possible by sitting correctly in the saddle. If you lean to the left or right or tip forward, you’re going to make it much more difficult for him to balance.  

Why it’s important

If your pony isn’t balanced you won’t be able to ride straight centre lines,  round circles or smooth turns, and it’ll be harder for him to clear fences. The good news is there’s loads you can do to work on this. If you practise these exercises regularly he’ll be easier to ride, and it’ll help you ace school movements and jump more clear rounds, too!

TOP TIP

Making sure you practise exercises on both reins will help improve your pony’s balance.

Exercise One

Terrific transitions

Some ponies carry more weight on their front feet and shoulders, which is called being on the forehand. It can make them harder to ride because it’ll feel like they’re pulling you down towards the ground. The secret to solving this is transitions, because they encourage your pony to push forward with his hindlegs and lift up the front of his body.

How to ride it

There are loads of ways to practise transitions, so you can make riding them super-fun…

• make a change of pace every time you pass an arena letter, or every other letter
• ride one every five strides, so walk for five, trot for five, then walk again. If you’re feeling confident, ask for three steps in each pace, which will really sharpen up your pony’s reactions and get him pushing from behind 
• place four poles on the ground to create a square, then ride a transition each time you step into or out of the box 
• ride through every pace, then back again. So start in halt, then walk, trot and canter, before transitioning back down to halt
• ride them on a 20m circle. Start by riding a whole circle in each pace, then up the challenge by making a transition every half circle, then every quarter 
• school your pony out hacking by including loads of transitions when you’re riding out

TOP TIP

To help you spiral in, place a cone or jump block in the centre of your circle that you can aim for.

Exercise Two

Super Spirals

Spiralling in and out of a 20m circle encourages your pony to really use his inside hindleg, which will improve his balance. It’s a great suppling exercise, too! 

How to ride it

Start in walk on a 20m circle and gradually make it smaller until you’re riding a 15m one. To ask your pony to spiral in, place your inside leg on the girth, and move your outside leg back to ask him to step across. Open your inside rein a little, and keep a steady contact on your outside rein.

Now go back onto the bigger circle by nudging your pony at the girth with your inside leg. Keep your outside leg just behind the girth to help support him. Have a steady contact on both reins, too.

Repeat the exercise on the other rein, then have a go in trot.

As your pony’s balance improves you can spiral down to an even smaller circle – try aiming for a 12m circle, then 10m.