A 10 minute exercise to boost your pony’s suppleness

The more flexible your pony is through his body, the easier he’ll find all the work you ask him to do. Whether that’s hacking, schooling sessions or jumping, a supple pony’s less prone to injury and will build muscle more effectively. Did you know, riding half 10m circles is a great way to boost his suppleness?

Set it up

Lay two poles either side of the centre line at X, roughly 2m apart – you’ll use these to help you ride the half circles in the correct place. You can also try riding transitions between them to make the exercise a bit tougher. 

Riding a 10m half circle

It’s best to start this exercise in walk to help you get a feel for the shape and how quickly the change of direction comes up.

Ride down the long side towards E in a positive and active walk. 

Start your half circle at E, aiming to ride over X. Look around the turn and ask your pony to bend around your inside leg – you can move your outside leg back a little to stop his quarters drifting out.

As you reach the centre line, swap your pony’s bend to the other direction and ride the second half circle towards B. 

Once you’ve completed the second half circle, change the rein and have a go at the exercise the other way.

When you’re ready, you can try it in trot – remember everything will happen quicker so you’ll need to prepare earlier. You can also add a few strides of walk, or a halt transition, between the poles. This’ll help sharpen up your pony’s reaction to your aids and add an extra element of difficulty.

Top tip

Practise changing the rein and direction of bend during your warm-up to help you prepare for the exercise.