Riding circles

Small circles are brilliant for making your pony supple and if you can ride a 20m circle well, there’s no reason why you can’t ride a great 10m circle, too! Apart from the size, there’s not that much difference and all the same rules apply…

• make sure your circle is round, not egg-shaped
• your pony should follow the shape of the circle and have a soft bend through his body
• sit up straight and look ahead in the direction you want to go

Top tip

When your pony has the right amount of bend on a circle, you should just be able to see the corner of his inside eye.

Exercise: Work it out

Start by riding a 10m circle from the track at B (or E), because it’s easier to get the size of the circle right. In a 20x40m arena, your 10m circle will touch the track and the centre line, passing over X.

For more fun exercises and top tips on acing a 10m circle, pick up a copy of November PONY, on sale 26 September.