Shoulder control - Keeping your horse's shoulder up on the circle

Shoulder control is one thing many riders struggle with. However, it doesn't need to be complicated! In this video we address one part of shoulder control and walk you through rein position for optimum results with your horse.

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

If you enjoyed this video, please be sure to give it a thumbs up and maybe leave a comment! It helps the youtube algorithm to share us with a wider audience. Thanks!

[@patricialeighty1614]

Wonderful explanation thank you. I did just this technique todqy. Love your channel

[@nancysayers6883]

Absolute best instruction on shoulder control.

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Thank you!

[@lynnettejalufka2682]

Thank you for showing what a dropped shoulder looks like.

[@jibby28]

I love this guy! Great work!

[@ChelbySe]

Love this video!! SO helpful!! Thank you!!

[@victoriamorris7619]

Thank you. This was very helpful.

[@Liz-gc6gn]

I finally get it!! Thank you. I’m LOVING your channel. Thank you.

[@dorothykelly945]

Thank you for the demonstration and clear explanation.

[@joyceredcay4928]

love this! Thank you.

[@kellyfish4281]

A really nice clear example. I’m glad to have found this channel!

[@sunshine4evr517]

I loved the video and the push verses pull helped me make sense of it

[@havenwallace3739]

Love love love, your videos. You explain everything so clearly!

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Thank you for the feedback. Really appreciate your kind words!

[@momhouse5557]

Thank you!!!! My son and I are learning and teaching our young and older horses. Great way to explain it!!!

[@colleendonahuehorsestransf6674]

Such nice quality, and editing on point 👌 Very helpful and informative 👍

[@TheMissouriMommy]

amazing, working on this with my 15 yr old aqha mare; wish i had known sooner!!!

[@pauloricardomunrodacosta2448]

Parabéns

[@Inca1122]

Great Video! I may have to take a peak at “move off the leg” video if my horse isn’t responding . This was so helpful !

[@allanspringer837]

Really good information on shoulder control

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Thank you, Allan!

[@westernshack]

🙌🙌🙌 thank you

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Thanks for watching! Sorry I haven't gotten back to your message. Got sidetracked. I'll respond soon!

[@KingsMom831]

This is THE BEST example! Thank you 🙏

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Thank you for watching, and thanks for the feedback!

[@KingsMom831]

@@zacharias.horsemanship I’ve been following your channel for a few years now. You guys have had the best explanations/demonstrations & great video quality too! Ofc, there’s also the beautiful horses too 🐴

[@csalgado6228]

I will try, thanks for share! Greethings from Mexico!

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Greetings! Let me know how it goes for you. 👍

[@bayleecarlson6896]

Just got in from riding yesterday and was saying I need somehow to tell/show me how to do exactly this! Thank you 🙏🏼 . Your videos are so helpful and the way you explain things really connects. Excited to get back on and work on it!

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Thanks for the feedback! So glad this was helpful for you. Keep me posted on the progress!

[@maggsm3392]

Love this video! I've just gone back to western lessons from riding English. I don't have my own horse and the horses I ride are really well trained quarter horses. This is a great explanation of how to use the reins plus I can see really well what you're doing. I also ride mostly two handed at the moment at the lope so this is great! Thank you so much.

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback. Good luck with your training!

[@cassiedoney7714]

Thank you for being so thorough in your explanation. Most trainers say this is what it looks like and we are left wondering how they did it.

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

I'm so glad it was helpful! Thanks for the feedback!

[@sandraf.8557]

Good explanation and breakdown. Where do you keep your weight?

[@allisonbrown8888]

Very helpful! What if you are loping in this circle on inside lead but have to use the inside leg to push them out and they want to change leads? Hope that makes sense.

[@kaholtzen9474]

I’m going to try this with my horses!!

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Let us know how it goes!

[@kaholtzen9474]

Ok I will!!

[@maryellenbarak3946]

Great explanation, I will definitely use it. I know you would teach this two handed, but how would you do a correction one handed, like in the show pen? Thanks for breaking this down so well!

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Mary, I'm sorry I missed your question. Once we're one handed, the majority of our corrections and cues come from the leg. If I had a horse going pretty well one handed and he chose to drop the shoulder at any point, I'd lift my hand, tip my wrist to get his nose, and stand him back up with my inside leg. Obviously if he misses all that, it's time to go back to the basics and reinforce the cues. I appreciate you watching!

[@nadiaseymour65]

These are great videos. Easy to hear easy to see! Are there ways to transition these two handed training cues to one handed for western shows etc later on?

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Thank you, Nadia. And yes, there are definitely ways to use this exercise one handed. As the horse gets more refined and our cues get less exaggerated, we ride with our hands as quiet and close as possible. The most important part of switching one handed with this maneuver is that your horse knows how to find that arc with your seat and inside leg. That's a more complex video that we'll be covering later on.

[@nadiaseymour65]

@@zacharias.horsemanship awesome! Thank you so much :)

[@nw7797]

Hallo, ihr macht so tolle und lehrreiche Videos. Leider ist mein Englisch so schlecht das ich so schnell nicht in meinem Kopf übersetzen kann 🙈😅ich wünschte mir so sehr einen deutschen Untertitel….❤️wenn es keinen geben sollte versuche ich so weiter von euch zu lernen. Ihr macht eine sehr schöne Arbeit mit den Pferden! Danke für die super Videos !

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Hey, thanks for the kind words! I've had a few requests for German subtitles, so I might have to figure out how to turn that on. 🇩🇪 Thank you for watching! Have a great day 👍

[@meganpahl3612]

Thanks for your video. I have a horse who has a minute difference in muscle size in the left shoulder. Around the bicept area. I am currently trying to build it up and prevent any further atrophe. Can you suggest some exercises to help build the muscle back up? The previous owner kept her as a pasture pet. She is a halter champion; however, has not been properly worked nor conditioned. I feel like if I can really work that shoulder, I could get her back into peak condition.

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

I personally would ride and exercise the horse as I would any horse. Like with humans, targeting the fitness of one small muscle group is next to impossible. The muscles will develop and fill out naturally as the horse becomes more fit overall. Chiropractic and (qualified) massage work can also help your horse become more aligned and receptive to physical exercise so that you don't have any underlying issues as you progress. Thank you for watching the videos!

[@cassieb8937]

I know this is old but is there any chance you did a video to fix a horse falling out?

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

No, I haven't, but I should. Often horses falling out on the circle has to do with them having magnets in other areas of the arena, so I will try to address that soon. Thanks for the question!

[@Conny226]

What type of horse is this ? I have a horse that looks like that ,but I don’t know what it’s called

[@ellieelizabeth5627]

My horse's head doesn't stay lowered. I jiggle the reins (like my instructor taught me) he lowers his head for about seconds and then up it comes again. I'm not pulling on the reins and I try to keep my hands quiet. I'm sure I'm the one doing something wrong because horses don't lie. So frustrating.

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Hey Ellie, I completely understand your frustration. Unfortunately, jiggling or bumping on the reins is a commonly overused and misused way to communicate. There are very, very rare instances when I'll make a quick bump on a rein to communicate something to my horse, but the secret is in your legs. I'm not expressly telling you your trainer is wrong, because I don't know anything about them or the context they told you this in. As you probably know and have heard many times, true collection has nothing to do with the face. To help your horse develop and achieve collection, you need to be able to lift his back, soften his topline and reach into the stride. This will cause the head to lower naturally. I filmed a video on beginning true collection that I plan to release soon that I hope may be of some help. Best of luck with your horse!

[@ellieelizabeth5627]

@@zacharias.horsemanship thank you. I look very forward to your upcoming video. I'm a new subscriber. 😊

[@susie2005]

what type of horse is this?

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

He's a Quarter Horse.

[@susie2005]

@@zacharias.horsemanship thank you!

[@whathappenedwas7083]

Love the info, but the music could be turned down a little bit. Makes it a bit hard to hear ya in some spots.

[@zacharias.horsemanship]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm starting to think the audio might vary on different people's devices. I barely hear the background music, but I've had a couple different people say the same thing on another video, so I've quit using background music altogether.

[@sketchalater4656]

Where's the video that gets horses listening to leg cues first then.?

[@sketchalater4656]

Could you link the other video in your description?

[@ceciliadeclerck5002]

Awful music…I am sure you know your thing but it’s hard to hear…