The Spiral Circle!

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#horseriding #dressage #geometry
The spiral in and leg-yield out is a great exercise not only to get the horse focused and ready work, but also to work on suppleness and collection. This exercise can be done at the trot and at the canter. Give it a try and let me know if this is a helpful exercise for you!
1. Start on an accurate 20 meter circle. Make sure that the horse is correctly bending on the circle line. Your inside leg should be at the girth to keep the horse from falling in, and the outside leg behind the girth to keep the hind end from falling out.
2. Gradually spiral in to an 18, 15, 12, and finally a 10 meter circle. Be sure to maintain the same tempo and to help the horse stay correctly bending in the body as the circle gets smaller.
3. Once you’ve established the 10 meter circle, leg-yield the horse back out to the 20 meter circle by pushing the horse off of the inside leg. When you leg-yield out, think of making the hind end lead on the way out and focus on feeling the inside leg to outside rein connection.
This exercise can also be done at the trot or the canter. In the canter it’s a great exercise to develop adjustability. When making the circle smaller, you are actually doing some steps of half pass as you are making the circle smaller! Be sure that in the canter, you keep the inside leg at the girth and the outside leg behind the girth as you leg-yield the horse back out to the bigger circle or the horse may think of doing a flying change!
Common mistakes:
-Horse slows down and looses energy on the smaller circle
-Horse doesn’t bend correctly - this will become more apparent as the circle gets smaller
-On the stiff side, the horse will want to fall in and not bend, it will be difficult to leg-yield back to the bigger circle.
-On the hollow side, the horse will tend to fall out and not let you turn them in
Give this exercise a try! It really is an awesome exercise for horses and riders of all levels!

[@ZingaroXIV]

The spirals are great suppling exercises, but also have a great benefit in developing throughness. If you ensure your horse is quick and active with the inside hind, you'll develop that leg and its ability to carry and send energy all the way through. Part of that is not blocking with the inside rein, and part is gently, rhythmically reminding your horse with your inside leg to be active with his inside hind. Great video, thanks!

[@TAWSNM]

Thanks for your insight! That helps me!

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Yes!! Thanks for this insight!!

[@barbaramartin8861]

Once again, spot-on instruction and just up my little mare's alley :) THANK YOU, Amelia. You are a joy to watch!

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Yay!! You are so welcome!!

[@carlosbeirao6070]

Awesome exercise! Tks Amelia

[@masoumehazizkhah6884]

Thank you so much for the great exercises. Really helpful.

[@anettelober2763]

Thank you Amelia ❤I will try this to next time .You're reminders of excersises helps me get more structured with my horses .🙏

[@falizianme5846]

Love this exercise! Thanks for the reminder! And the reminder about my outside leg in the canter... ! My left leg likes to come forward and yep... I get the flying change! I have to really focus to maintain that behind the girth! 😄

[@TAWSNM]

😲Oooh! So THAT'S why my mare keeps giving me flying changes. My poor girl was just doing what she was taught. 😖🤦‍♀️

[@Mi55Jessica]

I feel a long way off being able to do this in canter. But looking forwards to improving throughness and suppleness from a trot exercise. Thank you Amelia. X

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Great!!

[@JD7980]

Sooooo beautiful , and straight to the point , in a very simple explanation . You're the bomb Amelia ❤️🙏🏼

[@anna-karinwiklund3216]

What a great exercise. should try trotting first. Thank you Amelia

[@donnawells9782]

Great exercise Amelia. Thank you.

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

FREE Dressage Rider Assessment Quiz: Https://quiz.amelianewcombdressage.com

[@annastaz1]

I love this exercise and use it all the time

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Yes! It’s a great one!

[@sallyannejohnson5454]

Thank you Amelia for reminding me how important this exercise is! Have a great day 😊

[@lisafraser7446]

Great instructions Amelia thank you ❤️

[@blossomsavage6687]

This was wonderful to watch!

[@susangillham8771]

This is a great exercise. I may have been not been paying enough attention to keeping my inside leg at the girth. I have been getting a lot of stiffness and sum bucks leg yielding out. I am going to revisit the spiral in and out at the canter but really be aware of my leg placement. Thanks!!!

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Yes! Very important! 🐎

[@lisadevine9951]

Thank you for the lovely video . Would you mind saying what you are doing with your seat in this exercise ? ( weight central vrs weighting either set bone to move in and out ?

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Mainly my seat is just following the motion go the gait (trot or canter). For any circle, you have your weight mostly on the inside seat bone. For the leg-yield out, you can move the weight slightly to the outside to encourage the horse to move underneath your weight.

[@lisadevine9951]

@@AmeliaNewcombDressage Thank you!

[@skmaslen]

What happens to tempo? Do you expect the same tempo as you spiral in?

[@kathrynsaunders6]

I think this would be a great exercise for me and my horse, but she has a tendency leg yield out, without being asked. I seem to not have control of the back end. Should I still do the leg yield out or can you modify the spiral out by pushing out at the girth and holding the haunches in the bend?

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Good idea! You could also try to leg yield her both directions - that may help her think more!

[@kathrynsaunders6]

One more question. Should I make sure that the inside seat bone, is forwarded of the outside seat bone? I can bring the outside leg back, without the seat bone. If you don't take the outside seat bone back, will that block the horse from drifting out? Thank you so much!

[@maryannmccarthy1824]

What are the outside aids you use to spiral in?

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Outside leg is behind the girth and the outside rein helps to turn the outside shoulder.

[@jesmith0107]

I see that you do about 3-4 circles going in, but leg yield out in only 1 circle. Is that the better way rather than taking 3-4 circles to leg yield out?

[@julierussell8876]

I don't think you could leg yield out in widening circles as you need ground to cover, you would more likely be doing ever widening circles of half passes otherswise.?

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Yes. If you leg yield out in one circle it is more challenging and helps work on suppleness.

[@Jazzy-kk4sk]

I really struggle with leg yielding on a circle with my horse, he just leads with his shoulder and ignores my aids. Wondering if there is a video on leg yielding on a circle?

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

@Jazzy, I don't have one specifically on this, but the outside rein and leg should help to keep the shoulder from falling out when you leg-yield out.

[@martefact]

DO you ever ride without spurs? I'd really like to see you ride without them.

[@frame7629]

Go become a trainer yourself... Spurs, used correctly, are nothing more than an additional aid.

[@Kallierig]

Spurs, used correctly, make it much easier to give more precise, clear aids.

[@barbaramartin8861]

Spurs become employed when they are needed, in the same way that a half-halt, or a whip, or extra pressure on one's seat would be employed at any given moment. Spurs are an additional tool, and Amelia knows exactly how and when to use them. She produces beautifully trained horses that move with poetic ease. This is the sign of excellence in training, not whether or not one wears spurs. Just my two cents. I love Amelia's videos and consider her one of the most lovely riders I've been blessed to learn from. ;)

[@martefact]

@@barbaramartin8861 I love her videos too.. And i am acutely aware of the use of spurs.... However.... This is youtube...this is media messaging...I am a dressage rider/instructor and I am having enormous difficulty trying to prevent children and inexperienced riders who believe spurs to be necessary to do the necessary work to justify them. My teachers never allowed them until you could prove you earned the right to wear them. I have and do achieve everything i need from my horses without spurs. i just think for good sound 'messaging' it would be a much better if she made her videos without them. She really doesn't need them for these videos!

[@martefact]

@@frame7629 I AM a trainer!

[@chrispedzik586]

you did not say why you are riding in such a knee blocked saddle. are you relying on the knee blocks for your lower leg security. or is your horse leaning on your legs or hands so much that you need to be so supported in the saddle.

[@chrispedzik586]

why do you ride in a saddle that has you so jammed with your knee in such a rigid position . Also why do you say to use the outside leg behind the girth when it should be the opposite with the outside leg forward and closer to the shoulder and the inside leg in a neutral position with the knee in a very open position so that he can reach and flex and use the inside shoulder to spiral in.

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Hi Chris! In Dressage we have the inside leg at the girth and outside leg behind the girth to bend the horse on a circle.... they do this differently in western like you suggested with the outside leg forward. Hopefully this clarifies for you...