At Inner City Slickers, at-risk youth start riding bareback to learn the importance of balance on horseback and in life.

Photo by Cindy Corwin

Inner City Slickers was founded in the early 1990s by Michael McMeel, drummer with the popular 1970s band Three Dog Night. Its mission is to introduce at-risk children and teens to horses and what the group calls cowboy ethics. "We give youngsters a new perspective on their ability to succeed in life regardless of the family dynamic they come from," says Cindy Corwin, ICS executive director. Headquartered in New Tazewell, Tennessee, ICS has multiple locations nationwide, including California, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Tennessee, with another coming soon in Missouri.

Learn more about the program in the video below.

Building a training library? Here are a few books to add to your 'must-have' list.

Rider’s Mind
Zen Mind Zen Horse: The Science and Spirituality of Working With Horses, by Allan J. Hamilton, MD.
List price: $24.95; electronic version available.
This thought-provoking book by Harvard-trained brain surgeon Allan Hamilton, MD, is where natural horsemanship meets up with spiritual understanding. Hamilton applies the practice of “chi” to horse-human communication, including the spiritual act of grooming and the “power of infinite patience.” It’s a book firmly grounded in practice and principles of horsemanship, while recognizing the deep connection between horses and humans.

Build Complete Confidence With Horses: Beat Fear and Excuses and Attain Your Riding Goals, by Kelly Marks.
List price: $29.95
Whether you’re returning to riding after a long absence, or you’re a beginning rider, you may be finding yourself facing fears or hesitation with your horse. Kelly Marks, a former champion jockey and show jumper, offers a progressive program to help riders deal with anxiety or other obstacles to riding goals. She uses real-life case studies, along with exercises and assignments that help you face your worries, work through them, and get back in the saddle with confidence.

Win With Bob Avila, by Juli S. Thorson.
List price: $29.95
Go beyond the basics with Bob Avila’s advice on what it takes to compete and be successful with your horse. It’s not a how-to training manual, but a wise look at everything else that goes into making a winner. This blueprint for winning includes what separates horse-world achievers from also-rans; what it takes to succeed as a breeder, trainer, or competitor; the secrets of selecting outstanding horses; inexpensive ways to outclass your competition; and more.

Books That Inspire
The Eighty Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation, by Elizabeth Letts.
List price: $26.00
The inspiring story of Snowman, a plow horse bound for slaughter who ended up under the lights of Madison Square Garden.

Gallop to Freedom, by Frederic Pignon & Magali Delgado.
List price: $29.95
Published by Trafalgar Square, this book features beautiful photography and was written by two of the equine artists from Cavalia.

Horses, Photographs by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, with Jean-Louis Gouraud.
List price: $25.95
This 336-page book features some 200 art-quality photos of horses ranging from Quarter Horses to Clydesdales.

The Legendary California Hackamore and Stock Horse, by Bobby Ingersoll, photographs by David Stoecklein.
List price: $50.00
This beautiful book combines the masterful training expertise of Bobby Ingersoll with the clear vision of photographer David Stoecklein, for a book that is both a training manual and a coffee table book.

Still Riding at 80, by Helen Hills.
List price: $17.95
Profiles of 20 senior riders will inspire you, while Hills’ tips and encouragement will motivate you to keep riding no matter what your age.

Cowboy Gear: A Photographic Portrayal of the Early Cowboys and Their Equipment, by David Stoecklein.
List price: $60.00
Filled with Stoecklein’s remarkable photography, this book offers images and information about the gear and equipment that was part of every early cowboy’s life.

What would you say if I told you the difference in strength your horse requires to do a 20-meter circle and to do a 10-meter circle is almost nil? He needs to step under a bit farther with his inside hind leg and bend his hocks a bit more, but a proper, comfortable, symmetrical 10-meter circle isn't really a strength issue. It's a balance issue, and in this article I'm going to help you lay that issue to rest with one simple, effective exercise: a 20-meter circle that spirals in to a 10-meter circle, then spirals back out again.

This low-key, no-sweat, straightforward exercise will not only help you teach your horse balance; it will allow you to test that balance. And when and if he "fails" the test by showing you that he's lost his balance (I'll tell you how to recognize the signs), it'll be no big deal, because the exercise itself provides the cure. You'll never have to back off until he's stronger, more supple or more mature. You won't have to wait until you're more skilled or until a professional can help you. You won't have to quit because you and your horse are getting flustered or angry. And six months or a year from now, when you and he are making 10-meter circles look like child's play, this exercise will still be hard at work as a diagnostic part of your daily warm-up (Are you as balanced and supple as you were yesterday?) and a therapeutic part of your warm-down (Let's work on that lack of right bend you showed me today).

When is your horse ready to start this exercise? When he can stay evenly bent through his whole body (rather than bent in his neck alone, an all-too-common fault at Training Level) on an accurate 20-meter circle at the walk, trot and canter. His rhythm will be consistent, he'll be relaxed and his impulsion (or energy) will be strong.

Your horse should be able to maintain these qualities on his turn down the centerline (which is half a 10-meter circle), and neither fall, cut nor drift in or out on the turn—though I'd go ahead and start even if he's not quite perfect yet and your centerline turns have judges making such comments as "not enough bend," "bent to the outside" or "loss of balance." He may only be able to spiral in to 19 meters for a while, but he'll still improve his balance and his performance (and his test scores).

There's another very good reason to start this exercise early, too: Not starting to work on a figure until you need it is not good training; you'll end up rushing your horse so much that he'll lose what you're trying to help him learn. Start far in advance and you'll have all the time you need.

What Spirals In, Spirals Out

2. As we start spiraling, my inside rein gently guides her inward while my outside rein and leg do most of the work of bringing her forehand onto a smaller circle than her hind legs are on.

Pick up a rising trot and establish a 20-meter circle with all the qualities we've been talking about: bending, energy, rhythm and relaxation. Use the circle to run a checklist on your basic aids as well. Are you bending your horse and maintaining his forward energy with your very constant, very consistent inside leg? If he backs off or gets too quiet, are you squeezing your inside leg a bit more until he moves forward again? Are you supporting him and keeping him from falling out of the arc of the circle by holding your outside leg back? Are you keeping your inside rein very light to encourage him to step energetically under himself with his inside hind leg? When he bulges or falls out, are you momentarily opening the rein to guide him back onto the circle? And once he's there, are you lightening again? Are you keeping a consistent feel and creating your "diagonal aid" with your outside rein, receiving the rhythmic pushes from your inside leg, regulating his bend and drawing the size and shape of the circle? Good!

When you're satisfied with the quality of the 20-meter circle and your aids, begin spiraling in. Stay sitting in the middle of your horse and bring your inside shoulder back an inch or two to align your shoulders with his shoulders; that slight adjustment will automatically bring your hop back and weight your inside seat bone. Guide him just inside the 20-meter circle by opening your inside rein, bringing your outside rein across his neck (but not crossing it over the withers) and pushing rhythmically with your outside leg.

3. The bending aids up close: My outside leg, slightly behind the girth, presses her into the circle; my outside rein, gently pushing against the swell of her neck, guides her forehand over. For these aids to work, my inside leg has to be active at the girth, keeping her bent to the inside, while my rein simply indicates direction.

Return to a very light feel on your inside rein and continue gradually spiraling in, using your outside rein and outside leg to steer and push your horse over. Take your time. The object is not to race to the center, but to keep the consistent feel and the same basic qualities you developed on the 20-meter circle. Every step of the way, think about the quality of the circle, not the size. Ask yourself, "Is my horse correctly, evenly bent with good energy in his gait? Is he rhythmic and relaxed? Is his circle a continuous curve?"

Whether you spiral in a little or a lot, your horse is going to reach a point—maybe at 18 meters, maybe at 11—where the answers to your questions are going to change from "yes" to "no." He will have "lost it," balance-wise. How can you tell? The first sign, if he's a quiet horse, is loss of energy. He'll slow down. If, on the other hand, he's a bit hot, he'll get tense and you'll have lost relaxation. He may tell you he's uncomfortable by coming above the bit. He may fall on his forehand and get quick and heavy in your hands. He may lose rhythm. His trot may get so irregular that he almost looks and feels lame. He may fall out. And if he suddenly gets hard to turn and you find yourself toppling to the outside and pulling on the inside rein, he's saying, "I've had enough! I've gone as small as I can go!"

You could be creating at least some of the problem. Your horse may be falling out because he's unbalanced or because you're not supporting him enough with your outside leg. You may be spiraling in too acutely. You may be "motorcycling" by leaning to the inside, throwing him onto his inside shoulder and bringing your outside hand forward so your rein is loopy and ineffective. You may be turning him with your inside rein (he may have been successfully covering p for you during his half-10-meter circle turns onto the centerline, but he can't compensate long enough to stay balanced through the second half of the circle as well). You may be slowing him down (slower does seem to make smaller easier) and thereby sacrificing rhythm and energy—in which case you're not only not helping him master the exercise; you're negating the whole point.

A: In dressage, the terms “stretching” and “collection” appear at very different stages of a horse’s training. As you can see in the illustration of the training pyramid at right, collection describes the most advanced degree of training, whereas relaxation and connection—the two qualities that are improved by asking a horse to stretch his topline and reach forward into the contact—are more basic fundamentals.

Working methodically through the pyramid from the bottom up is essential for the proper physical and mental development of both horse and rider. I compare this step-by-step process to teaching children to read and write. First they learn the letters of the alphabet, then words, then sentences and paragraphs. When they eventually go to college and perhaps even write the great American novel, that’s like making it to the Grand Prix level of dressage.

Skipping steps in the process can cause both physical and mental damage. Forcing a horse to compress his frame before he has the necessary strength and understanding, both of which take years to develop, can be extremely frustrating for him. As a rider, you also need to acquire a secure seat (an ability to sit in the saddle at every gait without bouncing or otherwise interfering with your horse’s motion); steady, effective hands; and excellent timing and coordination of your aids to produce collection. These skills, too, take years to achieve.

In the meantime, though, stretching is an excellent skill for horses and riders of all levels to work on. In fact, the U.S. Dressage Federation Intro (walk/trot) tests ask for it in the free walk movement. It’s best to learn how to stretch at the walk because it’s easier to balance your own body in the saddle, and the slower movement gives you more time to think about what you’re doing.

The goal of this exercise is to stretch your horse’s entire topline, from the base of his tail to the tip of his nose, by riding him from “back to front”—using your legs to encourage him forward into the contact. We persuade horses to do this by taking advantage of a natural mammalian reflex to push back against pressure. To understand this concept, imagine standing close enough to someone so you’re leaning against each other slightly. If you step away suddenly, the other person will lean or even step toward you. You can teach your horse to reach toward the contact in a similar way. Here’s how:

1. Start in a relaxed, yet marching walk. Your horse should be listening enough to your aids to follow the track you’ve determined for him, rather than meandering aimlessly around the arena. If he is nervous or anxious, now is not the time to ask him to stretch. (However, when you’re a more advanced rider, you may sometimes use stretching as a tool to help a nervous horse relax.)

2. Pick up just enough rein contact to feel a light connection to his mouth in both hands. Hold the reins with the softness that you’d want to feel while holding a baby’s hand.

3. Turn your horse on a large circle, using your legs to maintain the same marching tempo. Move one hand very slightly forward toward your horse’s mouth, releasing a tiny bit of pressure, but not so much that you create a loop in the rein. Maintain this lighter pressure for several moments, giving him a chance to follow that motion forward—reaching his nose out and down—just the way the person stepped toward you in the example above.

4. If your horse doesn’t respond in any way, quietly establish your rein connection and make a small release on the other rein. Be careful to do this slowly and gently. Pulling back too much on the reins will cause your horse to fight them. Being too “noisy” with your hands—seesawing or jerking on the reins—may cause him to yield to the contact, but he won’t feel safe to stretch forward into it.

To be willing to seek the contact, he must trust your hands.

If you still notice no stretching, make your circle smaller and repeat the above steps. Always be ready with your legs to encourage him forward if you notice any slowing of the tempo.

If his response to your rein softening is to raise his head, rather than to lower it, immediately pick up the contact again. Then check that he’s walking in a nice, marching tempo before offering another slight rein release.

5. The moment you observe even a glimmer of stretching, reward your horse immediately by softening both reins, taking off your leg pressure momentarily and rewarding him with a “good boy” and a pat. Then pick up your reins again and repeat the above steps once or twice before changing direction and asking him to stretch several times that way. Once he understands that he’ll be rewarded for even the tiniest effort, he’ll quickly offer more and more stretch.

The goal is for your horse to stretch his nose as far forward and down as he can without losing his balance. This may take weeks or even months to achieve. For now, if you can encourage him to drop his ears lower than his withers, you’re on the right track!

Maryal Barnett is an International Equestrian Federation (FEI) “C” Dressage Judge, U.S. Equestrian Federation “S” Dressage Judge and Canadian Equestrian Federation Senior Dressage Judge. She is also a member of the USDF “L” faculty, which teaches prospective dressage judges, and is an examiner and faculty member for the USDF Instructor Certification program. Many of her students have gone on to become official judges and certified instructors. Based at Nottingham Equestrian Center in East Lansing, Michigan, which she co-owns, Maryal enjoys helping students and horses of all levels to develop their athletic abilities in a positive, logical and harmonious way.

This article originally appeared in the April 2012 issue of Practical Horseman magazine.

Ideally, in the approach to a trot jump you establish a steady, even rhythm, closing your hip angle slightly so you won’t interfere with your horse when he leaves the ground. He trots all the way to the base of the jump without breaking into canter, slowing to walk or refusing. Just as in a good canter jump, he arrives at the center of the jump on a straight line and takes off “out of stride,” neither leaving out a stride nor making an awkward three-legged jump. Because you and he approach the fence in balance, maintaining a good rhythm, the resulting arc in the air is perfectly centered, with its highest point directly over the jump.

Producing such an ideal trot jump takes practice. I’m often surprised when new horses come to my barn who don’t seem comfortable trotting fences. They break into the canter in the last stride before takeoff, jump awkwardly out of rhythm or even refuse. In some cases, these problems result from poor balance or timing. In others, the horse may be confused by the rider’s aids. Some riders have trouble asking their horses to wait for the jump without using too strong a contact or being rigid in their hands.

Balance and timing can be more difficult in the trot for riders, as well. Stabilizing your position is easier in a full- or half-seat at the canter than in the rising trot, where your position is constantly changing. Some riders find it easier to approach jumps in the sitting trot, but that can be challenging, too, as horses may interpret the feeling of the rider’s seat as a cue to canter. Ideally, you should learn how to trot to fences in both sitting and rising trot, particularly if you show equitation classes, in which judges sometimes specify one or the other—or both! At first, though, experiment to find what works best for you and your horse and stick to that method until your trot jumps are solid.

I use a gradual system for teaching horses and riders to trot fences. It starts with getting your horse comfortable trotting ground poles, then jumping a single crossrail with placing poles on the takeoff and landing sides. After that you’ll work on trotting into a three-fence gymnastic line and cantering out. Finally, you’ll test your horse and yourself by trotting into a line of two fences and cantering out, then cantering into the same line and trotting out in the other direction. Depending on how comfortable you and your horse are, work your way through the following exercises over a series of several sessions. Then practice them frequently between shows to keep your skills sharp.

For more on this, see "Master the Trot Fence" in the April 2012 issue of Practical Horseman magazine.

To help, Practical Horseman editors dug through 15 years of back issues and thousands of photos (“Can you believe someone wore THAT?”) to find our ­favorite solutions to your most relentless position challenges. Enjoy reading advice from top ­experts that is as valuable today as it was back when it first graced the pages of our magazine. As you read through them, you’ll notice that most of the problems are ­interconnected. It’s no surprise, then, that “work without stirrups” was suggested in ­every article, in ­addition to the exercises offered here. (Note: Remember some of these, ahem, “classic” photos were taken years before our current approved headgear rules. As always, we strongly urge you to wear ­approved headgear whenever you ride.)

1. I look down
Why it’s a problem: When your head is out of alignment, you may collapse forward, tip sideways, bob or wag your head, and impair your vision and ability to turn your horse.

Fix: Your head’s very heavy—so when you hold it up and aligned with your spine (think of keeping your chin about parallel to the ground), you help align the rest of your upper body, too—like a stack of building blocks, every part balanced on the others with a minimum of strain. This alignment helps you ride with relaxed shoulders, arms and back.

Begin a posting trot around the ring and take both reins in your outside hand with a light contact. Raise your inside hand straight out in front of you at shoulder height and keep your eyes on it; extend it to the side, then rotate your extended arm and hand from your shoulder, reaching as far behind you as you comfortably can. As you continue watching your inside hand through these motions, maintain a steady posting trot. Reverse direction and repeat. It sounds simple, and it is—but if you do it for a few minutes each time you ride, it will help you develop balance, feel and the independent use of your eyes and head.—Missy Clark, April 2000

2. I hunch my shoulders and collapse my chest
Why it’s a problem: You round your shoulders forward, collapse your chest and send your center of gravity ahead of your horse’s. Your tension wires itself to your arms, and your forearm muscles visibly tighten. As it spreads like a virus through your body, your knees clutch—which turns them into pivots, sending your heels up and your lower legs back. With your hunched body and dropped chin, breathing becomes a chore; so does zeroing in on your distance to the next fence.

Fix: At the walk, shake out each arm (as you’d do to dislodge a pesky insect) to literally shake away tension. Then take a deep breath (which will relax, lift and open your chest) at the same time that you roll your shoulders up toward your ears, then push them back and down. ­Repeat this exercise whenever you feel your shoulder muscles tense as if pulling your shoulders up.—Kathy Fletcher, ­
January 2001

3. I lean at fences with my upper body
Why it’s a problem: You’re heading toward a fence when your upper body drops forward, your knee pinches, your lower leg slides back and you start balancing off your hand. You climb so far up your horse’s neck that he’s on his nose and can’t push from his hind end. Instead of letting him come up and close your angle as he jumps, you close it yourself and “leave the ground before he does.” His only option (if he’s a good guy) is an awkward, weak, you’re-not-sure-if-or-how-it’s-gonna-happen jump—or a flat-out chip. If he’s less than honest, he may step aside and go around—or slam on the brakes and dump you.

Fix: Shorten your stirrups two or three holes and stretch up, which brings the inside of your leg flat against your horse with your toe higher than your heel. This strong base automatically puts your upper body over your center of gravity—leaning is virtually impossible if your base is centered—and forces you to ride the correct motion from the back of your seat to your crotch, rather than riding up and down. And it puts your arms and hands out in front of you. (Too-long stirrups make you use either the back of your leg or your knee as your base of support—and neither works.—Tony Workman, November 1998