The Ins and Outs of Riding Serpentines

Riding a serpentine is really not that hard, but riding a serpentine well, is another matter.

By mastering riding a serpentine you will improve your horse balance, bend, obedience and turn aids.  It assists you and your horse to ride more expressively in a dressage test and corner better when jumping.  Getting the right bend and then having the ability to change that bend to another direction smoothly and with perfection is the key to shoulder-in, haunches-in, half-pass, flying changes and pirouettes.

In this article we will cover three exercises to ensure you ride serpentines accurately.

The Bending Aids

When you bend to the right, your horses weight should be striding slightly more heavily through the left (outside) shoulder (when you bend to the left subsequently your weight should be travelling slightly more heavily through their right shoulder).

Your inside rein asks your horse to bend.  Take your inside wrist and point your fingernails slightly towards your outside shoulder bending him just enough to see his inside nostril to the inside of your circle.  Many riders incorrectly take their hand back towards their hip or open the rein out, both of these make it much more difficult for your horse to balance on the turns.

The best time to give a half-halt on your outside rein is when your horses outside leg is off the ground.  This tells your horse where to go, when to go and how to go.  It also prevents over bending.  You also need to ensure you give enough with the outside rein so he can bend effectively.

Your inside leg is your driving leg which keeps your horse travelling forward and your outside leg supports your horse, preventing him from falling out of the circle.  It is situated behind the girth and is often passive.

The position of your seat is important.  You alter the way to sit by adjusting your inside seat bone a little forward and deeper than the outside seat bone.

The rhythm of your seat should be a small push enough to maintain momentum.  You horse should not speed up or slow down unless he is asked.

Improve your Steering

What is lateral balance?  It is your horses' ability to move and adjust his circle without losing momentum, or falling in or out of the circle.  A common exercise to improve this is to ride ever decreasing circles, spiralling in and out of a circle.  Most people can do this, but not many do it precisely.  Imagine your horse is the needle on a record player and only spirals in extremely gradually.  Move your horse's shoulders to lead the spiral.  Keep spiralling in down to a 15 metre circle.  Aim to have five clear circles around between the 20 metre outer circle and 15 metre inner circle.

Spiral out again in the same way on the 5 rounds.  Using your inside leg when your horses outside leg has lifted visualise your inside leg driving your horses hind quarters toward his outside shoulder.  Ensure you also maintain your horses bend.

Once you have mastered this exercise, you have a tool to keep your horses line in any circle.  If he starts to fall out, think about spiralling in.  Likewise, if he starts to fall in, you can think about spiralling out.  With total control over your horse's lateral balance, you have power steering and you can drive your horse to exactly where you need him to be.

Develop your Accelerator and your Breaks

When you find your horse is behind your leg and is lazy get them going!  If he ignores your leg a couple of quick taps with the whip will be needed to get him going.  Every time your horse slows even for a stride get them going again.  The same goes if your horse is a speedy Gonzales you must rectify that too.  Half halt your horse until your horse he is at the correct speed and tempo and then continue riding.  When your horse speeds up again repeat and keep repeating until your horse remains at the same tempo.  For some horses you must be persistent!

Next, set up cones or markers just inside the track where you would ride your horse on a serpentine put four cones on each circle.  Ride your horse in a working trot towards your first cone.  Once there, look to the next cone and ride towards that one.  Continue this until you have ridden the serpentine. 

Once your horse is comfortable with the cones and you have practiced this calmly, close your legs and ask your horse to make a longer stride.  Think of your horse's movement similar to turning up the volume on the radio, although it gets louder, the rhythm, lyrics and melody stays the same. Once you have got the bigger, longer stride, don't harass your horse with your legs simply use your seat to keep your horses momentum.  Once you have got to your third marker half-halt and bring your horse back to working trot again, think turning down the volume again.  Keep practising until your horse really understands moving forward with longer and shorter strides and is happy to transition between both without fuss.

You can also combine this exercise with the previous one where you change your horse's tempo on a circle where you are spiralling in and out.

Change your Bend

The most technical and important part of riding the serpentine is the final quarter of the circle before the centre line and the first quarter of the new circle.  You need to half halt to allow your horse to re-adjust his bend and balance.  You also need to change the position of your seat, legs and hands accordingly to allow your horse to also change.  This needs to done within three strides.

Start the serpentine with a half circle to the right.  Make sure your inside seat bone is slightly forward.  As you are passing the three quarter line, half halt on the outside rein and use a more active inside leg to let your horse know you are going to ask for a change in bend.  It's important that you do the half halt in the rhythm of your horse's motion and when his outside shoulder is coming off the ground which is also when the inner hind leg is about to leave the ground.  Glance down at his shoulders if you not sure.  Remember, you can only influence him when that outside shoulder is coming off the ground.  As you cross the centreline, switch the position of your seat bones.

As you change the bend you will need to think left then right rather that left, straight, right.  Straightness will happen simultaneously as you change direction.  As you establish the new bend then half halt to rebalance your horse and look ahead to your next turn.

Keep the Basics

You must work hard to keep the basics during the change.  Has he maintained impulsion, rhythm, tempo, suppleness, contact and straightness?  Then well done!

The most common problems in a serpentine is accuracy and lack of balance in the change of direction.  Here are a couple of suggestions:

• Ride a straight line after crossing the centreline and then ask him to turn in the new direction with your aids to bend.
• Bring him back to a walk for a few strides. This just reinforces the half halt.
• Do a few complete circles and figure eights to give him a longer chance to balance on the circle.

Whatever level you ride, making the basics perfect and building from there is the only way to go.  If you are having trouble with anything always go back to address the basics first.

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