Crooked

Bulging shoulder? Falling in? Always feels crooked? These are videos to help problem-solve with your horse's alignment and lateral balance. To learn more, we suggest you also explore the category: Alignment.

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  • How To Use Your Body In Turns - Dec 2017

    This video gives you a simulation you can do to get a feel for how to use your body in square turns, corners, and when riding more precise circles. Karen also uses it to help further refine your lateral positions, and shows how to differentiate between asking for Haunches In and Canter!

    This vid...

  • Counter-Steering For Basic Straightness - May 2018

    Watch as Karen coaches a student who is having trouble with a horse that is very good at running out his shoulders. The rider has a habit of using the inside rein in turns, and this only compounds the problem. The rider learns to guide the horse from the outside of his body, and the horse finds a...

  • Change Of Direction On Line - Jan 2013

    An on line exercise using a change of direction and bend to help create suppleness in your horses. This is like a coordinated dance move with your horse, requiring several ingredients to be in place, and then that you can lead your horse through it in the right position, with the right timing. It...

  • Basic Alignment Exercise Explained - Mar 2018

    This video explains, in a nutshell, one of the most important concepts in the Dressage Naturally program: The Basic Alignment Exercise. Karen uses a clear visual example to explain it. This exercise is key to breaking free of trying to ‘hold your horse straight’ or ‘hold the bend on’ with stronge...

  • Bend: Alignment on Circle Discussion and Simulation - Jan 2013

    Discussion and simulation to help you understand and feel what it means to bend. I hope you do get up and try this one... So many students find this helpful at my clinics! What you will learn about your bodies in this exercise usually directly translates to what you find while riding. This video ...

  • Basic Alignment Exercise at the Trot Laurel - Sept 2019

    Karen coaches a rider through the Basic Alignment Exercise for the first time. Basic Alignment Exercise is one of the most powerful and fundamental exercises in Dressage Naturally. Once learned, this principle can be used to bring better balance and freedom of movement during basic and advanced m...

  • Improving a Horse That Prefers One Lead at Canter - June 2015

    Karen coaches a student who is practicing Training Level tests, but has had a long-standing issue with picking up and maintaining the left lead. The student has made huge progress, but still needs to find the balance where the horse can reliably pick up and sustain the left lead. Watch as Karen t...

  • Beginning the Basic Alignment Exercise Riding - October 2012

    Karen teaches a student the Basic Alignment Exercise riding. In this short demo you will hear Karen describe the exercise and take the student through the first stages of it. By the end you will be able to see a clear result as the horse aligns and stretches. This video is excellent for anyone wh...

  • Alignment For Throughness Barbara and Ponce - Nov 2010

    Karen rides a student's horse, focusing on alignment to help him find more throughness. After Karen rides, she coaches his owner on him. You can see a previous session with this student and horse in a video called: 'Alignment - Barbara and Ponce'

  • Alignment - Barbara and Ponce - Nov 2010

    You will meet Barbara and Ponce as they looked the first day they arrived at Karen's, then watch as Karen helps them over several weeks to improve their balance, alignment and posture. He is a wonderful horse with a very capable rider, but is scattered in his focus and disconnected in his body. Y...

  • Starting Basic Alignment Exercise with Rhonda - Sept 2019

    Karen coaches a rider through the beginning of Basic Alignment Exercise. Basic Alignment Exercise is one of the most powerful and fundamental exercises in Dressage Naturally. Once learned, the principle can be used to bring better balance and freedom of movement during basic and advanced movement...

  • Basic Alignment Exercise - Aug 2014

    In this video, Karen helps a student who is having trouble with her horse bulging out around the circle. She rides the horse to help them break the cycle of brace and crookedness. She uses the idea of Basic Alignment Exercise to reset their middle. You will see how this one session makes a change...

  • Improving The Canter By Correcting Leaning On Inside Shoulder - June 2015

    Karen coaches a student who is preparing for First Level dressage tests. They have trouble with energy at the canter, and keeping balance on 15 meter circles. Karen traces it to a fundamental imbalance in the shoulders (the horse leans on his inside shoulder when on the left lead). By focusing on...

  • Find the Sweet Spot with a Tight Crooked Horse - Jan 2015

    Karen helps a student with her athletic, sensitive, and flexible horse. This type of horse can be challenging to organize, but Karen helps her through several different exercises to help them untangle themselves and find a sweet spot for the working gaits.

  • Change of Direction On Line for Suppling - Feb 2018

    This video shows how a simple change of direction can be done in a way to promote greater suppleness by focusing on the exact moment when the horse changes from one bend to another. This will be great for any horse that has his basic yields and that has trouble with stiffness in the body or is no...

  • Stretching Bridleless - Mar 2018

    In this video, you will see Karen start a ride on Natilla. She will narrate what she is thinking as she transforms Natilla’s body from ‘just trotting around’ to stretching in a let-loose posture, aligned and free on a circle. Karen shows how even a subtle use of the Basic Alignment exercise can h...

  • Bend and Counter Bend at Trot - Jan 2018

    In this video, Karen demonstrates counter-bending exercises to do at the walk and trot that help in creating alignment, flexibility, and suppleness. This will help riders coordinate between bend and line of direction. These exercises are helpful for anyone who has working or collected gaits, and ...

  • Bend and Counterbend Exercise at Canter with Natilla - Jan 2018

    This video is a continuation of the exercises in the video: Counter-Bend Exercise At The Trot (January 2018). Karen will show how to do bend and counter bend in the canter and counter canter. These exercises will build the rider’s coordination and skill in differentiating between cues for line of...

  • 3 Questions To Refine Your Riding On Circles - Oct 2016

    Karen gives you 3 Questions to ask yourself that will refine your circles. This short video will give you an easy-to-remember exercise that you can use to take your circles and bending lines from 'good' to 'great'. It will help you keep more consistency in the connection, more lightness and balan...