Movements of Dressage

Here is a summary of the movements involved in dressage.

Rein Back
When doing rein back the legs move in diagonally opposite pairs, they are lifted clearly off the ground and the hind legs should remain in line with the forelegs. The rider urges the horse to move forward but at the moment the horse lifts its hind leg to take a stride the rider squeezes the reins back in a similar fashion to halting.

Turn on the haunches
When a horse does a turn on the haunches it makes a quarter of a circle within two steps, it pivots on its hind legs.

Turn on the forehand
This is essentially the same as a turn on the haunches but the horse pivots around its forelegs

Leg Yielding
This is a lateral movement where the horse moves forwards and sideways as a result of leg pressure and looks slightly in the opposite direction to that which it is moving in.

Half Pass
The horse moves diagonally as the forehand is moved inwards to bring the near hind and off-fore legs in line with each other.

Shoulder-in
The horse makes three tracks as it moves laterally with the head bent away from the direction it is moving. The hindquarters move on the original track whilst the forehand is moved slightly inside causing the body to bend. The inner foreleg crosses over the outer one.

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