Who here gets bored sometimes just riding circles?
What if I told you that "boring" 20 meter circle actually has HUGE benefits for your horse?!
The 20 meter circle is a simple yet crucial training tool that helps improve your horse's:
Suppleness
Flexibility
Balance
Strength
Any horse at any level can benefit from practicing 20 meter circles!
Let's dig into it!
Developing Suppleness and Flexibility:
Following the line of the circle encourages the horse to bend through his entire body, improving flexibility in the spine and enhancing both lateral AND longitudinal flexion on both sides of his body.
Improving Balance and Strength:
By maintaining a consistent circle size in a steady, forward-thinking rhythm, the horse learns to engage its hindquarters and balance himself evenly throughout the bending line of the circle. This engagement of the hindquarters is essential for building strength and topline muscles.
How can you use circles when you ride?
Here is a diagram of how 20 meter circles sit in different parts of the dressage arena.
Start by trotting on the rail in your horse's favorite direction. Then add one 20 meter circle at each end of the arena (letters A and C).
When that starts to feel easy, add another circle in the center of the arena (letters B and E). If you're really feeling fancy, try circles at R/S or V/P!
Start with riding only one circle at a time. As your horse gets stronger, you can add more!
You don't have a standard dressage arena?
No problem!
Here's an easy way to figure out how big your circle should be to ensure maximum benefits!
Go grab your lunge line - no horse required!
🌟Pro tip - most lunge lines are about 30 feet long. If you use your lunge line to help you measure your circle, you'll be just a hair small but certainly close enough for the goals we're working toward! (20 meters is 66 feet)
How to Use Your Lunge Line to Measure Your Circle:
Put the handle end (the part you'd normally hold) of the line on the ground in the center of the arena.
Now walk with your line from the center as far out as the line will go on one side... This is the radius of your circle (half the width). Do this again on the opposite side. Now you have the full width (diameter) of your circle!
In the days when I ran my training business at a western barn with no standard dressage court, I would measure once and then mark the fence with duct tape, electrical tape, or set out cones, so I could have a frame of reference while I was riding.
So... let's stop talking in circles and go ride some!
I want to hear about it!
Tell me how it's going! In the comments or send me a message. I love to hear from you!
Would you like more one on one help with your horse? Send me a message HERE and tell me about it! I'll send you some special exercises just for YOU - for FREE!
Comments