ANSWER:
Your horse is laterally and longitudinally unbalanced, i.e. she carries more
weight on her left side than on her right, and she carries more weight on
the forehand than on the hindquarters. The result is that her left front leg
is especially overburdened, which leads to the excessively heavy rein
contact on the left rein. In order to balance the horse, you have to address
the lateral imbalance first. In other words, you have to straighten the
horse. Right now, her right hind leg is escaping to the right. Her left hind
leg is not stepping forward enough, which is why she leans on your left
rein. Since both hind legs move a little bit in two different directions,
the horse's hip is positioned at an angle. The right hip is positioned more
forward (and to the right) than the left hip. This affects the position of
the shoulders: the left shoulder drifts to the left, which is why she falls
into all left turns. All her left turns will be smaller than you intended,
and all her right turns will be larger than you intended. It may even be
difficult to turn her to the right at all.
To start out, you have to gain control over the hind legs. You have to drive
the left hind leg forward underneath you with your left calf. The horse will
initially try to speed up, so you have to be ready for her and immediately
regulate the tempo with a half halt. If she can't speed up, she will try to
push her croup to the right, which you prevent with your right calf behind
the girth. She may also try to push her shoulders to the left, which you
prevent with your left thigh/knee and rein (at the base of the neck). In
addition, you may have to shift your weight towards the right by stepping
into the right stirrup.
This is one aspect of what Steinbrecht means when he talks about
gymnasticizing one hind leg at a time. By straightening the horse out, you
take control of the hind legs. When you have established the lateral balance
(straightness) you will also be a great deal closer to longitudinal balance,
i.e. your horse will be much less on the forehand. This will also take care
of the inversion in transitions. The horse can only invert if one or both
hind legs go out behind you. If you drive the inside hind leg underneath you
and bend it underneath your weight, the horse will not only flex the hind
leg, she will also tuck her croup, lift her back, raise her withers, and
arch her neck with a relaxed poll.
If the crookedness is pronounced and confirmed, be prepared that it may take
a rather strong seat and at times strong legs in order not to simply get
pushed out of the way by the horse. As soon as the hind legs give in, things
will be much easier, and the horse will be much lighter in every respect.
- Thomas Ritter
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Last Update: January 13, 2007