Do you have a gaited horse that’s heavy on the forehand and leans on the bit? I found balance and lightness through these counter bend exercises.

Counter bend balance and lightness for the naturally gaited horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

Is your naturally gaited horse heavy on the forehand and does it lean on the bit? Mine did. That’s been my naturally gaited fox trotting horse, Lady. Until I found balance and lightness through simple exercises using the counter bend.

True Bend or Counter Bend?

For years I have been conditioned to ride true bends on a circle as I train my non gaited and gaited horses. A true bend is when the horse’s body is positioned on the same arc as the circle. While the true bend helps the horse strengthen the inside hind leg as it steps under the body, it hasn’t helped my naturally gaited fox trotting mare, Lady find balance and lightness.

I began to add halt-rein back transitions, leg yields in and out of the circle, quality trot on cue, and shoulder ins to help Lady find balance and lightness. I have also taught Lady the demi arret (quick upright motions of the hands to signal to the horse, no leaning on the bit). It seems the demi arret works great at a halt, but in motion, it hasn’t been effective when Lady is heavy on the shoulders and leaning on the bit. (Perhaps I have been too late in my demi arret application.)

Introducing the Counter Bend Neck Rein Turns

Yet it wasn’t until we began the counter bend neck rein exercises where Lady’s balance improved. I learned about counter bend neck rein turns from Certified Master Légèreté Instructor Bertrand Ravoux during a clinic he conducted in Wisconsin, October 2019.

Steps to the Counter Bend Neck Rein Turn:

1. First I have equal steady light contact with both reins and her snaffle bit.
2. Then I position the nose slightly to the outside of the circle so I see the outside eye while keeping the neck straight.
3. Then I draw both hands to the inside of the circle (opposite side of the bend) with gentle nudges in timing with the inside shoulder as it begins to lift forward. This encourages the inside leg to move forward and slightly into the circle. The outside leg continues straight and forward. It does not cross over the inside leg.

Counter Bend Tips

1. The counter bend turn is a shoulder moving exercise, not a hindquarter moving exercise. It is important that the rider not move the hindquarters laterally during this exercise.
2. I like to start the counter bend exercises at a SLOW walk until I am organized with my aids in timing with my horse’s steps and that my horse understands the concept of the exercise before we progress to more tempo in the walk or smooth gait.

Variety of Counter Bend Applications

Counter bend neck rein turns can be applied on a serpentine by changing the counter bend at each turn, on a figure eight and changing the counter bend in the center, on a square by applying a counter bend neck rein turn at each corner, on a circle by maintaining a counter bend, or a random counter bend turn any time I feel the need to rebalance and straighten the shoulders. These are some of my favorite balancing exercises with Lady and that’s when she found balance and lightness in motion.

Our next progression is a small counter bend circle to a turn on the haunches.

Lady became lighter on the forehand and lighter in the bridle. I began to notice improvement in engagement and lifting her back to a neutral position. All of these elements improved the quality of Lady’s naturally smooth fox trot: bit acceptance, balance, engagement from behind, activating the abdominal muscles to lift the back, and lifting the chest and shoulders, plus her naturally smooth fox trot is getting faster without breaking into a hard trot!

Have you used counter bends with your naturally gaited horse? How have they helped your balance and lightness?

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