How To Dressage

Main Menu

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Article Categories
    • The Scales of Training
    • The Horse’s Gaits
    • Dressage Theory
    • For The Rider
    • Dressage Movements
    • Dressage Competition
    • Horse Care
    • Dressage Troubleshooting
    • Interviews with GP Riders
  • Training Forum
  • Our Book Range
  • Our Podcast
  • FREE STUFF!

logo

Header Banner

How To Dressage

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Article Categories
    • The Scales of Training
    • The Horse’s Gaits
    • Dressage Theory
    • For The Rider
    • Dressage Movements
    • Dressage Competition
    • Horse Care
    • Dressage Troubleshooting
    • Interviews with GP Riders
  • Training Forum
  • Our Book Range
  • Our Podcast
  • FREE STUFF!
Dressage Movements
Home›Dressage Movements›How to Ride Turn Around the Forehand

How to Ride Turn Around the Forehand

By How To Dressage
2162
0
How to Ride Turn Around the Forehand how to dressage


Why do we teach horses to perform turn around the forehand?

  • It is usually taught as the first ‘sideways’ movement, as it’s a simple way to educate your horse into an understanding that the leg may mean ‘go sideways’ as well as ‘go forward’.
  • It’s really useful when opening and closing gates.

Beyond that, in itself, it has no real value, but too many riders these days skip this stage and start with leg-yield when turn around the forehand is far simpler for the horse to understand.

What the horse should be doing in turn around the forehand

In a true turn on the forehand, the horse pivots around one front leg. His hind legs move sideways around his forehand until he is facing in the opposite direction.

Far more useful (and it does lead to other applications) is turn around the forehand, in which the horse’s front legs describe a very small half circle, and the hind legs are then able to continuously cross over each other (inside hind in front of the outside hind), never losing the forward momentum or the walk sequence.

This can result in more suppleness in the hind leg joints and an understanding of straddling the legs in preparation for more advanced lateral movements further on in his training.

The aids for turn around the forehand

Ride alongside a wall or fence, about 1 meter away from it (the inside track).

Let’s take as an example, turn around the forehand to the left.

Terminology check: the direction named, in this case left, is the direction in which you will move his hindquarters, so you will be walking on the left rein before you start.

With small aids on the right rein, start to turn his head towards the fence.

At the same time, aid him with your right leg, making sure your left leg hangs totally passive, away from his side.

As his quarters start to move to the left (i.e. into the arena, away from the fence), use small half-halts on your left rein to slow down his front leg steps; your right rein is still asking him to turn towards the fence.

You need to find a balance between the amounts of right and left rein to maintain the turning, yet not allow him to walk too much forward – this is why you start teaching the movement by turning him towards the fence, as this prevents too much stepping forward until he understands your aiding. It also helps you to not become too strong on either rein, which will cause stiffening and possibly panic.

Once he has completed the turn you walk away on the right rein.

You may wish to halt him after the turn, for discipline or to help keep things calm if he has become worried; that is up to you to respond to how he reacts.

Once he understands, you can do turn around the forehand anywhere you like, without the fence as a help, and you can go all the way around instead of only a half turn, is you so choose.

In conclusion

Turn on the forehand is a simple exercise designed to move the horse’s hind end around its front end.

Preferably ridden as turn around the forehand (i.e. without losing the walk sequence before you start), it teaches:

  • An understanding of lateral displacement to a leg aid (i.e. moving sideways away from one leg).
  • Control of one end of the horse relative to the other, particularly useful when maneuvering for specific positioning, e.g. opening/closing gates.
  • An understanding of straddling the hind legs.
  • By straddling the hind legs correctly (in the example above, at every step the right hind would cross in front of the left) it both bends the hind leg joints and mobilizes the pelvis (by tilting it) and as a consequence moves the lower back, all of which aid in increasing flexibility.
  • A better understanding of the job of the two reins – the inside for bend/turn and the outside for speed control.

Related Reads: 

  • How To Leg Yield
  • How to Ride a Walk Pirouette
  • How to Ride Haunches-In (Travers)
  • How to Half-Pass

 

How To Dressage

We are an information blog breaking down the How To's of dressage. All of our articles are put together by British Dressage judges to help you train your horse correctly, get higher scores and win your next dressage competition.

Related articles More from author

  • How to Ride a Serpentine how to dressage
    Dressage Movements

    How to Ride a Serpentine

    June 20, 2018
    By How To Dressage
  • How to Ride a Good Trot-Halt Transition dressage
    Dressage Movements

    How to Ride a Good Trot-Halt Transition

    May 30, 2018
    By How To Dressage
  • How to Ride a Good Halt How to Dressage
    Dressage Movements

    How to Ride a Good Halt

    March 15, 2018
    By How To Dressage
  • How to Ride a Good Halt-Trot Transition dressage
    Dressage Movements

    How to Ride a Good Halt-Trot Transition

    May 25, 2018
    By How To Dressage
  • How to Ride a Good Trot-Walk Transition how to dressage
    Dressage Movements

    How to Ride a Good Trot-Walk Transition

    May 4, 2018
    By How To Dressage
  • How to Ride Haunches-In Travers how to dressage
    Dressage Movements

    How to Ride Haunches-In (Travers)

    July 6, 2018
    By How To Dressage

Leave a reply Cancel reply

0

WANT MORE?

  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • How to Create More Jump in the Canter dressage

    How to Create More Jump in the Canter

    By How To Dressage
    December 2, 2019
  • How to Identify and Manage Navicular Dressage

    How to Identify and Manage Navicular

    By How To Dressage
    November 25, 2019
  • How to Ride Haunches-Out (Renvers) dressage

    How to Ride Haunches-Out (Renvers)

    By How To Dressage
    November 18, 2019
  • how to keep your horse happy when stabled

    How to Keep Your Horse Happy When Stabled

    By How To Dressage
    November 11, 2019
  • How to Improve Your Dressage Scores

    How to Improve Your Dressage Scores

    By How To Dressage
    November 6, 2019
  • how to create the ideal arena surface footing for dressage

    How to Create the Ideal Arena Surface Footing for Dressage

    By How To Dressage
    October 31, 2019
  • How to Train Canter Pirouettes

    How to Train Canter Pirouettes

    By How To Dressage
    October 26, 2019
  • How to Structure a Dressage Training Plan for Your Horse

    How to Structure a Dressage Training Plan for Your Horse

    By How To Dressage
    February 13, 2019
  • how to create the ideal arena surface footing for dressage

    How to Create the Ideal Arena Surface Footing for Dressage

    By How To Dressage
    October 31, 2019
  • How to Import a Dressage Horse

    How to Import a Dressage Horse (from Europe to the U.S.)

    By How To Dressage
    October 19, 2019
  • how to fit your horse's noseband dressage

    How to Fit Your Horse’s Noseband

    By How To Dressage
    October 5, 2019
  • How to use Poles to Improve Your Horse's Way of Going how to dressage

    How to use Poles to Improve Your Horse’s Way of Going

    By How To Dressage
    September 5, 2018
  • How to Refresh a Horse That has Become Stale in his Training How To dressage

    How to Refresh a Horse That has Become Stale in his Training

    By How To Dressage
    March 3, 2018
  • How to Fit a Dressage Saddle to Both Horse & Rider

    How to Fit a Dressage Saddle to Both Horse & Rider

    By How To Dressage
    September 9, 2019
  • How To Dressage
    on
    November 25, 2019

    How to Plan Dressage Freestyle to Music in 7 Steps

    Hi Marion, thanks for ...
  • Marion Boyle
    on
    November 25, 2019

    How to Plan Dressage Freestyle to Music in 7 Steps

    Is there any particular ...
  • How To Dressage
    on
    November 17, 2019

    What is the Difference Between Bend and Flexion?

    No problem at all. ...
  • Kate
    on
    November 17, 2019

    What is the Difference Between Bend and Flexion?

    Brilliant; Best way I've ...
  • How To Dressage
    on
    November 14, 2019

    How to Improve Your Dressage Scores

    No problem at all ...
  • Amelia
    on
    November 14, 2019

    How to Improve Your Dressage Scores

    Thank you so much ...
  • How To Dressage
    on
    November 14, 2019

    How to Keep Your Heels Down & Toes In When Riding

    Glad we could help ...

Article Categories

  • Dressage Competition (21)
  • Dressage Movements (36)
  • Dressage Theory (37)
  • Dressage Troubleshooting (34)
  • For The Rider (23)
  • Horse Care (31)
  • Interviews with Grand Prix Riders (8)
  • The Horse's Gaits (8)
  • The Scales of Training (8)

Free Email Courses

how to dressage paypal dressage newbie email course

how to dressage competition email course

Get Our Books

how to dressage books on amazon

WANT MORE?

Useful Pages

Home
About us
View Our Book Range
Join Our Facebook Group
Forum
FREE STUFF!
Contact Us

See our social side

Our Podcast

how to dressage podcast
Copyright © 2018-2019 How To Dressage
Privacy Policy
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links that are included on this website are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, we earn a commission if you make a purchase. If you would like to support this website in some way, using these links will help you do exactly that. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Necessary Always Enabled