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Question

Is lateral flexion good for a horse?If it is...how so?

What is the puspose of an indirect rein?

Is counter flexion and lateral flexion related?

What is scope?

P.S. These are NOT howrse questions...i know i have a lot i just dont want to use up all my points on each question haha =]]

Answer 1

First of all the easy one. Scope is a show jumping competition. Its full name is The Scope Festival of Show Jumping. It goes on for a week and it is for pretty advanced riders. Its in England by the way, and it has just been, last week! Its every year, usually the end of August. People go and camp to watch for the full week so its a big event.

Lateral flexion is flexing the horses neck to the inside, when it is bending e.g. On a circle to the right, the horses head would be to the right. It helps the horse with its balance and bending, and helps the rider get more control.

Counter flexion is the same only to the outside, so the head and neck are flexed the opposite way the horse is bending. Both types of flexion are very good for the horse because they both help with bending and balance, and these are used in almost everything a horse does when ridden.

Flexing one way, then the other, can be used to teach a horse how to go into an outline.

Indirect rein is very similar to neck reining. You move your hands over the withers (without pulling) in the direction you want the horse to go. So if you want your horse to go left, you right hand moves left. This is the same as neck reining, only you pull when you neck rein. You have to have a responsive horse to do this, otherwise the small signals will be ignored.

When performing a pirrouette, you use an indirect rein aid.

I hope this helps. Good questions I really had to think about it.