Training Tip: The Five Body Parts

It doesn’t matter what sport you do with your horse – western pleasure, dressage, trail, jumping, cutting, reining, etc., every single sport revolves around the horse being soft, supple and relaxed in order to perform his best. In order to get a horse soft and supple throughout his entire body, you need to concentrate on five body parts: the head and neck, poll, shoulders, ribcage and hindquarters. Think of these five body parts like the hinges on your horse’s body. Each time you ride your horse, you have to oil those hinges to make them work properly.