Whenever I flatter myself that I understand equitation and horse training, I stop and remember an event that took place in the ‘80s  When I was studying dressage with Debbie Grosenbaugh.  It exemplifies the problem of language in passing along this art of horse riding.

She asked me to do shoulders-in down the long side of the arena on my little cutting horse Annie.  So I did what I thought was shoulders-in.  

“What in the heck was that?” she puzzled.

“It was what Henry Wynmalen described in his book,” I responded.

“I know that couldn’t be what he said.  That was no kind of shoulders in!” she said.  

Then she explained each part of the movement, and the importance of this essential movement in its building of collection of the horse.

Thirty six years later, and many successive teachers and books down the road, I still struggle daily with this deceptively simple seeming tool of the trade.  Sometimes I even get two or three strides!  

One must remain optimistic and humble!

It was Central Texas in 1960, I was riding the third ride on a young colt, ‘round and around I went.  When I looked up, the old man was shaking his head.

“What in tarnation do you call that?”

“Ridin’ circles like you said.” I replied

“That ain’t no kinda circle!  You been makin’ eggs, triangles, and boats, but you ain’t made no circle ‘til yet!  Kid, the only way you could be dumber is to be bigger!”

I sat on the colt, utterly crushed.

“When I said the geometry of a horse is a circle, I meant a round circle.  he’s got to learn to bend around your leg.  Now, stare at that there cow patty, and keep him exactly Ten feet from it as you go around it.  If he drifts out, use your inside rein to pull him in, and if he drifts in bump him out with your inside leg.”

It was pretty raggedy at first, but I soon learned that the colt would lean in or out at the same place on the circle, so i could anticipate him and start fixing him up before he got too far wrong.  

“Now, that’s what I call a circle!” he grinned, “and you are training him!!”