What is the essence of haunches-in? What do you need to watch out for when doing haunches-in?
Going on 3 tracks, ouside hind leg stepping into the track of the inside front leg.
The goal of haunches-in is to ask the outside hind leg under the body, so that it will carry the weight of the horse. The benefit is that this hind leg is required to bend more, closing all joints, adding more strength and flexibility to the hind legs.
Another benefit is that the carrying function of the hind legs will improve and the push function is being reduced, therefore helping the horse in collection and to free the movement of the inside shoulder.
The haunches-in is also a preparation exercise for more advanced sidemovements. When you do a travers on a small circle, you get a working pirouette. When you do a travers on a diagonal line, you get a half pass. When you ride a travers into a renvers in canter, you get a flying change.
Note:
In the Academic Art of Riding, haunches-in is done on 3 tracks, meaning that the outside hind leg is stepping into the track of the inside front leg. In competition, riding haunches-in is often done at 4 tracks, both hind legs traveling on the inside of the front leg tracks.
Haunches-in is about bringing the OUTside hind leg under the point of weight to gain strength and flexibility. However, you should not forget to focus on the INside hind leg and inside hip as well! The inside hind leg should travel forward and not sideways and the inside hip should drop down, indicating the correct bend in the body.
If the haunches are coming in too much, the horse is going sideways, stepping beyond the point of weight and not under the body. The rotation of the ribcage is going down on the outside and coming up on the inside. You will see the inside hip going up instead of going down.
In a correct haunches-in, the inside hip of the horse is lowered and the rotation of the ribcage goes down on the inside and comes up on the outside.
Teaching a horse to bring the haunches to the inside on a whip cue is relatively easy. Having the correct bend in the body, the correct chest rotation and the correct placement of the hind legs so they really take the weight and close the joints is a lifelong journey!
The biggest course I have created is the Lateral Movements Simplified course. It's a 6-month journey where you will learn how to explain all lateral movements to your horse on the ground. The course starts only twice a year, on January 1st and on July 1st.
I know from running this course a couple of times that it is completely possible for every horse and every rider to learn all lateral movements on the ground (shoulder in, haunches in, renvers, half pass and pirouette) to help your horse build strength and flexibility to prepare for shifting weight and collection so that your horse can carry you in a healthy way.
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I want to make a soulful and inspirational contribution to the horse world where welfare, connection and communication between human and horse are the basis of everything we do with our horse.
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I believe everyone can learn how to connect to your authentic self to become the human your horse WANTS to be with. Understand and feel the depth of the breath, listen to the wisdom of your body and connect from the heart. From that place help your horse become stronger, more balanced, flexible and collected so that you can enjoy a happy and healthy life together!
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