Jack goes over the  fundamental skills needed to start or refresh riders with a solid foundation such as maintaining forward rhythm, line of travel, bend in the body and In-Hand Work.

Groundwork:

• Learn to work your horse on a circle at a walk & trot in a balanced frame while keeping a nice forward motion.
• Create bend in the neck and shoulder and then the ribcage so you have bend from the poll to the tail.On the circle, you are looking for 3 things:
  1.  Forward Rhythm/cadence
  2.  Maintaining the circle without falling in or out on the circle
  3.  Creating bend in the horse’s body from his head to his tail to match the bend of the size circle you’re on.
•  Counter Shoulder-In down the rail
•  In-Hand Work, Riding from the ground.

Obtain lateral flexion of the neck one vertebra at a time down the neck.
Relaxed forward movement at the walk, trot, and canter. Work on maintaining the tempo as you ride a circle, and keeping your horse on the bend of the circle from his poll to his tail.

Perform patterns to change the bend from left to right without losing your forward movement. Examples of patterns: Figure Eights, Serpentines, Zig-Zag, Medicine Wheel, Bend & Go, Riding Corners, Reel to Reel, and 10 to 20.

•  Keep your horse between your hands and legs as you ride straight down the rail while keeping your horse relaxed and soft.
•  Can you change the bend in your horse’s neck from the inside and the outside?