While loping a horse in a circle may seem like an easy thing to do, it’s actually fairly difficult to achieve when riding one-handed on a loose rein. To prepare his horses to lope and eventually gallop circles in a reining pattern, he uses the exercise “Circle ‘N Circle” to lay a foundation that he can build on as the horses’ training progresses.
I introduce the exercise when my performance horses have 60 to 90 rides on them. It’s a foundation-building exercise designed to teach a horse to lope a symmetrical circle while staying soft in the bridle and not leaning in or out of the circle,” Clinton explains. “Circle ’N Circle is similar to the Intermediate riding exercise Post ’N Circle, but this exercise is more advanced and instead of working on straight lines, it focuses on circling with an emphasis placed on the horse staying soft in the bridle and through his body.”
In the summer 2019 No Worries Journal article, “Performance Horse Training: Circle ‘N Circle,” Clinton shares how to teach the exercise to your horse.
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