Travers is a great move for stretching the muscles through your horse’s body and creating swing through his back. Matt Hicks shows you how to get it right.
“In the most simplest of terms, travers is a reverse of a shoulder-in,” says Matt. “In this movement your horse looks down the long side of the school and his hind legs come in off the track while maintaining bend to the inside, often referred to as the correct angle.”
Step 1:
As you ride onto the longside of the arena, keep your inside leg on the girth.
Step 2:
Move your outside leg back a little to ask your horse to move his quarters in.
Step 3:
Turn your hips a little to the outside to encourage you to put a bit more weight into your inside stirrup and create that correct angle.
Top tips:
- Your horse will bring his hind legs off the track in travers.
- If your horse is struggling, ask for travers in canter.
- Watch you don’t ask for too much inside bend – to help, think about having an even feel down both reins.
- If your horse feels stiff and tense, reduce the angle of your travers.
