Hooking onto the Circle & Steering at the Canter

9.50 minutes – John canters a circle with Nash on a loose rein to see how much he is concentrating in the direction he is going. This exercise focuses mainly on the horse’s concentration, so when Nash commits to staying on the circle in between the reins John allows him to be comfortable and when he leaves the circle by leaning through the outside aid John steers him off the outside aid across the circle to add a little pressure. John wants the horse to stay between his reins and to not to lean through his outside shoulder into the outside rein. John explains that if you can get your horse to willingly hook onto a circle without them drifting out it will make it a lot easier to soften their body, get control of their shoulders and engage their back in the future.