John Wicks Clinic: Softening with Shoulder Exercises 1A & 1B

7.25 minutes – In this video John talks about softening the horse using two shoulder exercises that he calls 1A and 1B. John explains to get a horse soft at the poll and soft in the contact he needs to soften a horse through their body. If a horse is not supple through their body and is resistance off a leg then they will be resistant and heavy in your reins. John starts with exercise 1A and talks about taking the horse’s nose away from them so you ride the horse’s body forward until they soften their neck. John then moves onto exercise 1B and uses his leg to move the horse’s ribcage up and out of the circle. If you do these exercises consistently over time you will teach your horse to soften and relax to your leg aids. You horse will also become more supple through their body and as a result they will get lighter and softer in your rein contact.