Break Out the Bowtie

Use this bow-shaped pattern to keep your horse engaged, soften his body, and elevate his shoulders.

QI’d like to improve my horse’s body control and work on elevating his shoulders. He gets bored easily when drilling something over and over again—and so do I, to be honest. Do you have an exercise I can use to work on his body, but still keep it fun for us?

your horse’s body. This could take one or many tries to get correct.

Once you’ve circled the barrel, guide your horse off the arc toward the left side of Cone C. Look ahead on your line of travel to help your horse stay straight as he approaches the turn. Just before you get to Cone C, pick up your right rein to lift that shoulder; keep your left rein low with a soft feel on the bit, reversing the arc you just made around the barrel. Use your right leg near the cinch and your left leg behind it to support with leg pressure. As soon as you finish the turn at Cone C, look ahead to Cone D.

Repeat the same body position as you make the corner at Cone D. When you exit the turn, look to the barrel in the center of the pattern. Pick up the left rein to elevate the left shoulder, use your left leg at the cinch, and your right leg just behind the cinch to circle the barrel. Focus on keeping your horse from lean-

Step 2: Step 3:

ing into the turn. Be sure, too, that you don’t lean your body into the turn.

As soon as you complete your circle around the barrel, look ahead on your path to Cone B. Lift your horse’s right shoulder as you turn at the cone, as discussed earlier, and travel right back to Cone A on a straight line. You can complete this pattern a few times in a row. Depending how closely you place the markers, you and your horse will have to think quickly as each marker approaches. You’ll notice that when you start from Cone A, you complete all right-hand turns around the cones and left-hand turns around the barrel in the middle. If you begin at Cone B, you’ll be able to work left-hand turns around the cones and circle to the right around the barrel. It’s important to work in both directions, and to spend extra time on your horse’s tougher side to avoid one-sidedness.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

This is a fairly straightforward pattern, but there’s a lot to think about as you make each turn.

The most common error I see in my clinics is the rider failing to plan ahead. You must be prepared to quickly change the arc of your horse’s body as you depart a turn at a cone and enter a circle around the barrel. There’s a short distance between the cone and the barrel, so you must be prepared to efficiently change your body position.

Step 4:

Weatherford, Texas, train client horses and offer lessons for amateur and youth riders. They strive to keep riding fun, safe, and educational through weekend group lessons that include pattern clinics, trail- ride preparation, and problemsolving. Visit their Facebook page, Stevens Natural Horsemanship, to learn more. Find Stevens’ tips for getting in the saddle with confidence online this month.