Instructions
Warm up your horse thoroughly before trying to ride your horse in dressage. This is necessary because many patterns require a lot of muscle strength and coordination that can cause injury, and it is more difficult to control the horse if he is not relaxed and flexible. To prepare your horse for dressage training, walk him around in circles to stretch out his neck. After you have walked him, canter in both directions. Cantering a horse loosens his muscles much better than trotting does and is a better exercise.
Get your horse started off in a forward trot. One mistake that many riders make with this gait is that they speed their horse but do not lengthen his strides. When a horse’s stride is quickened but not lengthened, it becomes short and choppy instead of the preferred long and flowing gait. To get your horse to lengthen his stride, you should squeeze with your thighs and every time you post up, give your horse a small kick to remind him to keep going forward. When your horse is moving forward, he will become easier to take around patterns, and it will also help him to be more responsive.
Guide your horse with your legs and shoulders. As you bend your horse around in the circle parts of your Figure 8, pull your inside leg back while shifting your outside leg slightly forward while applying pressure. This is the best way to make his bends more natural looking. As you are doing this, turn your upper body and shoulders in the direction you want to go, which will place your hands into the optimal position to perform the task correctly.
Shorten up your reins to guide your horse more effectively around the turns, especially the sharp ones. Shift your reins slightly to rail and pull your inside rein to your stomach. As you do this, make sure to keep your horse moving forward as you turn. In dressage it’s all about helping your horse to perform the patterns. This will also help him to bend his back and round his head around the corners.
As you reach the middle of your figure, position your horse so that you are able to readjust your seat and your reins. Push your horse out of the last turn and even up your reins, then sit evenly in the saddle as you come down the straightaway. Try to keep your legs pushing the horse straight. During these two beats where your horse is going completely straight, readjust your reins so that your inside rein is shorter and your legs are in position to turn him. After you have readjusted your reins and your body, repeat the steps above to turn him into the last circle of your Figure 8.
How to Execute a Figure Eight in a Trotting Dressage Pattern
The equestrian practice of dressage is slowly becoming more popular for riders. Dressage is a type of riding in which the rider and horse go through a combination of patterns at different gaits and attempt to perform them looking as natural as possible. Trainers also use dressage to teach their students how to maintain control over their horses. One of the basic steps of dressage is to trot a Figure 8 pattern.