Dressage Training Thoughts, the 20 Meter Circle

There is a lot of confusion about the 20 meter circle in dressage. For the uninitiated, it looks like we are all just “kooks” who do a  lot of running around in a circle, about as exciting as grass growing !!

Upon closer examination however, the circle is  the PERFECT, actually, ONLY way to train a horse correctly.

Since horses are handed, just like humans, the circle works towards making the horse ambidextrous. In order to straighten the horse, we must first bend him evenly in both directions, which is the work of the circle.

When you are riding your horse on a circle to the left, you are stretching the right side of his torso, while training the left hind leg to carry more weight & the right hind leg to take a longer step. When you reverse directions you are doing the opposite gymnastic work. Combined, this is what serves to teach the horse to work in “relative straightness”, meaning the inside hind foot steps into the foot print of the inside front leg. Then, on the straight line thehorse can “lace” his hind legs which allows him to load weight onto his hocks evenly when collection is begun, thereby prolonging his soundness & usefulness as a riding horse.

If the bending work is overlooked, the weaker hind leg will “wear out” sooner, causing hind end lameness, and later compensatory lameness in the front legs.

If the rider can execute  an accurate circle, the figure will teach the horse the concept. The 20 meter circle is the largest circle, or “bent line”. The 5 meter circle is the smallest circle, or “bent line.” The smaller the circle becomes, the more difficult the work becomes for the horse. This is why the bending work ALWAYS starts on the 20 meter circle.

Since the circle itself will teach the horse the concept if ridden correctly, it is the rider’s responsibility to understand how to ride a correct circle. Unfortunately many  riders are uncertain how to ride a proper circle. In this post I will attempt to clarify this topic in easy to understand terms.

Of course everyone is aware that there are three  20 meter circles in a regulation dressage arena. For the purpose of this article we will concentrate on the circle at A. The way I teach my students how to ride a 20 meter circle is to have them visualize a clock on the arena floor. 12:00 is at A, 6:00 is 2 meters beyond V & P, and 3:00 is 1/2 way between 12:00 & 6:00, while 9:00 is 1/2 way between 6:00 & 12:00.

Beginning to the left, ride from 12:00 to 3:00, then 3:00 to 6:00, then 6:00-9:00, then 9:00 to 12:00. Your right knee should only touch these points for one stride. If you ride the figure in consistent, 20 meter bend, you should have 4 consecutive,equivalent quadrants with the same number of strides in each quadrant. Sound simple? If you can ride this figure correctly in both directions you have achieved a very important goal in classical dressage training!!!