Perfecting The Inside Turn with Erynn Ballard

In the jumper ring, you would typically use an inside turn to save time. Often even one less stride in a turn will make you a little faster than the next horse. An inside turn in the equitation is a good example of how those classes are a stepping stone to prepare for the jumper ring.

In the hunter ring, inside turns only come into play for a handy or a derby class. Sometimes people think in a derby it’s just about being fast, and while you can do an inside turn to show off your horse’s handiness and get extra bonus points, the most important score is still the one out of 100, so if your inside turn isn’t good it’s probably not worth the risk.

In all aspects of riding, a correct position is your base: your position in the hunter, equitation, and jumper rings should be consistent whether you are executing an inside turn or not. Classic and effective position is important at any stage of the game (see rider exercise tips on page 34 to improve the core strength necessary for maintaining proper position.)

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Turning is one of my weaknesses and something that I am constantly working to improve. In Florida this year I took a lesson with George Morris every week, because it makes me a better teacher, a better rider, and I strongly believe in his style of riding and teaching. He teaches inside leg to outside rein, which is a very classical approach and more typical of proper dressage. I use much more inside rein on my turns, because I feel that with direct contact with the inside rein it’s easier to manage and I like that responsive feel. But still, George gives me trouble for using too much inside rein, so I work on it.

I teach inside leg, inside rein; everyone’s style is going to be a little different, but as you grow in the sport and become your own rider and trainer, you have to pick and choose what works best for you and decide how you can produce the best riders and horses possible.

1. THE SETUP

You can make it as complicated as you want, but a lot of the time it’s the simple exercises that work best. To teach and improve the inside turn, I like to set an object as a ‘mandatory turning point’ at the apex of the turn as a visual for both horse and rider. As seen in this photo, I have used plastic cavaletti blocks. I make sure all my jumps can be jumped in both directions when working on small exercises. I like to use a generous groundline on a vertical (both sides) and I normally use no ground lines on oxers. As well as training the turn, I am always trying to get a correct jump from my horse.

2. CONTROL ON THE FLAT FIRST

Before I introduce inside turns to any young horse, I make sure they have good lateral work on the flat and are comfortable with shoulder-in, haunches-in, serpentines, and figure-eights. The way that you specifically train an inside turn is very horse- and trainer-specific, but the inside bend that is required comes from basic flatwork.

Of course, as much as the rider has to learn the balance required to get inside, the horse also needs to have the balance. Typically, the hardest horse to turn would be a ‘low’ horse; if the horse is low (on the forehand, or prone to leaning on your hands), teach them to lift their forehand so they are ready for whatever happens next: a bending line, inside turn, or even a halt.

In any circumstance, whether it is turning, a bending line, an equitation class, a grand prix, or the hunter derby finals at the Royal Winter Fair, the riding shouldn’t have to change from one level to the next.

3. THE BEST APPROACH

When we talk about the approach and the track to the fence we consider how the jump is set and what follows it. You have to line up the fence for the best possible turn. In the majority of cases you want to jump centre-to-centre and have a track that produces the straightest line possible.

When I line up an inside turn or a jump on an angle, I line it up with my eyes and a strong position. I am able to get the best out of my horse when I am ‘with the motion’ and in perfect balance.

Equitation classes, hunter derbies, and jumper classes present a huge advantage in that you have the opportunity to walk the course and look at the track options for inside turns. When you walk a course, take a minute to recognize the track options and determine how you want to line up the approach to make the best possible inside turn. For example, if it’s a left-turn rollback, you can change the line a little, and jump it slightly right to left. The same goes for the other side; jumping across it left to right will give you an advantage on the landing for a right-hand turn.

Always consider on the course walk the approaches that will allow a track where the horse can get its eye on the inside turn. Some turns you can set up and angle the jump to help your horse see the gap, but there are also blind turns. My theory is always to look at the centre of the top pole, as it helps with your depth perception and indicates to the horse where you want to leave the ground; it’s the rider’s job to manage the horse’s legs.

If you are looking past the jump, then typically you ride past the jump. Even if I’m jumping on an angle I am still looking at the centre of the top pole. It is important to remember that our responsibility before anything is the jump. It doesn’t matter how good the inside turn is if you knock the jump down. If you get ahead of yourself and are already turning before you jump, you open up a window of opportunity for a ‘drive-by,’ because the horse may mistake the signals and turn before the jump.

4. IN THE AIR

I use a low hand and an automatic-style release in almost all situations. The automatic release requires the most amount of leg strength and upper body control. When you can perfect this, you can guarantee that you will be able to land in perfect balance every time.

If you lose control of your position and leg control in the air over the jump, you also lose the balance and shape of your horse. You don’t want a huge crest release, as that creates a loss of balance, which makes it much harder to regroup upon landing. If this happens, you run the risk of not making the turn, or making a rough turn while trying to recover both yours and the horse’s balance.

5. LANDING IN BALANCE

Landing in perfect balance is essential. As soon as your horse leaves the ground, the weight in your heel should balance your upper body and that shouldn’t change all the way to the landing. If you land ‘in a heap’ (5a) or ahead on the neck you risk missing the turn, and if you are behind the motion you are interfering with the horse’s jump and risk knocking the jump down. Your lower leg strength in that moment of landing becomes the most important.

If you are able to get an inside flexion as soon as you land, your chances of a successful inside turn are much higher. A rider requires an extremely high level of body control, because you have to be landing, have jumped clean, and be in such good balance that you can be turning without your position having to recover (5b). If there’s that moment where your position needs recovery, you’ve already gone past the inside turn.

6. TIGHTENING UP THE TURN

As your exercise gets more sophisticated, you can move the ‘turning point’ object to indicate your track and the way it is visible on the approach or on landing. With inside turns I think it’s really useful to count strides. Land, turn, and count your strides. The first time, do the rollback in ten (6a), the next time do it in nine, and slowly decrease the amount of strides until you are on the fastest track possible. On a simple rollback where you can go wide in eleven strides, eventually you should be able to do it in six or seven (6b).

I like to use a slight inside shape through all the turns, as it helps to keep the horse in balance through the turn and is the best way to create balance and correct shape on landing. I like to think that my hands are my horse’s eyes. It is my job to steer the horse through the turn to the jump. If I am ‘against’ my horse with a rough or high hand, I am not creating good shape or balance, I am not showing him the jump or the turn, and I am at risk of having a jump down, missing the distance or missing the inside turn. As well, if you hold your horse’s head with a counter-bend or a heavy outside rein you are holding his eyes and balance away from the jump.

I am always saying, ‘Be with your horse, work with you horse, follow your horse.’ If you look at some of the best turners – I love to watch McLain Ward and Eric Lamaze – with their physical strength, they are with their horse all the time and there isn’t a second when they are out of position.