"Theoretically, there are two ways of laterally curving the horse:

• To maintain (centre of the horse) on the circle; to push head and tail on to the circle from the outside inwards
• To maintain head and tail on the circle; to push the centre on to the circle, from inside outwards.

In the first case (on the left rein) the left leg on the girth opposes a displacement of the centre of the horse towards the centre of the circle. The hand draws the head and the forehand to the left on to the circle. The right leg brings the hindquarters in on to the circle by pushing them to the left. The inside leg (left) is passive, acts as a barrier. The outside hand and leg are active.

In the second case, outside hand and outside leg maintain head and tail on the circle, oppose their moving away from the centre. The inside leg pushes the centre of the body out on to the circle, away from the centre. The left inside leg is active. The outside leg and hand passive, act as a barrier.

In practice, each one of these aids will have to be used sometimes actively, sometimes passively, and their combinations will have to be adapted, in mode and intensity, to the nature and the force of the resistances the horse will set against this bending."

Happy riding...