Shoulder-In vs. Shoulder-Fore

Free Groundwork Manners PDF https://bit.ly/4eXqeOp
Free Patterns and Figures PDF https://bit.ly/4cCSp3o
Free Flying Changes Webinar https://bit.ly/3zF81F6
Free Canter Course https://bit.ly/4cWNfzg
Free Course on Confidence https://bit.ly/4eS5VBQ
Free Rider Fitness PDF/Course https://bit.ly/4f16SYD
Free Webinar on Rider Position https://bit.ly/3Ljoh1h

Support me on Patreon: https://bit.ly/4bO7EVX

Check out our swag shop: https://www.dressagebyamelia.com

#rider #dressage #horses

Shoulder In & Shoulder Fore

Let’s talk about shoulder in and shoulder fore! Some of you might be thinking “What’s the difference?” or “When should I use one over the other?” So this week’s video is here to give you some tips to you shouldering your way to a better ride!

Let's look at Shoulder Fore first!

Shoulder fore is a great suppleness and strengthening exercise.
When going down the rail, because all horses hips are wider than the front end, if outside shoulder and hip are on the rail, he’s going to look haunches in
Shoulder fore is about aligning the inside hind leg in between the two front legs and engaging the inside hip. Shoulder fore has no bend in the body.


How to ride shoulder fore
Put outside shoulders and hips on the rail
Think about using inside leg to squash inside hind leg closer to outside rail
Use outside rein to bring his shoulder a tiny bit off the rail

Aids for shoulder fore
Sit on inside seat-bone
Apply inside leg at the girth
Outside rein makes sure he’s not falling on the rail with his shoulder.

Shoulder fore isn’t ridden with a lot of angle like shoulder in. Think of it more as an exercise of mindfulness about where the inside hind leg is!

Now onto Shoulder In...

Shoulder in has more angle and is a logical progression from shoulder fore. This movement requires bend through the spine, and is a three-track movement. The three tracks are:

Outside hind
Inside hind & outside front
Inside front

How to ride Shoulder In
Prepare by riding a 10m circle that stars at the rail .
At the end of the circle ride one more step of a second circle.
But then in that position, push your horse straight down the rail.

Aids for Shoulder In
Inside leg at the girth keeping the haunches at the rail.
Outside leg and rein bringing the shoulders off the rail.
Rider’s shoulders turn to the inside
Weight on the inside seat bone

So shoulder-in is just an extension of shoulder fore but with more angle and bend through the body. You can test if your shoulder in is working because you should be able to give with the inside rein and they will soften.

These are great exercises to
Get your horse supple
Get your horse to engage the hind leg
Connect from inside leg to outside rein






The two movements are quite similar so have a look at the video and watch Mercurio show you exactly how the two movements differ so Dive IN and get your skills to the FORE. Let me know in the comments if you like this video! Thanks for watching and Happy Riding!