Executing a proper square corner can help your horsemanship scores, but it also has great benefits to your overall control of your horse's body parts. Teaching your horse to move their outside shoulder around while also standing up through their inside shoulder will be greatly beneficial for teaching and/or cleaning up their lead change. For the horsemanship specifically, performing a very precise square corner can help give you the extra edge on your opponent. This video will go over tips to help the presentation of your square corners, as well as how to school your horse to sharpen up the corner.
When a finished horse is getting a little sluggish in the turn around, this is how I go about schooling it. Just because a horse turns around fast, doesn't mean it is necessarily good. I want to see a horse that is relatively straight through their body (with a little bit of inside bend), light in its front feet, and planted in the hind end. I like to utilize exercises like this circle drill as well as the side pass to get my horse moving the correct body parts. In this video you will watch me school this horse to take his turn around to the next level.
A big component to the horsemanship is knowing how to exhibit your horse to the best of its ability. When your pattern calls for a lead change but doesn't specify whether to do a simple or flying, that leaves it up to the rider to pick what will be best suited for their horse. While it can be more difficult to make a simple lead change a plus-able maneuver, getting a zero for your maneuver score is much better than getting a penalty for a poor flying lead change. A flying lead change in the horsemanship doesn't need to be the winner of the western riding though. A good quality lead change is smooth & simultaneous, without any disruption to the rhythm of the pattern. A good quality simple lead change also should happen smoothly and stay on rhythm with your pattern, consisting of 3-4 trot or walk steps through the change. Practice the lead change both ways & decide what is the best option for you & your horse!
When the judge sees you standing at the start cone, you want them to have a good first impression before you even start your pattern. Having excellent body position will help you attain this. In the horsemanship, along with many other pattern classes, you will have what is called a F&E score. This is basically extra points that you can earn based on the judge's initial impression of you as a rider. Becoming a strong horsemanship rider is something that can take many years to master. This video will give you an outline of what a proper horsemanship position should look like so you can aim to achieve the same thing!
The turn around, or pivot, is a key maneuver to any horsemanship pattern. Here I will go through how I begin to teach a horse to do this maneuver. This horse is 2 years old and has no concept of the horsemanship at this point in his training. However, this is something that I think is important for all horses to know regardless of whether they compete in the horsemanship.
To me, a good turn comes from having control of your horse's outside shoulder and rib cage. I like to focus on having my horse move away from the pressure I am applying with my leg and hand, rather than pulling them around to the inside. In the very beginning, I will work on just walking in a small circle while asking my horse to take a couple steps across with their outside front foot. I want to maintain forward motion & just feel them move their outside shoulder over slightly. As they gain a firm understanding of this concept, I will continue to raise the expectation and ask for more steps. This is something that can be accomplished in one ride, but other horses may take longer to learn these cues. Have patience & take your time. Think of this as the foundation of your turn around & you want it to be rock solid; don't leave any holes.