Straightness training is used to turn a horse into a healty, right moving riding horse. However straightness training is an important base for every discipline. The reason behind this is the natural crookedness of the horse. Horses are not build to carry us around, so when we do mount our horse we need to teach the horse to carry this weight in the right way. Moreover the horse should balance out his own weight to move easy without overpressure. You can teach your horse this by doing the straightness training exercises. These exercises will help the horse to find balance and develop more symmetrical.
Just as humans horses have a prefered side. Since a horse has four legs, this preference can differe between front- and hindlegs. Most of the times a horse carries most of his weight on the frontlegs. This way it is easier for the horse to take little steps while grazing. A rider will add an aditional weight on the frontlegs of the horse. If the horse is not corrected and trained to be more in balance, this can cause problems, overpressure and injuries in the horse’s body. Due to this training the horse will often move easier and be more relaxed both physically and mentally.
In my training I follow the principles of straightness training of the Academic art of riding.
