Training idea #8: Simple serpentine exercises

Simple serpentine exercises appear in traditional dressage (e.g., Second Level Test 2), Cowboy Dressage, Western Dressage, and equitation patterns in all disciplines. I use them as warm-up and suppling exercises, and just to get miles done in the arena. I also use more complex serpentine exercises, but I thought I’d start by sharing these. Of course, there’s nothing really new about them! But I’m finding out that people love to have suggestions for what to do with their horses, especially when they come with diagrams!

This post will be mainly diagrams and videos. Simple serpentines are self-explanatory, and applicable to all levels of horse and ride. As with most of my exercises, the important things to pay attention to are rhythm and bend. See my Clover-leaf exercise blog post for an explanation of both.

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Three-loop simple serpentines
Variation on the three-loop simple serpentine exercise
Using serpentines with green horse

Three-loop simple serpentines

After warming up at the walk (see my favorite walking warm up exercise here), I trot at least twice around the rail on a long rein. See below for a pictorial description of my simplest three-loop serpentine exercise.

Any simple serpentine can be repeated over and over. I do three loops, because my arena is short and I want wide bends to warm up, but if you have a longer arena, you can do more. The advantage of an even number of loops is that you will be doing the same number of bends both ways. WIth an odd number, you need to switch “direction” and do both sides equally.

Above: How I switch “directions” with my three-loop simple serpentine exercises.

Variation on the three-loop simple serpentine exercise

There are many ways to vary this exercise. Below is one of them. I do this one when I want to give the horse a break from bending. The nice thing about it, is that you can clearly see the need for both directions. It won’t work with an even number of loops, but you could do five.

Using serpentines with green horse

Serpentines are also very useful when starting a horse. At the very beginning they can be used to get a horse used to seeing the rider in both eyes. Sometimes horses spook when they notice the “predator” behind their heads. Sometimes it’s both sides, sometimes it’s only one. Either way, it helps to start with gentle curves and work up to a full serpentine loop as the horse loses its fear.

Above: I am using serpentines to get a new horse, Dillon, used to seeing me in his right eye. For some reason, after weeks of “not noticing” he suddenly because fearful. I worked him through his fear with gentle serpentines at the walk. Later we progressed to trotting serpentines as described above.

For horses that are not fearful, serpentines are still very useful. With them you can teach the horse what your legs on its sides and your hands on the reins mean.