Lesson 5 The Figure 8

Figure 8 on the fence teaches the side pass and two track. (Opposite side hand and opposite side leg) Many believe that side passing and two tracking are advanced maneuvers. I believe they are basic to every maneuver you will ever do and therefore need to be taught at the earliest stages. I developed the figure 8 because it is the simplest way to learn and teach the side pass and two track. It is the beginning of the canter departure, lead changes, rollbacks, and even spins. You must use all the things you have learned so far to make this work. Lots of outside leg pressure, inside leg off (inside is direction of travel), and picking up the shoulder.Start by walking to the fence at a 45 degree angle going to the left. Pick up the left rein to pick up and block the left shoulder. Take the left leg off. Keep the horses head straight or tipped slightly to the left. By using a little right rein when needed you can keep him from over bending to the left. Never let his head turn back from where you came or in this case to the right. (The fence will stop his forward motion), press with the right leg and drop your hip to the right to get the horse to momentarily two track. Once you feel his hip start around relax and let him walk on down the fence a few steps and then do a small circle to the left (inside the arena away from the fence) now coming to the fence at a 45 degree angle going to the right. Pick up the right rein to pick up and block the right shoulder. Take off the right leg. Keep the horses head straight or slightly to the right by using a little left rein when needed. Put on the left leg and drop your left hip to do a two track. Once you feel his hip start around relax and let him walk on a few steps. Do a small circle to the right and come back to the fence going to the left. That brings you back to the beginning so continue for several more figure 8’s. When using the blocking rein you will be able to control the shoulders. By placing the blocking rein against the horses neck (not across it) you can stop the shoulders if you want or just slow them down so the rear end can start around. Then you can take the rein away from the neck and allow the shoulders to move on down the fence. You will find that constant adjusting is necessary to keep a smooth two track working. As your horse progresses you can extend the number of steps in the two track. As he progresses in time (maybe weeks) you will come straighter and straighter into the fence. Eventually you will be able to approach the fence head on and then get the side pass. As you progress you will want to move the front and rear at the same time. Beginning horses will usually move the front then the back and then the front again and so on. That is ok as long as you keep trying to get them both working together. As the side pass improves, use less angle when coming to the fence. As in the turns and spins do not drop your shoulder but keep your blocking hand slightly above your other hand. Finally stand at the fence and side pass left, stop, then right, stop, and go back and forth several times. Eventually move out into in the center of the arena and side pass out there. Don’t rush this, each day get a little more and in a week you will have a complete side pass. By now you have noticed that in order to keep the front end and back end two tracking or side passing you have to change your blocking hand position and pressure to keep everything flowing. Horses head should be in the direction of travel not away from it.