Pivoting Exercise with Martin Black

Martin Black:
Published on Sep 25, 2013
– How your horse pivots on his front end is important for hindquarter control.
– Pivot forwards or backwards on a front or hind foot.
– The pivot foot is the one that bears the most weight for the longest amount of time. Ideally it would be still, but it should at least move less than the others.
– Backing around a foot requires the hindquarters to pull.
– Moving forward around a foot requires the hindquarters to push.
– It’s more important for colts to learn how to pivot on the front end with forward motion because this will come in handy during emergency situations.
– Pivoting back around a foot is useful for cow work.
– If you can’t feel the feet, you could have someone call it out to you.
– Do not lean over to the inside and try to look at the foot, this will take your weight off balance.
– You can use landmarks (dirt, weeds, etc.) to help you see which foot moved if you don’t have anyone to call it out to you.