What is lateral flexion in horses?
Lateral flexion is the horse's ability to bend its spine to one side following the rider's hand.
Detailed explanation
Lateral flexion is one of the basic qualities worked on in dressage from the beginning. It allows the horse to bend smoothly in circles, changes of direction, and, at advanced levels, lateral exercises such as shoulder-in and travers. It is built with patient work: circles on the lunge line, transitions, serpentines, leg-yielding. A horse without lateral flexion rides stiffly, turns its neck without bending its body, and shows imbalances when transitioning from one side to the other.
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