For this exercise, it’s best to use your bridle and not a halter and lead rope. If we have the horse’s left rein and want to disengage the left hip, we bring the left rein to the horse’s left hip. When the horse disengages the left hip, what we look for is the front left shoulder to pivot and the hindquarters to swing around.

It’s the same on the right side. We bring the right rein to the horse’s right hip to disengage the right hip.

The second thing we focus on is the horse’s shoulders. We take the rein and apply pressure with it directly to the horse’s shoulder. Remember, right rein to right shoulder and left rein to left shoulder. Then release and let the horse walk back out.

The next part of this exercise will show you how to use the horse’s hip and shoulder together to take a direct step sideways. Use the techniques in the first part of this lesson to keep both hips and shoulder moving at the same speed away from you.