Objective: Teach the horse to carry herself collected. We want her to lift her shoulders, step deeply under her body with her hocks, to break at the poll, and to begin to slow down.

Be careful not to yank on the reins. It may look to you as though I was doing that, but my hands were actually quite soft. I lifted UP on the reins, not back. If I simply pulled back on the reins, it would not translate so well into a cue for the horse to break at the poll.

I didn't use a steady pull on the reins. Instead, I alternated rein pressure: Left, Right. Left, Right. Left, Right.

With your legs and seat, push the horse into the bridle.

After the horse has begun to carry herself in a more collected, compacted frame, and is breaking at the poll, you should cue for a stop and release all pressure to reward her.

Allow the horse lots of rest breaks and look for lots of "flashes of brilliance" as opportunities to praise and reward the horse.

Short sessions of intense work are better than one long session.

This exercise is for more advanced horses, not for green horses! 

To be effective, this exercise must be repeated hundreds or even thousands of times. It must always be done with kindness and patience. Let it be a positive experience for the horse.