Shoulder-In Once shoulder-in work begins the horse is on its way to developing collection and self carriage – increasing its obedience, strength and suppleness; attributes all necessary for this seemingly ‘easy’ lateral movement, which is in fact a very difficult exercise to perfect. article and photographs by Liz Tollarzo What is Shoulder-in? Used in dressage tests from Elementary level up to and including Intermediate 1, the shoulder-in is performed along a straight line. The horse’s shoulders are bought in from the track as if turning onto a small circle, the horse then continues along that line on three tracks, (see diagram 1 - opposite page) bending around the inside leg of the rider, flexed and bent away from the direction of travel. The horse’s inside foreleg passes and steps in front of the outside fore, whilst the hindlegs remain on the track travelling more or less straight (they travel closer together but must never cross). Looking from the front or back, the spectator can only see three legs, which is why this lateral movement is called ‘on three tracks’ by most trainers. The first track is the outside hind leg, the second is the inside hind and outside foreleg in line with each other and the final third track is the inside foreleg. The angle depends on the conformation of the horse however it is approximately 30 degrees. To read more click to purchase this issue or subscribe.