Shoulder in, renvers and travers

Shoulder in
A test of the horse's flexibility and suppleness

The shoulder in is performed in collected trot. The horse is ridden with a slight but uniform bend around the inside leg of the athlete maintaining engagement and cadence and a constant angle of approx. 30 degrees. The horse’s inside foreleg passes and crosses in front of the outside foreleg; the inside hind leg steps forward under the horse’s body weight following the same track of the outside foreleg, with the lowering of the inside hip. The horse is bent away from the direction in which it is moving.

 

Travers and renvers
A test of bend inward or outward

Travers can be performed in collected trot or collected canter. The horse is slightly bent round the inside leg of the rider but with a greater degree of bend than in shoulder in. A constant angle of approximately 35 degrees should be shown (from the front and from behind one sees four tracks). The forehand remains on the track and the quarters are moved inwards. The horse’s outside legs pass and cross in front of the inside legs. The horse is bent in the direction in which it is moving. Renvers is the inverse movement in relation to travers. The hindquarters remain on the track while the forehand is moved inward. To finish the renvers the forehand is aligned with the quarters on the track. Otherwise, the same principles and conditions that apply to the travers are applicable to the renvers. The horse is slightly bent around the inside leg of the athlete. The horse’s outside legs pass and cross in front of the inside legs. The horse is bent in the direction in which it is moving.