Flexion - What is it, and why do we do it?

Flexion is exactly as you see in the pictures, you apply pressure to one side of your halter or bridle until the horse gives their nose without moving their feet and you release.

I’m a firm believer that flexion is something that should be taught in preparation for breaking a horse to ride, so it’s something that should be used early on. However, if you find that you have an older horse who doesn’t know, it can still be taught later on in their life.

The idea behind flexion is that you are teaching the horse to give to pressure, first with a halter and then with a bridle. By doing this you’re teaching your horse to be softer in the face and more responsive to your ques. In my opinion there is nothing worse than lifting up on rein and being met with pressure bracing against me.

There are other benefits to teaching flexion as well. When starting young horses it’s beneficial for them to know how to flex before you get on because it’s whole lot harder for them to get squirrely or dart off if their nose is turned into their shoulder. In addition if you have horse that spooks and bolts you have the ability to do a ”one rein stop”. Where pull them around in a circle until they come to stop.

This leads me to what I would consider one of the greatest benefits of teaching a horse to flex. Once your horse has mastered flexing to both sides it becomes a simple and familiar task for them. Now, whenever your horse gets nervous or frustrated, (or if you do) you now have something to do to help relax and regain focus. I explain it like a breathing exercise, like someone who has an anxiety disorder might do. The idea of breathing exercise is that it gives the mind ONE thing to focus on. Allowing you to center your mind and regain composure.

Last few benefits of flexion:

• Helps stretch the neck muscles and some into the shoulder.

• Can be used to help teach a horse to stand still.

• Good tool for teaching a horse to stop without letting them dive their nose out in the bridle.

If you have any questions about flexion, comment below!

~Train with Care, Ride with Confidence~