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Riding Travers and Renvers correctly – Important building blocks in horse training

After having taken a closer look at leg-yield and shoulder-in in previous blog posts, this time we would like to take a look at travers (croup-in) and renvers (croup-out). You will learn why these two lateral movements are important building blocks in horse training and what mistakes can arise. We will also look at the correct execution and the precise use of aids.

 


What is Travers?

Travers (croup-in) is a lateral movement in which your horse is positioned and bent in the direction of movement. As the name suggests, the hindquarters (croup) of the horse are guided into the track. The degree of the position depends on whether it is to be performed on three or four hoof tracks. The forehand, in turn, continues straight ahead on the outer track. If performed correctly, the outer hind leg takes on more weight. Travers can be ridden at walk, trot and canter, both on a straight line and on a curved line.


What is Renvers?

While most riders are familiar with Travers, Renvers often brings with it questioning faces and a great deal of confusion when it comes to the execution and aids. Strictly speaking, Renvers is the counter-lesson to Travers, only the positioning towards the rail is mirrored. In this lateral movement, the four-legged friend is also positioned and bent in the direction of movement. However, the hindquarters (croup) remain on the outer track and the forehand is led into the inside of the track. Leading the forehand in Renvers is also what most riders find more difficult and a real balancing act.


Tip: The sequence of movements is always the same for the travers, renvers, traversals, piourettes and piourette renversé, only the position in relation to the board/fence or where in the track it is performed changes!


The meaning and purpose of travers and renvers in horse training

These lateral movements are ideal for improving the longitudinal bend and have a gymnastic effect on the entire horse's body. When performed correctly, the outer hind leg takes on more weight, thus improving the ability to collect. These lateral movements are also a perfect tool for straightening your four-legged friend more and more over time. Travers and renvers can also be used to work on or improve certain lessons. But more on that later...


Danger: Due to its natural crookedness, travers and renvers will always be easier for your horse on the hollow side and much more difficult on the stiffer side! So the rider needs a lot of sensitivity and patience on the harder side. Because your horse has to use a lot of muscles that it doesn't normally use and change its balance accordingly! 


The aids for travers in handwork

If you want to work on the travers in hand with your horse, it should know the basic exercises (approaching, stopping, backing up and speed variations), keep enough distance, pay attention to you, and be able to perform leg-yield and shoulder-in safely. You can develop travers in hand in two different ways:


1. Travers away from you/ guided from outside:

In this variation, you walk on the outside track and your horse on the second track. Now you can start with a leg-yield. The whip, which is at the horse's knee height, takes over the sideways driving aid. The hindquarters should not be guided into the track at more than 45 degrees. In the leg-yield, your horse is positioned against the direction of movement (towards you) and remains straight in the body. For the travers, you position it in the direction of movement (away from you) with the help of the inside rein and give a little slack on the outside rein. Instead of starting from the leg-yield, you can also start from a volte. Here you already have the necessary position and bend for the travers and only need to bring your four-legged friend's croup into the track. Make sure that the forehand stays with you and that your horse does not take you into the inside of the track. Be satisfied with a few steps and then release it back into straight and forward.


Rider shows with her horse in handwork the travers led from the outside at Picadera
Travers led from the outside: You walk on the outside track, your horse runs on the second track.
Photo Stefanie Blochwitz Photography

Tip: The difficulty with this variation is that you have little influence on how much your horse brings in its croup, because it is not possible to limit it, as you can with the inner thigh when riding. If it brings in its croup too much, your only option is to stop the exercise, get back into a straight line and start again!


2. Travers towards you/ guided from within:

In the second variant, you go inside and your horse on the outside track. Now you try to skillfully limit the forward thrust and thus bring the horse's inner hip forward. It is helpful if your horse has previously learned to go towards the outside of the croup when the whip touches it. This variant requires a lot of sensitivity! One disadvantage is that many horses also unintentionally come into the track with their hindquarters, which can become a real problem when working on the piaffe. So try to distinguish the whip signals as clearly as possible for your horse!


Rider shows with her horse Travers in handwork led from the inside at Picadera
Travers led from the inside: You go inside and your horse on the outside track.
Photo: Stefanie Blochwitz Photography

Tip: Don't focus on the horse's hindquarters, but watch it as a whole! Make sure that it doesn't bend its neck or throw its poll!


 Giving help to Renvers in manual work

The easiest way to develop the renvers in hand is from shoulder-in. Your horse goes on the outside track and you on the inside. In shoulder-in, the horse is positioned and bent against the direction of movement, with the inside hind leg moving under the centre of gravity. Now you come from shoulder-in to a halt and position your horse in the direction of movement (i.e. away from you). The position towards the rail remains the same as in shoulder-in, with the forehand on the inside and the hindquarters on the outside track; only the position and bend change. Now you lead your horse back in walk. The difficulty in renvers is initially to keep the forehand on the inside, i.e. to maintain the position. Your four-legged friend will probably try to dock back onto the rail or fence. Maintaining rhythm and tempo is not that easy at first.


Tip: At the beginning, praise a few correct steps, stop again or release your horse into shoulder-in again!


The aids for travers when riding

First practice the travers on the rail or fence so you have more visual orientation. Stay centered over your horse and put more weight on your inner seat bone. Your shoulders and hips stay parallel to those of your four-legged friend. The inner leg stays on the girth and your horse should bend around it. The outer leg drives sideways in impulses as needed, ideally whenever the outer hind leg takes off. The inner rein ensures the position and briefly becomes the leading rein until the horse has achieved the desired longitudinal bend in the body. Then you should go soft on the inner rein again and only give small half halts as needed to get the desired bend in the travers.


Rider shows the Travers ridden on the center line at Picadera
During the travers, the horse bends around the inner leg, while the outer leg moves sideways in an impulse-like manner.
Photo: Elena Hofstede

Tip: In all travers-like lateral movements, it can be helpful to carry the inside hand higher, because your horse will always follow the higher hand. This also makes it easier for you to maintain a correct position!


Giving aids to Renvers when riding

The aids in the renvers are the same as in the travers, only that your horse is bent outwards rather than inwards. This means that you sit centrally above your horse, placing more pressure on the inner seat bone, your horse bends around your inner thigh, and your outer thigh is the one that drives it sideways. Your inner rein provides position and the outer rein limits the bend in the horse's body. If you want to include the renvers in your riding program, you have various options. You can start from shoulder-in, as already described in the aids for the renvers in hand work. You can also turn into a simple serpentine line and then continue riding in the renvers. You can also switch to the renvers from a short turn before the forehand reaches the track. The passade, a baroque exercise, can also be helpful. Here you ride a small volte and then continue in the renvers on the parallel to the long side or on the long side.


Rider shows the Renvers ridden on the center line at Picadera
Andrea shows the exercise Renvers with her horse Mardi.
Photo: Elena Hofstede

Tip: Wear the whip on the outside to support the sideways driving leg! It can also be helpful to do travers and renvers on foot without a horse beforehand and imitate the aids!


What errors can occur?

A common mistake in travers and renvers is throwing the neck. This is usually caused by too much "pull" on the inside rein. So watch carefully whether the horse's ears stay at the same height. If one ear tilts to the side, give in on the inside rein and perhaps briefly raise the outside hand. Overbending of the horse's neck is also usually due to an overly strong inner rider's hand or there is no limit on the outside rein. So make sure that the horse's mouth stays in front of the chest even when moving sideways. If the bend is lost, the inner leg that your horse is supposed to bend around is usually missing. Do not stretch the inner leg away from the horse, but stay in "fur contact" with it.


Tip: Many riders find it difficult to sit on the inside in the travers and renvers and they keep slipping on the outer seat bone. Since your horse will always try to get under your center of gravity in order to balance you better, you are making it unnecessarily difficult for him! In this case, it can be helpful to stand up in the saddle before the lateral movement and position yourself clearly on the inside!

Danger: In the travers and renvers, your upper body should always remain centered over the horse and not lean to one side! Always align your belly button at the level of the crest of your horse's mane!


Travers and Renvers as aids in horse training

In further horse training, travers can be an ideal partner exercise for the gallop. Walk-canter transitions in travers are great strength training for the hindquarters, can improve the transitions and the gallop, so that it is jumped more uphill. Travers is also ideal for developing gallop pirouettes. If you gallop on a small travers volte and make the line smaller and smaller, you will almost automatically land in the first pirouette jumps. But renvers can also be of great use in training in many areas. Not only does it benefit increased uprightness and collection, but it also makes your horse incredibly skillful, balanced and easy to handle. Furthermore, with the help of renvers you can also improve the outside canter and "tease out" flying changes. Many horses find it easier to jump a flying change from the counter canter into the hand canter with an idea from renvers.


Tip: Renvers can also be used to develop the piaffe. In the “Piourette Renversé” the horse moves on a small volte in renvers. If you add short, sharp walk-trot transitions, the first half steps almost fall away on their own!


Sometimes straight ahead

Without a doubt, riding lateral movements is incredibly fun! If you can use leg-yield, shoulder-in, travers and renvers in training, you have endless possibilities for variation, can improve many things and exercise your horse optimally. However, many riders fall into a real "lateral movement frenzy" over time. So don't forget to include straight stretches in the program every now and then! This is also a great way to check whether your horse is already better straightened with the help of lateral movements!


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Andrea Blochwitz
Andrea Blochwitz

I am Andrea, a licensed trainer B for classical-baroque riding and examiner for recreational sports. Under the motto: "Fun with horses" I travel around Kiel and the surrounding area as a mobile trainer. A varied and fair horse training is important to me. From classical-baroque dressage, work in hand, long reins, lunging with a cavesson, double lunge, circus lessons, riding in a side saddle, with the garrocha or neck ring, working equitation, free work, calmness training and seat training, everything is possible. I am a passionate show rider and have been able to take part in many horse events and trade fairs. My heart especially beats for my Welsh Cob gelding "Arvalon Mardi Grass", which I trained myself. I am very happy to be able to support the Picadera team as an author and am happy to be available to you with help and advice!

Photo: Stefanie Blochwitz Photography

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