Teaching the Three-Loop Serpentine to Beginners

The three-loop serpentine is At the walk and trot, this simple shape teaches steering, balance, focus, and rhythm—all in one exercise. But for your riders to receive the most benefit from this exercise, you’ll need to approach it with beginner-friendly strategies and a clear understanding of what to watch for.

Lesson Objective for Beginner Riders

To help students practice:

• Accurate steering with seat, eyes, and leg aids
• Introducing bend and straightening between loops
• Maintaining rhythm at the walk and trot
• Balance and posture through turns
• Coordination of aids

Why Teach the Serpentine?

Serpentine is a pattern that will come up in a lot of different aspects of riding. It combines half circles, straight lines, and opportunities to work on change in bend. Beginner riders often learn patterns by rote. The serpentine breaks them out of that by requiring active decision-making. Each loop requires a conscious change of bend, specific straightening, and then a new bend in the opposite direction.

It teaches your riders to:

• Plan ahead with their eyes and body
• Stay balanced even as the horse changes direction
• Begin to understand how inside leg and outside rein work together (even if just as a concept)
• Think through the steps in movement

It provides:

• Variety
• Opportunities for spacial awareness
• Time off the rail for one on one conversation with the horse.

What could be going on the rider’s mind the first time: 
It’s common for students to become dependent on the rail or wall to determine their straight lines, and for corners to guide their steering. Coming away from the wall and riding across the arena can expose their ability to the horse’s direction. This can be intimidating.

Set Up for Success

• Use cones or poles or letters to mark each loop’s touch point on the long sides
• Use markers for riders to focus on for straight lines. On my diagram, you will see them as large teal dots. If you plan to do serpentines in both directions be sure to add a marker between E and H, as well as F and B. Elevated markers, set ten to twenty feet away from the rail, will help train the rider to keep their eyes and head up (a jump standard works) Not only are these a focal point on straight lines, they are valuable to help the rider make their half-circles the desired size.
• Start at the walk only—riders should first gain a feel for shape and balance before adding trot. This will give them judge the size of their turns.
• Walk the pattern on foot or draw it out for visual learners.
• Bonus idea: A really cool feature to include in your riding program is a large chalk board by your arena. Use a 4×8 sheet of plywood and chalkboard paint. You can even use posts in the ground at each side the same way you would set up a farm sign

Lesson Flow

Warm-Up

• Walk the arena on a loose rein.
• Practice 2–3 each walk–halt and walk- trot transitions to engage attention and reinforce preparation.
• Remind riders to look where they’re going and keep even rein contact.
  If you’re teaching a group remind them to keep one horse’s length between themselves and the horse in front of them.
• Consider increasing the distance between horses in a group lesson, so lesson horses aren’t just following the horse in front of them. Only do this if your students are confident off rail, otherwise allow the crutch.
• Go over your directions for making turns to the right and to the left.

Introduce the Serpentine (Walk)

• Demonstrate the idea of three equal loops.
• Emphasize: bend → straighten → new bend → roundness on turns → straightness on lines
• Indicate where/when they should use eyes for turns, when they should focus on straight lines. Encourage them to look at target points.

Use cues like:

• Think your aids through
• Now go straight… prepare to turn… use your inside leg…
• Think of riding a half-circle, then straight line, then a new half-circle.

Add the Trot (When Ready)

• Without crossing the line to boring, allow a few walk-throughs with verbal guidance before asking for trot.
• Keep it posting trot (not sitting)—remind riders to maintain even rhythm.
• Include diagonal changes on the center line. This is a great time to practice changing diagonals, plus it divides the straight line exactly in half. Precision will become important in all future riding.
  If rhythm or steering falls apart, return to the walk for correction.

Instructor Tips and Cues

• Keep your eyes up — look straight ahead on straight lines, look around turns. Your horse goes where your eyes focus.
• Sit tall and think about steering with your whole body, not just your hands.
• Feel the straight line between the curves—don’t rush the change of direction.

What to Watch For:

• Inside rein pulling – Ask riders to push with their inside leg and support with their outside rein.
• Leaning in turns – Cue riders to sit tall and stretch their outside oeg down. Lift the inside shoulder. Leaning is often a sign a rider is looking down and hasn’t latched on to a target.
• Cutting the loops – use extra cones to define the loops. Or besure your rider is looking for their straight line target.
• Eyes – watch for eyes dropping on turns
• rushing or slowing – Remind them to keep rhythm consistent; use half-halts before each loop.
• Remember: Developing an eye and feel for circle size is always a challenge for riders. Practice ios required to become proficient

Optional Variations

• Vary serpentine parts between walk and trot
• Add walk–trot transitions on center line for control and preparation.
• Try it without stirrups (walk only) to build balance and confidence.
• sitting trot for ready riders

Cool Down & Reflection

Finish the ride with a walk and a brief discussion, ask:

• Which part of the pattern was easiest for you?
• Did your horse feel different turning left vs. right?
• What helped you keep your balance?

Help them notice what they did well—and how they helped their horse succeed.

Final Note for Instructors

The serpentine might seem simple, but for beginner riders, it offers a world of learning: coordination, control, and confidence. With the right pacing and clear instruction, it can become one of the most powerful exercises in your teaching toolbox. The serpentine is a valuable exercise for all kinds and seats in riding.

Want More?

Newsletter subscribers have access to copies of serpentine diagrams and an instructor tips sheet.

Thanks for joining me at the RI News!
Barbara Ellin Fox
TheRidingInstructor.net