When a horse bends its body in a circle, the inside hind leg has to step up under its belly.

When this happens, the horse has to put more weight on that leg. At that point, the horse is more able to yield its ribcage to your inside leg pressure. If the horse yields correctly, it will align its spine in an arc around your inside leg. My master, Mary, said a sign that the alignment is correct, is that the horse's ears (and head) will go from being tilted to being perfectly level, with the head perpendicular to the ground.  Beware:  If the horse's head and ears are tilted, the outside shoulder will feel as if it is popping out or the inside shoulder will feel as if it is dropping in. Either will cause your horse to be out of balance and incorrect.  Level ears are the key!

When the horse's spine aligns, the shoulders raise, [ called yielding the chest ], the neck lengthens, and the topline engages the hindquarters. What you see from the sidelines is a horse with its body in a very collected form. Not just its face fixed, but its entire body transformed into a beautiful piece of art. And most importantly, its gaits are enhanced due to its change of balance. More next time. Happy Gaiting!!