exercising in figure 8

Question
QUESTION: hello  sir, may i know the uses of exercising a racehorse in figure eight direction. i have attached an image. please take a look and tell me

ANSWER: A figure 8 keeps the horse's mouth closed so he may be more responsive to the function of the bit. If a horse can open his mouth then he can avoid the pressures of the bit that is required for direction.

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QUESTION: sir, i meant why few trainers instruct the riders to trot the horses especially 2 year olds in figure eight transition. my uncle told me that this would free up the horse shoulders when trotted in figure 8. is he correct?

http://www.ehow.com/video_4954381_training-horse-do-figure-8.html

Answer
Sorry I did not understand the wording and assumed there was a misspelling. There is not much use, in my opinion in this type of exercise after a horse is broke and taught to steer properly. It can be a good exercise to free up the shoulder, but at the same time, do you want your valuable thoroughbred twisting and contorting his joints to do an exercise that is not specific to racing? Tight turning is not an ideal exercise for a fragile thoroughbred's legs.