If you are reading this article because you wish to know how to use draw reins, the best advice you ought to follow is not to continue pursuing the implementation of these elements in your riding and training. Why? Better to take the wise words of one of the masters :

In training one always wants to go too fast. To arrive quickly, do not hurry, but be firmly assured of each step. The lesson should be for the horse, as for the horseman, a rewarding exercise, an instructive game which never brings fatigue. When sweat begins to show, it is because the man has gone too far.

- Faverot de Kerbrech (1891)

Why I bring this quote up, rather than one that directly villianizes the use of draw reins is several-fold. To begin with the use of draw reins is generally complex, and the reasons why riders turn to draw reins is similarly complex – there is no singular reason that draw reins are used by riders. Some hope to achieve the following :

• To create a specific head-set.
• To create the impression of collection through neck shape and position.
• To bring in the horse’s nose and keep it from “poking out” in an unattractive manner.
• To lighten the horse’s mouth and stop him from pulling on the reins.
• To create greater neck “flexibility” and “suppleness”.
• To speed along the progression of any of the above.

The quote above addresses one of the core reasons why people turn to draw reins – they are in a hurry to achieve something. They do not wish to wait and develop the horse correctly, or simply do not have the education to understand how to develop the horse in this way and so they slap on a piece of equipment which promises to train the horse for them.

Many times riders begin using draw reins because their trainer recommends them or “everyone else is doing it” around them. Lacking education to know better, they too begin using draw reins – this is a natural manner of learning in the horse world. But I believe it is important to point out specifically why you SHOULD NOT USE DRAW REINS.

So what then is a rider to do who wishes to gain control, collection and lightness from their horse? Firstly, it cannot be done if you are counting the seconds to achievement. All of these things are ever-evolving and there is no such thing as a finished horse in this regard, merely those who are well-trained and physically capable.

Barring the time issue, the next step is really to become educated in the three basic elements necessary to all of these :

• Impulsion
• Straightness
• Elevation of the Base of the Neck

As a rider it is necessary to develop a balanced, dynamic seat which allows for independent use of the aids (hands without legs, legs without hands), to utilize the three basic rein aids (direct rein, indirect rein, half halt) and the two basic leg aids (impulsive and positional). After that it is merely playing with the horse.

This question is raised frequently – how to soften and flex a horse who is stiff in the neck. There is a problem with the question however, because it assumes that addressing the horse’s stiff neck will actually correct the stiffness. In reality, flexing the horse’s neck alone only causes a disconnection between the neck and the hind legs. If you do not understand the implications of this disconnection you can create more problems later on – making it difficult or impossible to get true collection from the horse.

Also, attempting to take control over the horse’s neck stiffness and creating disconnection, you are setting yourself up for needing more aids and cues to control his movements later on.

The reason allowing the horse’s neck stiffness to continue without direct address is because it is a barometer. If you work the horse correctly through the rest of his body, he moves genuinely forward (not just fast or rushing around but honestly pushing from the hind and engaging), you use the half-halt often and correctly, are quiet with your independent aids, balanced in the seat and have hands which are light - the neck will become supple on its own.

When I began riding my instructor required I practice constant flexions with my horse – every minute of every ride, and supposedly they evolved at some point to create natural collection in the horse. I certainly had a horse who was instantly supple in the neck and who was adept at moving side to side without balance. Collection never genuinely came and over time directing his movements became more difficult because he was always avoiding contact with the reins and behind the bit. He was also never genuinely forward – a HUGE gap in training.

It is possible to retrain horses who have been over-flexed, but it is a longer process than simply being aware that flexing the neck is not necessary and damages the horse’s future potential.

So many popular trainers and clinicians stress the importance of creating a horse with a soft mouth, supple neck – one who never pulls against the riders or braces. The truth however is that if the rider’s seat is balanced, their aids independent of one another and their hands educated to be light, tactile and non-interfering; none of those problems harangued on by clinicians exist. When you lack balance and lean on the horse he will lean back and try to pull your reins away. When your aids conflict and overlap one another the horse will protest with his whole body, including his neck and mouth. When your hands are rough, heavy, insensitive, the horse will become defensive and brace against you.

So, my answer to “how do you make a horse’s stiff neck turn supple” is always turned to the rider. Take Classically based seat lessons on the lunge line where you learn to ride at every gait in balance without the stirrups or reins. Learn properly how to apply the legs and use the half halt (see the Simplicity of the Aids : Part I & Part II). Utilize only ONE aid at a time so you do not interfere with the horse or use conflicting aids.

And the most important? Be more patient than those making money selling “quick fixes.”

Although most people can identify someone implementing Dressage in their program based on the saddle they are riding in and the outline of their horse, pinpointing the actual elements which ought to be present in those riders isn’t always at the forefront of everyone’s consciousness. I want to look a little closer at what is known as “The Training Scale” or the “Dressage Pyramid” and its importance.

Before I talk about how Dressage can benefit riders of every discipline and riding style, I want to go into the scale/pyramid and look at each individual element. After that I think the benefits will be more obvious. It is comprised of 6 elements.

1. Rhythm
2. Relaxation
3. Contact
4. Impulsion
5. Straightness
6. Collection

Each of these elements is built one upon the other, which is why it is often referred to as a pyramid. Think of the food pyramid, the food groups which make up the largest portions of our diet lie at the base of the pyramid. Unlike the food pyramid however you cannot simply exclude one element and still gain the others. You can produce an external appearance of these other elements, for example a rider can produce a horse who appears to be straight and collected but has no rhythm, relaxation, collection or impulsion. The problem with developing the horse in this way is that he will suffer in some other area. Many dressage horses develop joint and muscle problems at an earlier age, hit a wall in training where they cannot advance beyond second or third level and so on.

The beauty of such a system as the training scale/pyramid is that if you are having problems with one element you know to look back at those which are at its foundation to see where holes exist or improvements are needed. In my opinion this is a fantastic way to implement critical thinking skills and also eliminates a lot of guess work.

It is common now to see riders who compete based on the appearance of their horse vs. the horse’s actual development along the training scale/pyramid, which can account for many of the reasons riders are turning to other methods including rollkur/hyperflexion/LDR in order to improve the appearance of the horse’s gaits and secure higher scores in competition. Riders whose horses are solidly developed along the training scale however will always shine and stand out even without the extreme leg movement that is popularized right now.

Rhythm

The value of rhythm is without question. Not only does it develop a baseline upon with the horse’s physical development can be judged but also makes relaxation possible. I like to think of it like a metronome – the regular tick, tick, tick, tick, tick can almost bring autonomous hypnotism as your thoughts and actions fall into regularity. There is a reason that pianists practice with a metronome, the continuous rhythm assists them in reaching the same rhythm in their playing.

When we begin working with the horse it is important to develop them in a way that allows their body to carry a rider without undue stress and burden. When they are not yet physically fit the rhythm to which they move will be irregular, just as a persons’ movements are when they lack the physical fitness to perform certain actions. So in monitoring the horse’s rhythm you can begin to understand their physical strength and preparedness for the work you are asking of them.

Sometimes it helps for me to think of rhythm in terms of how it works with entrainment. If you’ve never heard of entrainment I encourage you to do a little research on it. I thought I had already written up a post about it but alas it looks like I will have to put that on my “to do” list for the moment.

Relaxation

The next building block is relaxation. Some will refer to it as suppleness but I really prefer to call it relaxation as I feel that is a more clear definition. In order to reach physical relaxation the horse’s body must be strong enough to work without strain. You cannot ask a person to be relaxed while jogging if it has been ten years since they have moved faster than a walk. Their muscles will be strained to perform what is being asked of them and as a result relaxation cannot be present. If however you were to ask a marathon runner to go for a jog it would be a simple task for their body and as a result they could do it in quite a relaxed manner.

Following a relaxed body the mind will follow. The horse’s mind will fret and stress if they are not physically capable of performing what you are asking. They will be out of balance – something that no prey animal likes to be faced with.

Contact

Following relaxation comes contact, an element which I believe is introduced far too early in the horse’s training – or perhaps expected too early on. Many look at contact as being the connection between the rider’s hands and the horse’s mouth through the reins. I prefer to view contact in a slightly different way though. I imagine it as the ability to communicate with all of the area’s of the horse’s body – not just the mouth. It means that I can influence the front legs, hind legs, the mouth, the back, the belly, the horse’s mind, and not just through the reins but through all of the aids in their simplest forms.

In the simplest forms the aids are singular. One rein alone. One leg alone. The seat alone. Often the aids are combined however to access all the areas of the horse but I feel that if combining the aids is necessary to influence the horse then there is another element missing which may be rhythm or relaxation.

Impulsion

Perhaps grossly misunderstood, and with good reason, is impulsion. I’ve heard people describe it as forward, speed, extension of the gaits, push from the hind limbs and so on. Sometimes it reminds me of the various descriptions I’ve heard over the Half Halt – many surrounded in vague wording. The Art of Riding website describes it as, “Free-flowing energy initiated by the rider, causing the horse’s back to swing, his quarters to engage, and his forelegs to articulate is impulsion.” According to Classical Dressage Notebook (by Sue Morris), “A horse is said to have impulsion when the energy created by the hind legs is being transmitted into the gait and into every aspect of the forward movement.”

For me it helps to think about where impulsion originates. It follows rhythm, relaxation and contact. It is also a form of energy. So impulsion is the element that comes when the horse movements rhythmically, is relaxed in body and mind, and every part of his body can be communicated with clearly through any of the aids acting on their own. Impulsion then is the rider accessing the horse’s energy in the simplest form of communication without hesitation or tension while the horse is physically capable of responding rhythmically.

Straightness

Once the horse is in rhythm, relaxed, able to be communicated with clearly and the rider can influence his energy, the next level of the pyramid can be achieved – straightness. If we are unable to influence the horse’s energy then all we are able to do is block, push and pull the horse into something that might appear straight. Being able to access the energy directly however requires far less physical effort on the part of the rider, does not result in degenerative or damaging physical results in the horse, and also produces a much more harmonious and attractive picture.

Straightness simply cannot exist without the base elements below it. Without rhythm the horse will be moving irregularly and one part of the body will have to work harder to make up for the other, weaker, areas. In a horse which lacks relaxation there will be a more pronounced presence of one-sidedness. Just as people generally have a stronger side so does the horse and with tension this imbalance grows. If the rider cannot communicate with all the areas of the horse’s body he also cannot directly and simply influence an area which interferes with developing the horse’s straightness. And finally, without impulsion the horse’s energy can also be out of balance with no means for the rider to channel it back into harmony and thus develop true straightness.

Straightness is not something which the rider creates, but rather it is the result of all the foundation below it having been developed systematically, patiently and correctly.

Collection

For as much as it is talked about, collection is the top tier of the pyramid which is rarely achieved in its truest form. That being after all of the other elements of the scale/pyramid having been developed correctly. Everyone wants to be a billionaire and no one wants to have to break a sweat doing it or go out of their comfort zone. The same happens with collection – we all want to ride a horse which is collected and beautiful but the time and effort involved in developing everything necessary to its actualization can get in the way. We’d rather inherit the cash from a rich distant relative who kicked the bucket.

To honestly ride a horse in true collection is vastly different from riding a horse which appears collected. The reason for this is a truly collected horse has an amazing amount of energy simply at the disposal of the rider to direct, and all of that energy is focused in one direction – that is through straightness. I think of it like if you are walking a pack of dogs and all are pulling in opposite directions, they will help keep you in one place. If however they were to all align in one direction you would be overpowered by their combined energy. The horse is the same way, there is no wasted energy. He is physically capable of performing the tasks that are being asked in such a way that he is also relaxed. He is no longer a run down sedan but instead a powerful sports car.

In Other Disciplines

If these elements were implemented in other disciplines the horse’s power grows exponentially. You do not have to ride your horse in a dressage saddle, in a snaffle bit, in an arena even, to develop these characteristics. That is the beauty that lies in Dressage. It has been transformed in the public’s eye as being a competitive sport but the truest qualities of Dressage can exist in any discipline including those just ‘hacking’ around in their backyard. And that, in essence, is why I love Dressage.

Perhaps the only question to go along with this piece is to ask yourself if you as a rider have all of these elements. Are you in rhythm by having the physical strength to perform? Are you then able to do the work in a relaxed state both physically and mentally? Can the horse communicate with you clearly through the aids and vice versa (remember, it’s a conversation and not dictation.. *wink*)? Is your energy able to be channeled at will? Can your energy not only be channeled but also be aligned into straightness?

One of the most difficult things for a rider to learn is how to use their hands properly. Wait, no. Let me restate that. THE most difficult thing for a rider to learn is how to use their hands properly. Why you may ask.. because the hands are connected to the wrist bone, the wrist bone is connected to the arm bone… and so on right down to your ten little piggies and the hair on your chinny chin chin.

Joking aside though, good hands require a rider to have a balanced seat, which requires the rider to be in the proper position for their individual center of gravity, which requires the proper muscle suppleness and flexibility which is not innate in us human beings. Good hands also require the proper education, something that the vast majority of riders never get and are unlikely to encounter in their average riding lessons. Why? Because their instructors never received it and so can’t pass it on.

Essentially all of these requirements make it nearly impossible for a rider to gain good hands without going through and learning a properly balanced seat so that their hands, seat and legs can work independently from one another.

Now, let’s go back to the original question about bitless bridles, or bridle-less riding. The usual reason behind using either of these ‘tools’, or ‘methods’ if you will, is to circumvent some sort of problem that the horse is having with a bit in it’s mouth. The horse tosses it’s head, has a hard mouth, can’t relax, over-salivates or is anxiously gnawing at the bit, runs through the bridle, etc. Let us also keep in mind that the horse’s mouth is one of the most sensitive areas on his body without losing sight of just how sensitive his skin is alone to a single fly’s presence… ahem.

Essentially it boils down to this – the rider is replacing his lack of skill with a piece of equipment designed to relieve him of ever having to go through the process of developing a seat and thus independent aids and eventually having educated hands that no longer cause all of these “bit issues”. It is for this reason I don’t recommend these tools but instead continue to champion the learning process that first develops a rider’s balance WITHOUT allowing them access to the reins and only after they’ve acquired a seat and independent legs are the reins introduced with education. Never haphazardly as seems to be common – to throw a beginner rider on a horse and leave them wander about the ring not knowing the first thing about how to communicate with the horse and without any balance to then abuse the horse’s mouth and blame the horse’s resistances on the bridle…

I love visuals, so thought I would put some commentary on my observations from some video I just browsed. I have some history on the horse but will wait to share it until after you’ve watched the video to keep from pre-suppositions if possible.

In The Bitless Bridle -

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I watched this video first so am posting in the order that I viewed them. The background information was highlighting that the horse was moving in free extension, self carriage, even collection. I will admit that he is different in certain superficial ways from the video showing him ridden in a bit but I would never say that his actions are that of true extension in the gaits, self carriage or collection. He is not relaxed, is not stepping underneath of himself, is not round in the back, etc. Instead he is a horse who is moving swiftly forward, braced in the neck, tense in the gaits and who is at the same time also doing a commendable job at (imo) trying to do as his rider is requesting.

The problem is that he cannot be in self-carriage, it is not possible with both his level of tension and the rider’s lack of balance. She is not falling off the horse but she is behind his movement and falling downwards at every sitting stride and having to work too hard to push herself out of the saddle in the rising portion. His walk is completely lateralized as is the canter, i.e. both legs on the same side are moving in unison rather than separated into the 4-beat tempo that should be the walk and the three beat canter tempo. His neck is raised but not from the base, rather more inverted and that is shown by the thickness of the underside of the neck.

What bit of extension the rider may be feeling is simply the horse moving more swiftly, or there are a few small moments (if not in this video there is a second one also showing him in the bitless bridle) where he is getting closer to stepping under himself. His hind hooves are not stepping into the front hoof prints and therefore his hind legs are by definition trailing.

Compared to the video of him in a bit he is more confident appearing in his forward movement and less confused about whether he should be going forward or slowing down, which is very common if the rider uses their hands too much in conflict when riding in a bit that they will improve in this way in the bitless bridle.

In a Kimberwicke -

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This video I watched immediately after my observations on the bitless bridle video, I was curious to see how changed he would go in a bit. Again, the rider is behind the movement of her horse and as a result her rein aids are in conflict with the forward movement she is asking out of him – she is using the reins to aid in balance which she has to because her seat is not developed, her legs are neither suppled into position nor independent and therefore her hands will be affected by whatever happens with the seat and legs. The horse responds through confusion – her legs say go forward, her seat cannot follow the movement because it has to work harder than necessary, and her hands say slow down or stop. He in turn reacts out of frustration and confusion.

I don’t want you thinking I am picking on this rider, simply my observations and nothing personal. I could pick out a million other videos and point to the same issues, she is not alone and I have been in her place myself. I have ridden the horses with terrible bit problems, head tossers, balkers, horses that were sucked back and behind the bit, that would bobble between running forward and running backward in confusion. I have ridden with poor balance, heavy hands and the thought that my horses were collected or balanced when they were anything but.

I’d really love to throw up a quick video but alas do not at the moment have free access to a horse so this post will have to suffice for now. Be wary however the trap that is easy to fall into believing that a bit of tack can solve all of your troubles. The bit has a specific purpose and that purpose is to allow for some of the most refined communication available with your hands. The horse’s nose cannot compare in sensitivity to the horse’s mouth – which is the good and the bad. It is why a bitless bridle allows for more refined appearing riding when there is no tact in the rider’s hands or balance in his body and why that same rider can develop a horse with the most horrendous evasions when riding with a bit.

My first dressage instructor used to bring up with a sort of endearing tone and mystical hope in her voice this idea she had heard about – something to the effect of master equestrians riding their horses with a single thread of silk to connect their hand to the bit their touch so refined, subtle and effective. Later I came to experience the power of riding with that refined of communication with the hand – where less is louder to the horse than more. Where a mere 5 grams (the weight of a nickel!) is all that is needed to convey your wishes to the horse and have them be understood. But… that kind of tact is not available when your hands are connected to  your feet which are connected to a body that is out of sync with the horse’s movement, space and time.

Food for thought…

Don’t have an answer to these questions? You aren’t alone. The term “on the bit” doesn’t have an origin in the long-time history of Dressage, but according to Bettina Drummond it is an orphan that is only causing chaos, confusion and much of the demise of Dressage.

I found this great article at Eclectic Horseman written by Dr. Max Gahwyler and Bettina Drummond which talks about the origins of “on the bit” :

There is no other statement used so often in Dressage riding as the horse should accept the bit, be on the bit, etc. And very often when you go to clinics or shows, it’s the predominant preoccupation of riders, trainers and, unfortunately, often also the judges. It is the foundation of Dressage riding in our country, and this should be just the reason why we should step back and have an unbiased look at what it does to Dressage riding (and why so many of our horses and riders get stuck or break down in the 1st or 2nd Level.)
So our next step is to go back to the countries where our present day Dressage originated 500 years ago, such as Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Sweden, and scrutinize the literature in the original language and meaning, and not in the English translations, which are all very recent. Even the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) and later the American Horse Show Association (AHSA) Dressage Rulebook were only put into English in the 1920s. But, no matter how hard you look, even going back to the 15th and 16th century, you do not find any expression equivalent to “On the Bit.”
This expression, if you like it or not, fixes the attention of riders, trainers and judges on the head carriage and frame in front as the symbol and hallmark and primary objective of Dressage and training. Instead, the frame in front should express the engagement and throughness from behind and the rider in harmony with the horse on the aids; the frame in front should not be the result of hanging on the reins. It is well expressed in the German Federation statement that the horse seeks the contact and the rider provides it, not the other way around, since pulling the horse into a vertical head position has nothing to do with collection. On the contrary, it prevents engagement and develops nothing but an insensitive, unresponsive horse on the forehand and does not allow for an expressive movement in self-carriage.

The concept of collection and elevation in front. The lines behind the horse show the progressive flexion and engaging of the hindquarters. Wilhelm Museler from Reit Lehre 1928.

That brings up the subject of maintaining a sensitive and soft mouth, which goes back to the school of Naples. It was then clearly realized that in training a young horse, harsh rein action would occur, either inflicted by the rider, or the self-defense of a young horse, and the sensitivity of the bars would be progressively damaged. Let’s face it, a piece of steel in the mouth that is pulled on unilaterally or on both sides with the connection of the snaffle joint pushing against the palette is no treat. Also for about 6,000 years all snaffle bits had cheek pieces, so when using one rein, the cheekpiece of the other side prevented the bit from slipping through the mouth and pushed the head in the desired direction. More recently invented loose ring snaffles are not a step in the right direction.
So when you read the book of Johan Batista Galiberti, written in 1610 and translated into German in 1660, Galiberti, a pupil of Grisone and Piniatelli, recommends the training of the horses first in a caveson or hackamore until the basics are established and only then progressively introducing a bit. In addition, the reins to the bit are held in the left hand, which is always softer, and never used. Training continues with the caveson in the right hand until the horse is made light and in self-carriage. At this time, the caveson is progressively dropped and the connection established through the reins to the bit. But since the bit was never used for the training, the sensitivity and lightness was maintained and the principle of the Descente de Main evolved as used in the Ecole de Versailles and later became beautifully described by Robichon de la Guérinière and DuPaty de Clam.
Interestingly, a few years ago, the riding manuals of 1720 of the Royal Spanish Riding School, which were believed lost, were rediscovered in Vienna. And here again, the training of the young Lippizzaners was done in a caveson without a bit, which was only introduced after they had reached a secure level of training.
The remainder of this concept can still be seen in some lunging cavesons from Europe, having in addition an adjustable snaffle bit. These cavesons were common 50 years ago in Europe, but were never available in the United States where the concept of preserving a sensitive mouth was never a primary objective of Dressage training. However, in a young horse trained like this neither the lunge line or initially the side-reins were attached to the bit, so the introduction of the steel bit was a process of slow, gradual acceptance without any pressure. Later in the training, long side reins were attached to the snaffle, but never the lunge line, which only pulls the bit up or out of the mouth. Doing this is an abuse of the horse and only done by uneducated and insensitive horsemen.

Very few people have ever made or experienced a horse with a truly sensitive mouth, as neither trainers nor riders are concerned with this, as it is not part of the present culture of “On the Bit” in the U.S. In addition, the early introduction of the double bridle, not to speak about draw reins and other devices we see so often, is the hallmark of incompetence as well described by Udo Burger.
So how did the English term “On the Bit” appear in our terminology? To the best of my knowledge, it started with the creation of the FEI, which took place in 1921, initiated by General DeCarpentry with the assistance of Dr. Rau and the German General Halsing Bersett.
General DeCarpentry wrote the FEI rules and definitions in French as we see them today in the FEI rulebook using the sophisticated French Dressage vocabulary with its infinite nuances and meanings. But nowhere do we find any expression even remotely resembling our notation of “On the Bit.” which would translate in French as “Sur le Mors,” an expression which simply does not exist.
The Germans never translated the French FEI text, understanding most French and having an eloquent and well-established equestrian vocabulary of their own as demonstrated in their rule book and the publication of Basic Principles of Riding and Advanced Techniques of Riding by the German Equestrian Federation. Nowhere do we find anything in the original German version close to our statement of “On the Bit,” which is only occasionally used in the English translation for lack of any other expression. So why does this definition of “On the Bit” come up in the English FEI version which became today’s AHSA Dressage Rules and definitions in the official rule book?
Since there was hardly any Dressage in the early 1900s in England or in the United States, nor any English books on Dressage or magazines, there were simply no real equivalent terms for the statements of DeCarpentry, not to speak of reflecting the nuances of meaning of the French Dressage terms. I do not know who translated in the 1920s to ‘30s the French FEI text into English. It is eminently clear that the translator had a fairly good grasp of French but not of the French equestrian terminology, and the term “On the Bit” was created without really understanding what was meant in French or how this newly created definition would affect riding in English-speaking countries.
Lacking any other source of information, this FEI text was taken over by the AHSA and is still the official version which we see today in our rulebook, including the statement “On the Bit” without any futher explanation. Also, our AHSA rules reflect primarily FEI requirements, movements and gaits with no really meaningful statement from Training Level to 4th Level. Even recently introduced new movements such as chewing the reins out of the hands are neither referred to nor defined after they were put into our tests six years ago.

Just to show you a quick example of the first few pages of the AHSA rulebook and how this can lead to complete misinterpretation of the original French text of DeCarpentry, article 401-3 states “The horse gives the impression to execute of his own accord what is required of him, etc.” But in article 401-6, it states “In all his work, even at the halt, the horse must be on the bit”-which obviously includes training levels and introductory levels, since there is no distinction made. This in no way represents the finesse of the French Dans la Main (“on the aids”). But in article 403-3, it states that at the walk the horse should not be asked to walk on the bit, and in article 403-4.2, it states that at the medium walk the horse must be on the bit. This makes absolutely no sense, and if you want, you can go through the entire rulebook as far as riding is concerned and find contradictory statements like this one after the other.
If in our English translation we would say in article 401-6 that the horse in all its work even at the halt remains obediently under the influence of the rider’s aids, this would be closer to the true French meaning and removes the fixation to the hands, the bit and the front of the horse, and leads to a more integrated approach of all aids applicable to this movement.
Using this expression “On the Aids,” we could approach the variability of the French terminology with expressions like “teaching the young horse the progressive acceptance of the aids” up to the FEI levels where it should be on the aids. This includes lightness and self-carriage: not pulled into an artificial frame in front, the emphasis placed on the seat, position, weight, harmony between horse and rider and correct timing and coordination of all the aids. An artificial frame in front does not allow for expressive movement in self-carriage.
But to replace the expression “On the Bit” and banish it forever to oblivion is really no problem, since over the past 50 years we have established a vocabulary of Dressage in America. Terms such as “Acceptance of the Aids,” “On the Aids,” “Throughness,” “Connection,” “Lightness,” “Self-Carriage,” “Swinging Back,” “Relaxation,” “Balance,” and “Engagement,” just to name a few, would much better demonstrate what we really mean and which are really the objectives of Dressage.

Then we achieve what the FEI and DeCarpentry said originally; namely, that the horse gives the impression of doing on his own what is required of him, and not pulled together behind the vertical and consistently on the forehand and never truly through. Unfortunately, we see this all the time from Training Level up to a lot of poor piaffes, passages, piourettes and awful transitions.
Allowing the horse to seek the aids as the older Germans said, or the coordinated aids, aids coming through the back, non-interfering aids, weight aids, seat aids, supporting aids, leg aids, etc. with the horse determining the contact would probably better represent what we really should aim for in Dressage.
Also, what further seems to justify to pull together the front of the horse, and often behind the vertical and call it Dressage, are photos shown in European and in American Dressage magazines of winning teams with an incorrect, pulled together, short frame in front. Even though we always speak of Classical Dressage, nobody seems to go back to the original drawings and photos of the past. Interestingly enough, this concept of having a horse in front of you and with a head carriage more in front of the vertical the more it is collected is clearly depicted in the pictures of Müseler, (see diagram on facing page), which were adopted as correct by the FEI as long as Niggli was its chief but have pretty much fallen by the wayside as of now.
On the one hand magazines print the statements of Harry Boldt, Klaus Balkenhol, Christine Stuckelberger, Cindy Sydor, etc, condemning pulling the horse together in front and then publish dozens of pictures showing exactly the opposite, with horses pulled behind the vertical winning competitions. Take a look in one of the many Dressage publications available in the U.S. and judge for yourself. A clear policy and message to the Dressage community could not hurt.

In a more recent example in an article with Christine Stuckelberger said, “Today you see the horses pulled together. This is a mistake. A judge should penalize a horse that is tense and always goes behind the vertical.”
Harry Bolt said, “Regarding horses’ necks, I think judges should be more careful that horses’ noses are in front of the vertical.”
Snydor echoes the comments of many colleagues in adding that an overemphasis on the front end of the horse is another threat posed by poorly trained and performed exhibition work. “If it’s too much about the head, neck and front legs, it’s bad,” she says. “It may be more spectacular to the uninitiated, but there is already too much emphasis on the front end in regular dressage. We don’t need to be promoting that emphasis any further.”
Another reason the scores are so high today is because of the gaits our top horses show, not because of the quality of the execution of the difficult dressage movements. Just look at the horses’ mediocre piaffes, passages, flying changes and transitions, etc., we see in all the shows. But the German warmblood has a habit of going forward no matter what kind of head position the rider puts him in, even though this does not represent correct training and pulls him on the forehand.

In conclusion, since we now have a terminology in the United States correctly expressing the objectives of Dressage, maybe the time has come to upgrade our definition and rulebook statements and get rid of terms that not only make no sense but also are detrimental to the future of our sport.
It would be a nice beginning of the new century.

Read Original Article on Eclectic Horseman »

As a Massage Therapist and NeuroMuscular Therapist, the alignment and focus on the horse’s pelvis makes much more sense to me than focusing in the position of the head and neck, although the two do influence one another and are inter-dependent. The state of modern horsemanship is short-sighted, looking only at what is in front of us when riding, than looking at what is underneath us. But, as a bodyworker, I am also reminded frequently that this is not common knowledge and unfortunately is not widely known among the public – yet. :)

I love the visual in the second image shown above, which illustrates the relationship of the horse’s pelvis to his balance point and center of gravity, as well as how it affects the horse’s neck posture. In humans there is a similar correlation. If our pelvis is rotated one direction or the other our neck vertebrae will likewise have more or less curvature.

I don’t know about you, but when I read things like the above article it gets my blood moving and makes me want to become fluent in french, german and portuguese just so I can pore over the classic literature…

“On The Bit” image © Emmy Pimlada

What this means for us as riders is that the legs become quiet and are used primarily as a balance point, but please don’t misunderstand and think I mean balance through squeezing or holding on with the legs. There is a large issue of overusing the legs as it compromises your balance, creates tension upwards into your seat, can radiate into your hands and promote pulling on the reins not to mention add confusion and complication to your communication with the horse. The less that we have to use in order to let the horse know what we want, the better.

Contact on the reins can only be appropriate if the horse is pushing/propelling himself forward from the hind legs calmly, while also maintaining the proper bend. Without these our ability to communicate through the reins is compromised at best, though often worse – disconnected.

The magic happens quite brilliantly however when these elements are all in concert with one another, as you can orchestrate collection in the horse, gait transitions and spectacular lateral work that is forward, light and graceful primarily through the reins. The legs working secondary to the hand in providing support. On the other hand, to rely upon the legs primarily the hands are left to working in excess to either contain the anxious energy created by the overuse of the legs and force position to create second rate lateral work and dull transitions.

Have you read the article by Jimmy Wofford, “Is It Art or Violence?” that was published in Practical Horseman? I found it posted online here and here. Excellent stuff, I highly recommend you read it.

What brought me about on my tangent today were several videos on YouTube that I found, or I should say were sent to me. Several people had posted questions asking why the rider was training the horses with their noses behind the vertical and such. When I followed the link on the video description where they were advertising more horses for sale, I was sad to see that it was the norm and not an exception.

What kills me about the use of hyperflexion – or even mild overflexion.. why stop there, weight in the reins altogether – is that is is completely unnecessary when you are communicating with the horse! When we stop communicating and begin dictating is when force becomes a factor of necessity in controlling, directing and ‘dancing’ with the horse. It is merely a more subtle form of shooting at someone’s feet to make them dance.

Every time I go out riding I think of the pure joy involved in finding not only relaxed ‘obedience’ (rather the willingness to say ‘yes’ to my questions and requests), but also collection on a loose rein, without any nosebands, on a simple snaffle, no spurs or the need of my whip. Still it is deemed necessary to remove any physical strength and comprehensive eyesight from these horses in order to dance with them. Do ballroom dancers find it likewise necessary to tie their partner’s hand behind their back and blindfold them in order to waltz?

*Sigh*  btw, working presently on some springtime videos talking about collection with release of the aids and more… so stay tuned. :)

And tomorrow is yet another radio broadcast in which I will be discussing Lazy and Sensitive horses, the nervous system response to stimulation and more. I will once again be joined by Cheryl Frei, who works with me through Awareness In Riding as an Equestrian Life Coach. You can tune in at 12 noon (cst) to our fully interactive online radio broadcast. :)

I work a lot in metaphors, it helps my mind connect ideas and make sense of theories that may otherwise leave me in the dark. So, this is how I’m going to compare collection in the sense of competitive dressage… a bit like a weight lifter bench pressing weights that are inflated with air. Sure, it might look like he is lifting 300 pounds and his muscles are certainly flexed, he has some sweat upon his brow… but there is something missing and that is the reality of the weight, the action, the exercise. It looks like a bench press and acts like a bench press, but is he really lifting any weight? No.

What we see in the competitive arena are collected movements that look like collection, act like collection, are called collection and scored as though they are collection, but there is that vital thing missing – the reality of collection.

Let’s think a bit about the individual movements that are a result of collection : Piaffe, Passage, Canter Pirouette, Flying Changes, Collected Canter, Collected Walk, Extended Trot. Collection unfortunately is often mistaken as being synonymous with slow or short. We see many variations on these different movements and instead of writing a giant article, I think instead I will pull a collection of pictures together and make comments. I like the way my brain functions with visual interaction…

The Piaffe

Let’s start with something easy. Why do I say easy? Well because there are many more pictures of piaffe that I can track down than there are collected walk.

Ever notice that there is a large prevalence of stallions in the competitive arena of dressage who succeed vs geldings and mares at the international levels. Certainly, it is beneficial to promote breeding stallions, but it occurred to me a question of whether it has anything to do with the strength of their neck muscles, in particular those which help to lift the shoulder girdle. Testosterone does lead to more muscle mass and development, and stallions naturally have a greater development of their topline. It can certainly help mask one of the indicators of collection, and that is the ‘little dipper’ in front of the withers. Many stallions are without it thanks to mother nature. So how does this play a role in collection you ask?

The neck muscles assist in lifting the cervical vertebrae as well as the shoulder girdle. Changing this alignment assists the hindquarters in bearing weight and flexing of the joints… all important elements of collection. In many ways, the efforts of asking the horse to collect are a way of improving the horse’s posture. Just like humans, we don’t always have naturally good posture, and when we then lift things and become weight bearing we can damage our muscles, our joints, our bones, etc. Things wear and tear that aren’t supposed to. What happens when you pick up something with bad posture? Do you find that you are nimble, agile and able to move easily about with this new weight, or do you tend to feel the weight pressing down upon you, having difficulty moving up and down stairs with this weight, maneuvering tight areas and so on? Then try lifting an object and carrying it with good posture so you are in balance, that is exactly the purpose of collection, and the movements listed above that come about are only signs and signals of that achieved balance while bearing weight.

Okay, I’m getting a bit off direction, but that is okay. I wanted to touch on the matter of hock injections in dressage horses who have not yet hit the age of 10. Sound like they are wearing their joints improperly? Absolutely! That is a sign of weight bearing that is not in balance, and is not in collection! It is one thing in a sport of impact such as jumping and eventing, but riding your pony about a 20 x 60 meter, imo, should not warrant hock injections at an early age. Back on track…

Let’s see some pictures.

Now, before you go scrolling down and getting adventuresome on me… let’s talk about the first picture. Yes, I will be blacking out faces because I would hope someone would do the same for me and this isn’t some personal vendetta against competitive riding, my only goal is to pull attention to what to look for in clues whether your horse is giving you collection.

I want you to look the picture over, maybe even write down what you like and what you don’t like. Let’s do this with 5 things each, 5 likes and 5 dislikes. We’ll compare notes later. Often piaffe is considered correct when the horse brings the hind feet underneath the body, i.e. underneath the point of hip, when the diagonal legs are moving in unison, and the horse’s head is on the vertical. Now we’ve already covered some points referring to posture, but I want to reiterate. In particular with the position of the horse’s head. Not all horses are posturally capable of bringing their nose on the vertical and still maintaining the posture needed to be balanced in collection. Often what happens is that the horse compensates in his body somewhere for the position of the head that he is otherwise not physically capable of maintaining.

Humans do this sort of postural compensation all the time. It is prevalent among our species and you can see it in person just walking down the street on any given day… that is if you know what you are looking for. If you don’t, people just look like people, normal everyday people. In this case it is usually only those who overstep the boundaries by a large margin that we notice – someone hunched over with a humpback posture, or someone with such an extreme swayback that it obviously affects their walking pattern. The person who’s neck juts forwards, or the man who doesn’t seem to have any bend in his neck at all.

For the most part, we all have postural problems, and unfortunately it is considered a norm. The things that cause chronic but not completely debilitating low back pain, the migraine headaches that we put up with or try to sooth with medication and dark rooms. The list goes on. With the horse we invent new gadgets to deal with the postural problems, we use more force and leverage to ‘stretch’ and ‘flex’ him into “suppleness.” Then there are the new methods of training that are ‘based upon classical principles’ and only prove to further injure the horse on a whole new level.

Let’s see how this horse might be compensating for posture that isn’t bringing him into balance.

I hope you like the marks I made, it will help guide your sight to the what and where’s that I talk about. Firstly, what I mentioned earlier about the development of the neck muscles and the tell-tale dip in front of the withers. That is marked with a red circle and labelled with a 1. It isn’t the best quality picture, but it is fairly clear to see.

Next we will move on to spot 2, the second red circle. This is referencing the closure of the horse’s throatlatch. Again, not all horses are capable of maintaining an ‘on the vertical’ nose position without having to compensate somewhere in their body. Line 3 references this as well, showing the nose on the vertical. Line 4 references the poll being the highest part of the horse’s body. His is close, but no cigar, the crest of his neck beat him to it by a few hairs. Why is the poll being high an important indicator? With the exception of some stallions (particularly Spanish bred) whose necks are so cresty they would not in a million years make the mark, it shows that the horse is not compensating in the cervical vertebrae. When the horse is overbent, or made to come to the vertical without the right build for it, his cervical vertebrae will help compensate and as a result the posterior portion of the neck (the top of the neck) will protrude higher than the poll. Think of a piece of paper, held so you are looking at the flattest/thinnest portion, held between your thumb and forefinger on either end. When you hold the paper taught so that it is straight, it is structurally at it’s strongest (if paper can be strong… :)) without having to be modified. You can lift one end and lower the other and it stays the same strength. Now, you are going to hold one end (this will be considered the horse’s withers) just as before, the other end (which is now the horse’s forehead), you are going to make a fold about an inch from the edge as though the new ‘tab’ is the front of the horse’s face. Make it in such a way that it is about a 45 degree angle difference from it’s original position in a straight line. Resume holding the tab with your thumb and forefinger, now bring the horse’s nose to a vertical position. What happens along the horse’s neck? Does the crest bow upwards behind the horse’s poll making it the highest point? And what about near the withers? Does it create a hollow there as well? This is why the common use of bringing the horse’s nose on the vertical is not a sign of collection, but often a sign of postural compensation.

Let’s get rid of the paper. The next point is line 5 – which shows a vertical alignment for the weight-bearing front leg. Notice that the leg does not align vertically? What this shows is that the horse’s posture has to compensate in some manner for weight bearing the hind legs. The horse is bringing the front leg behind and under him to assist in bearing weight vs flexing the joints of the hindquarters, adjusting the relationship of the cervical vertebrae and the shoulder girdle and finding balance in collection. So the front legs are still bearing a large amount of weight that the hind legs are not capable of doing in this postural arrangement.

Line 6 is just a basic reference for your mind. The relationship between the point of shoulder and the stifle, points to the fact that the horse’s hindquarters are not actually ‘sitting’ anymore than the joints are flexing.

And finally, the lines of 7. These show the reference angles between the joints in the horse’s hindquarters. The angle between the stifle, hock and fetlock shows it to be very open, bracing almost. The foot is well under the horse’s body but the lack of flexion shows that the horse isn’t balanced and isn’t collected.

In Case you are wondering about the ‘naked development’ of the horse, i.e. the horse’s physical development in piaffe without a saddle and rider… here’s a link to the same horse performing piaffe in hand. Note the same dip in front of the withers, nose on the vertical creating the highest point of the neck to be behind the poll. Lack of engagement in the hind legs…

Wow, isn’t this fun! I just love playing with pictures some days, though admittedly it happens only once in a blue moon…

Next Up : Another Piaffe

So again, as before, 5 likes and 5 dislikes. This is a good contrasting piaffe because these are two very differently bred horses, and two different kinds of compensation.

Now, onto the next example, I hope you haven’t been peeking…

Once again I have laid out lines to make it easier to understand. I managed to forget numbering them however… so bear with me.

We’ll start from right to left, first with the vertical line, showing the horse is actually behind the vertical with his nose. The horizontal line again demonstrates that his poll is not the highest point, by a greater measure than our first example. The circle around his throatlatch shows that it is closed. Second circle near the withers points out that although the horse has a very well developed crest, there is still a mild dip near the withers.

The vertical line on the weight bearing foreleg shows that he is not compensating nearly as much to support the weight bearing of the hind legs by dropping his front leg underneath himself, but if we then turn our attention to the hind limb that is weight bearing we can see that he is not on the hindquarters at all as it trails out almost behind his body in the weight bearing phase.

I like to think of it like this a little… what happens when we mess around with our posture. Take your head and bring your chin in as far as it will go, if you can touch your chest great, if not that is fine. Take it to the limit that you can structurally go. Now, hold this posture while you are sitting first. Maybe even sit beside a full length mirror. Pay attention to what happens to your shoulders. Do they round forward over time? Try to hold your posture perfectly straight while you keep your chin in position. You may be capable initially, but over time your muscles become tired and your body tries to compensate for this awkward and unnatural position.

Now, do the same exercise while standing. Pay close attention to what happens to your hips. Do they rotate forwards or back? Are you able to flatten your low back and take the curve out of it? That is in effect much of what the horse has to do in the piaffe when correctly collected, he utilizes the strength of his loin while changing the angle of his pelvis. In humans it would be taking the curve out of the low back, flexing our leg joints. How is your body feeling with your head in this position? It would be really easy for someone to influence your speed and direction if you kept your head in this position, it affects your posture and weakens your balance point.

Next!

By now, you should know the drill.. 5 likes and 5 dislikes.

I just want to point out ahead of time, that of the three examples, this is the only image which displays a horse whose tail isn’t swishing and muscles overall appear generally soft and supple. Just a side note.

Now, onto my marked up image, and I even remembered numbers! Yay…

I have failed to add the circles around the throatlatch and at the withers on this image, for two reasons. First, the throatlatch is open and I think that is pretty clear to see. Second, the withers are not really clear to see beyond the saddle pad, so will receive little commenting from me, I try not to make assumptions when possible.

Line #1, shows the horse’s nose beyond the vertical, allowing his throatlatch to stay open, him to effectively use his neck muscles in lifting the shoulder girdle and adjusting his overall posture to change weightbearing to the hindquarters. Line #2 demonstrates the poll as the highest point.

Line #3 shows the one vital place of weakness, that being that the front leg is stepping underneath the horse to help bear weight. Based upon the overall picture of this piaffe I could try to surmise that it may be some form of muscular weakness that he has not yet been developed physically enough to maintain this correct posture without some help from the front end yet. That being said, it is still only a guess and will lead into nothing more.

Lines #4 show more flexion in the hind limb joints. They are closing more, think of how an accordion folds into itself. The angles between the lines are also fairly even which shows that the joints are bearing stress fairly equally.

Line #5 is a reference showing the relative position between the weight bearing foot and the horse’s point of hip. The hip is beginning to be the primary point of stress overall, vs the fetlock, hock or stifle joint. If the horse were to come underneath himself anymore the loins would take the brunt of the load.

Line #6 is again one more reference showing that the hindquarters are indeed dropping rather than maintaining level with the horse’s front end.

And with that, I think I will end this portion of Competitive Collection : Bench Pressing Air Weights. Tune in next time for examples of other collected movements…

The piaffe, whether forced or encouraged with lightness, is not a difficult task to teach. The piaffe is a natural occurance when the aids are correct – it simply happens when the horse is physically conditioned and able to perform it. The piaffe can also be beaten into the horse’s understanding. It is afterall a balancing of stop and go, acceleration and braking. It is the ability to inspire energy while containing it from escaping forwards.

There are hundreds of thousands of horses who perform piaffe which is not classically correct for one reason or several. There are few who perform a classically correct piaffe. Of the incorrect piaffe, it is often resulting from an imbalance in the aids – not enough energy or not enough posture to contain that energy from escaping forwards, or both. How this translates in the piaffe is that the horse becomes overbent and the hindlegs trail out too far. The horse loses his collection, he falls onto the forehand. He loses tempo, his feet become sticky to the ground, the hindquarters bounce while the forehand is still. The front legs travel further under the horse’s body to assist in balancing. For example…

Anky Van Grunsven

This is a great video to show the loss of balance, sticky feet, overbending and trailing hind legs. Often piaffe is shown only from the side, which discounts any ability to judge the horse’s lateral balance. In the beginning of this video you can see AVG move into piaffe and her horse bobbling from side to side as he constantly attempts to regain his balance during the piaffe. His feet swing side to side and rather than him lifting them upwards there is more lateral displacement of them – that is of him moving his whole body in an effort to move his limbs more effectively. He falls behind the vertical often, the hind legs do not provide any carrying power and the front legs are the major support as the fall in under the horse’s body. There are frequent breaks in the horse’s tempo as well and faltering between transition of movements.

Escola Portuguesa de Arte Equstre

This is an improved showing of piaffe. The horse is taking more weight onto the hindquarters, the front limbs are more upright. There are moments when the horse is behind the vertical and the front limbs are also trailing under the body a bit for support. The cadence and tempo of the horse’s piaffe is broken as well. His posture is much improved, as is necessary for the rear that follows the first piaffe. There also appears to be less side to side lateral imbalance during the second piaffe which cannot be judged in the first.

P.S. Lusitano Pirueta Piaffe

An interesting display not often seen, the piaffe pirouette. This starts out showing promise as the horse’s posture is not easily judged from the front. As he moved around and we are able to see a lateral view, you find the horse’s posture ducking down and behind the vertical. His hindquarters bounce more at times than others, which is masked a bit by the slow motion. It is difficult to tell if he would have sticky hooves, but it is certain to tell that he lacks some mark of consistency as his posture changes along with the bounce of his hindquarters. His front hooves stay beautifully aligned upright from the start, and he has wonderful lateral balance which is evident to see as we get a good view from the hindquarters. It does appear as the video continues that the horse begins to degrade in the piaffe over time, lending to the conclusion that he is tiring.

Matt McLaughlin

This video showing the first in-hand work of piaffe with an 11yr old Andalusian mare shows a good foundation. It is clear to see the energy MM is able to inspire in the mare and he buffers it by containing through postural control. This allows the mare to ‘sit’, dropping her hindquarters into the steps of piaffe. This is one of the first sessions of piaffe work according to the video’s description. She shows loss of tempo at times, as does MM in the application of the aids, however she displays no loss of balance through hyperflexion, or trailing hind and fore legs. The video moves on to show piaffe steps under saddle and some passage. I won’t comment on the passage right now…

Spanish Stallion Condor

A lovely piaffe shown in the pillars. Truly magnificent to watch, despite the surroundings. This horse displays balance, tempo and posture in one package. He maintains his piaffe for an extraordinary amount of time and begins to show some tiring by the end. His front legs maintain erectness, his hind hooves are placed so near the center of balance that any further forward and he would be standing. The moments that he attempts to drop his posture you’ll notice he loses balance, only to regain it once again by correcting his posture.

Young Horse Training

Another video showing piaffe started in hand. This is lovely – light and correct. The young horse has energy without the constant nagging from the handler. He shows beautiful posture to support the balance of the piaffe. The hind limbs are stepping under, he is light of foot and maintains erect front hooves. Just lovely.

“El Gordo Dancing His Horse”

One last video, which I hesitated to put on, but illustrates an important point. It does not take skill or tact to teach a horse to ‘trot in place’, or to even trot in place with a measurable amount of collection and balance.  Here it is done with nothing more than a curb bit, spurs, dual purpose ‘whipping reins’ and a rider who just wants his horse to dance…