When we think of training a horse, it may or may not be apparent that without relaxation everything else is a compromise. The horse can never fully give himself to your requests if he is tense or nervous. And, interestingly enough, tension is often what many methods of horsemanship are built upon. Perhaps that is why so many of them work with only so many horses and riders, or with a limited amount of success in the right hands.

Relaxation is not a trait that you can train into the horse either, it is not a conditioned response. Relaxation is an attribute that accompanies trust, another trait that cannot be forced but instead earned.

I am going through this very process with one of my own horses at the moment. He is trained to a certain degree but everything is a compromise because relaxation is a question, not a given. I am fortune to be able to work with a wonderful ground person (who also happens to be the Equestrian Life Coach for Awareness In Riding…) on a regular basis and I cannot stress how valuable a tool this can be for every rider. It also helps to open dialogue and make the ride more of a journey and discovery, rather than the same old habits and rituals. Having a ground person helps you get out of your head and begin to speak the thoughts that are coming up so they can be formed into logic.

Together we’ve been working under saddle with this particular horse, and I noticed a significant difference following just the first ride. The walk is a give-away gait, meaning that it will give away the holes in the horse’s training. For this particular horse it gives away tension – marked by a lack of tracking up. Under saddle this feels (and from ground observation is confirmed to be something you can see as well) as if he is pounding the ground a bit with his hind feet, like they are short striding and hitting upon a restriction when they stride forward. What they do to my seat is interesting as well, making me feel like we are moving laterally in the hips – side to side, rather than a smooth roll like you would feel in your hips when walking on your own.

So for three rides in a row we worked purely on moving forward calmly and reestablishing the bend in order to connect on the reins. Picking up the reins is often a trigger as well for tension in this horse, where he will start chomping at the bit, oversalivating and moving between hanging on the bit and coming behind it. He is also tricky in that he can position his head and neck to make you believe that he is not only on the bit but also has the correct bend, and is light in the bridle, but the tell of incorrectness is that his indirect rein causes him to slow down or even stop without the addition of a half halt. His direct rein is also missing continuity and would require the use of the outside rein – signs that he is simply holding a false frame of tension.

So the game was to allow him slack reins to the buckle on the rail to establish a steady walk rhythm without interference with the reins. Following that I picked up the reins, working off the inside rein and allowing looping slack in the outside rein, I waited for him to follow the rein – to move straight. In order for him to move straight he has to be calm and forward. Before picking up the reins we established calm and forward by allowing him to step into a walk that was correctly tracking up and had a 1-2-3-4 rhythm (vs 1-2–3-4 or 1–2-3–4). Immediately he was attempting to change the bend, to which I simply kept the inside rein steady, or at some moments would shorten it slightly when he allowed slack in order to help guide him to the bend.

What is the bend? The bend is from the horse’s tail to his poll, it is not superficially shown in the neck. I can get neck flexion and have a horse who does not bend, is not supple.

In this horse he would offer simple neck flexion, and keep the rest of his body stiff as a board, so while maintaining the rein steady I made sure all of my body supported what I was looking for in his. It is really easy as riders to get so intuned to what we want from the horse that we then forget ourselves completely. I focused most of my energy on keeping my eyes up and forward, breathing deeply and calmly, keeping my toes pointed upwards (helps relieve other areas of tension that can be held in the legs and settles your seat for better balance), and my hands correct with thumbs pointing up (tension can also show up in the hands if you tend to curl at the wrists or turn the fingers down).

We circled about the arena just focusing on these small features, when I felt for a moment that he may be maintaining the proper bend for a few strides I would test it simply by applying a small indirect rein to see if he would transition smoothly from a direct to indirect rein (moving towards the rein then moving away from the rein into a demi-leg yield). Sometimes he would, other times he wouldn’t. When he transitioned smoothly and proved the correct bend I would give him the reins and allow a lap or two of free walk. This gave us the opportunity to practice moving from slack reins to holding them, an action that proved or disproved remaining tension in this horse.

What happened is interesting, because in just the first ride his mouth quieted. He went from knawing at the bit to a completely quiet yet soft mouth. There was moisture on his lips but no foam, no oversalivation. His gait was calm and forward when we ended, and he was moving through his bend in both directions.

Straightness? No, but straightness comes only after you have developed the horse’s suppleness to each bend, so we are on the road to success!

The next ride was the same and the one afterwards. There were differences in both sides as far as what he would attempt to offer as incorrect bend or how he would try to straighten the bend. To the right he simply tried to straighten the bend or move against the rein, often poking his nose up and outwards in an attempt to evade that way. To the left, however, he would fall into the inside rein with his shoulder, come behind the bit, give a false head set, do a lot of head tilting, etc.

Yesterday’s ride I introduced some trot work applying this same principle. He came to the work undersaddle brilliantly in the walk right away, very forward, calm and relaxed. He was immediately responsive to both direct and indirect rein aids as well as half halt. He was ‘on point’ so to speak. At the trot he was tense immediately. What I did here was instead of setting forward on a slack line as I had done at the walk previously, was to begin bringing him to the bend right away. His tension was so great and only built on a slack line while he trotted around bent in the opposite direction of travel, strung out and hollow backed. We worked a few times on both sides coming to the bend, to which it didn’t take him very long. His right side took more time than the left this time. After he would come to the bend on each side I brought him back to walk, reestablished calm and forward at the walk before asking for the trot work again.

Why put so much effort into something so small? The brilliance of this is that once the horse is calm and forward, on the correct bend, and the rider has achieved an educated seat that allows their aids to be acted upon independently, the horse simply does the action requested, it becomes a real dance without force. Lightness isn’t something that is achieved, it simply exists when all of these things are present and the horse works without tension. It is when there is tension in the horse that we have to rely upon force and heavy aids to inspire them.

What can be said about one of the most prized elements of a well trained horse, that of a well-executed, light, balanced and beautifully collected piaffe? The stepping stone from basic gaits to airs above the ground, and while it is so sought after it also continues to be one movement that is considered difficult to train or ride well, and for many people simply a complete befuddlement over where to start.

Breaking It Down

What exactly is the piaffe? It has often been mistaken for or compared to the horse trotting in place. While this can give the lay-person a good visual, to those seeking to ride or train the piaffe it leaves much to be desired. The piaffe combines two elements – forward and half halt, in order to create a new movement borne out of the two. The forward gives the horse the trot steps in just the right dose, which is to be regular and even in timing, and without disruption in the diagonal steps (i.e. two beat changing to a four beat trot). The half halt provides the collection and lack of forward acceleration in the piaffe.

Both forward, and the half halt, are widely misunderstood and this in and of itself sets the stage for a degradation in the quality and ability to ride and train piaffe. Forward does not refer to the speed with which the horse is moving its legs or at which it covers ground. Forward can be used in reference to the horse’s tracking, but more specifically it is applied to the amount of energy that is being channeled into movement by the horse. A horse that is well forward, is not necessarily moving fast, and a fast horse is not necessarily moving forward correctly.

On the flip side of the coin is the half halt. Often given a measure of mysticism in the employ, and exact outcome of this all-important aid, the half halt sets the stage for channeling the energy given by the horse when he is moving forward correctly. The half halt, in summation, tells the horse to change his posture in such a way to give more weight-bearing on the haunches, elevate the base of the neck, bring the base of support (i.e. the legs) closer together, while increasing the height of the legs during motion. The half halt is not done as a means of blocking the energy of the hind legs and trapping it to increase the elevation of the horse, but rather in a motion so as to recycle the energy coming forwards, upwards and to the haunches.

Forced vs Relaxed

We can work and work and work for the piaffe, and get the horse to make movements that resemble the piaffe from the outside. This is often what is done and promoted, not because it is the best, but because it is quick and seen as an efficient method of training the piaffe. It depends upon your goals and motivations. If you have placed a time limit on teaching the horse the piaffe, then this model might work best for you. If on the other hand you are striving for a correctly balanced, even, light and relaxed piaffe, you will want to let go of time constraints.

The piaffe does not take long to train, in fact it can take no time at all. Why I say this, is because the piaffe is a natural progression in the horse’s training. As he is developed physically, emotionally and mentally in a conscious manner that uses correct balancing of half halt and forward, the piaffe will come along on its own course without ‘special’ training sessions. The piaffe requires the use of muscles that take a greater time to develop, such as the loin. It also requires suppleness in the hindquarters to enable the horse to flex the hind legs, reduce the area of support by the legs (bringing them closer together), and carrying a larger weight on the hind legs.

Finding Balance

The half halt does nothing without forward energy. Forward energy can be culminated into nothing but just that without the help of the half halt. One without the other is simply that element on its own. The piaffe is not directly in the center of these two elements however. What lies between them is halt, a beautifully collected and balanced halt. When you have two equally opposing forces against one another they both cancel themselves out and create zero. That is the balance point. Because half halt can create the reinback, it is the opposing ‘force’ in comparison with forward energy.

The piaffe therefore has a greater amount of forward energy in the equation than half halt. We want the horse to move forwards in his progression, while emphasizing the upwards rather than straight ahead.

A Starting Point

In the basic schooling of the horse, we begin with teaching forward which can be done with focus on the correct tracking on the lunge, as well as the horse moving energetically forward under saddle. The half halt is used to re-balance the horse momentarily – which will frequently inspire the loss of forward, so we ask for half halt and then reignite the forward energy. This can be done as needed, when the horse falls out of balance, and it can also be graduated to a set pattern. For example, half halts on the short side of the arena or for so many strides to encourage a shortening of the stride and lifting at the base of the neck while maintaining the same rhythm of the gait; followed by an increase in forward energy on the long side of the arena or for a certain number of strides. We want to skirt the extreme opposites of the gait – from the slowest we can get while maintaining rhythm and gait, to the fastest we can get while maintaining rhythm and gait. If the horse breaks gait we want to either add forward energy or use the half halt.

So we practice this at the walk, trot and canter. It builds a sliding scale between the two opposites of half halt and forward energy. Where we run into problems with the piaffe is when we lack a sliding scale, or a sufficient sliding scale. If we have too little room to play with forward or half halt we will likewise find it hard to refine the balance or energy of the horse in the piaffe.

Overview

Start your horse on the lunge with work to develop the half halt and forward. Monitor his tracking to observe whether he has balance both laterally and longitudinally. From there, begin playing with increasing and adjusting the forward energy through the half halt. Shortening the gait with the half halt while maintaining its integrity, then lengthening or increasing the forward energy. Use the walls of the arena or pen you are working in to help with either the half halt or when increasing the forward energy.

Next, under saddle, carry over the work you’ve done on the lunge line. Short wall is for shortening, long wall is for lengthening. Remember that shortening does not mean that the horse’s steps are slower, just shorter. They should maintain the same rhythm as the lengthened gait, and of the working or ‘medium’ gait.

As the horse builds strength, balance, coordination, and work with lateral movements are developed, the piaffe will begin to make itself into a reality. The shortening will become more heightened with less forward advancement. The lengthening will have more power behind it and begin to develop into the medium and extended gaits. And, between the piaffe and the lengthened trot you will find the passage. Voila!

While at the Midwest Horse Fair this weekend in Madison, Wisconsin, I was asked about correcting a gaited horse who would no longer gait. My first horse was a Paso Fino, and over the years I’ve played with a variety of gaited horses. To me, they are intriguing and fun, playful and energetic, and at the same token widely misunderstood in developing the gait. I was happy to offer to play with the mare, rarely wanting to pass up the opportunity to learn something from the horse itself.

I want to reflect that, it wasn’t the gait which was at fault. The mare was perfectly capable of gaiting, given the right conditions. This is normally the case, and it is then left up to us as the rider to know how to enable the right conditions for that gait to not only occur but to flourish.

This particular mare, from the get go, lacked any understanding of proper bend, or a sense of any elevation at the base of the neck from the inquiry of the reins. I messed with her in her stall for a short time before heading out to the arena. In the arena I worked her in hand for some time, setting up the foundation for elevation at the base of the neck, and establishing a sense of bend. She lacked forward quite severely, and with every change in her mental attention followed a slowing or stopping of her feet. Bend cannot follow in a horse whose energy is not correctly forward. Why I refer to it as energy rather than feet moving forward, because a horse whose energy is aligned with forward can maintain the proper bend while at the halt or backing, whereas a horse whose energy is not aligned with forward will not maintain the proper bend while moving briskly at any gait.

Touch is an intimate thing, and somewhere in the course of this mare’s training, she had learned to accept touch like an annoying friend – enjoyed only when her ‘sweet spots’ were being scratched, and otherwise ignored unless aggravated enough to push the friend away. Establishing touch with a horse like this is a process not won immediately, it takes time, but more importantly it takes focus on your own actions, energy and mental focus. It is easy to get distracted with the inconsistent movements of the head, but if the mind can be focused on something consistent, your actions will follow and so will the horse.

I worked with the mare on basic bending, elevation, half halt. Worked on developing a pattern of rhythm, like dancing, like dancing with someone who has two left feet and is slightly inebriated… haha. On her back, I began by explaining to my human companions what I like to do at the beginning of every ride, before I ever ask for a single step forward from the horse. I establish the half halt and the bend, which can result in a step or two backwards, naturally occurring from a correct half halt. From there, I have set the foundation for engagement in the first steps of walk under saddle.

It can be easy to get the horse to lift their head, to make the ‘appearance’ of the first step of half halt, but it isn’t so much the elevation of the head, as the elevation of the base of the neck. That proves the connection of the whole body. How this happens is that the lifting of the base of the neck will inspire flexion of the cervical vertebrae, directly translating to the thoracic, and creating space for the flexion of the horse’s pelvis – leading to a narrowing of the base of support by bring the hind legs closer to the front – collection.

First steps of walk with this mare were slow, needing much more forward. So we worked on forward, establishing and maintaining the bend, and half halting where necessary. She began to carry herself more freely, her gait relaxed and her stride lengthened. She also calmed considerably from the first minutes in the arena which were met with her nervousness and distraction at all the surroundings.

Overall, her gait was not an issue, but rather the necessary communication needed to ask for that gait. And in summarizing, forward, bend, half halt, forward, bend, half halt. Three necessary ingredients..

I’ve written about the importance of bend in previous posts, but I would like to once again emphasize its use, as well as expand upon and explore the benefits of correct bend further.

The bend that I am referring to in the horse, is the from nose to tail. It encompasses the whole of the horse’s body and as a result it connects him into a single unit, allowing all of the parts to work in harmony and in balance. This also supports the development of collection and increases the efficiency and efficacy of subtle aids.

Naturally, the horse will have a stronger side, just as we do. This can complement or contradict the rider’s own preferences, but either way the horse needs to be strengthened on one side and suppled on the other. He will naturally stretch and allow the bend to one direction, and naturally contract to the other. The contracted side will carry the bend with ease, while the stretched side will struggle to balance out the strength of it’s opposite.

Largely, the way in which bend is established is through force. To understand how best to approach strengthening and stretching however, we must first look at the ‘mechanics’ of muscles. Like anything of a biological nature, when force is applied, it will be met with resistance. Secondly, less is often more. In order to encourage the contracted muscles to relax and allow the weak side to take the bend, we must induce relaxation. We cannot tell the horse to relax, and even if we could it often creates the opposite in people. Most often we are tense without being conscious of that tension, and relaxation cannot be forced, it can only be allowed. We must gain the horse’s mental trust, before the physical can change. Just as we would struggle to induce relaxation in a person who is mistrustful of us, the horse is no different.

This is where the quality of our touch comes in. Using touch to influence the horse is much like learning to master a fine musical instrument. There are plenty of people who are good, lots of people who are awful, and very few who have honed it to an art. How we take this touch to art, is with lots of reflection, consciousness, and listening. The horse will naturally begin to relax when we listen with our whole being in his presence, half of the task has already been accomplished at that point.

Let’s look more at what a correct bend supports and strengthens…

A largely popular, and perhaps even more greatly misunderstood, topic is that of the half halt. The action to produce the half halt is very simple in and of itself, but without the proper positioning of the horse (the bend), the half halt’s effectiveness relies solely on the horse’s mental decision and good graces. While our goal is to have the horse functioning off of his mental training, in the process of establishing that training it is helpful to know how to physically enable the horse to move properly. The bend plays an important role here. From head to tail, the horse’s bend connects the front to the back and allows the half halt to be used in such a subtle manner that it *is* imperceptible to any onlookers. It becomes an intention on the part of the rider without conscious physical effort.

Bend also supports more precise directional control. It enables us to switch smoothly between lateral movements, shifting the weight from one leg to the next, to change from a turn on the haunches to a turn on the forehand seamlessly. We can pick where the horse puts his feet, leading to the next benefit.

Gait transitions. With the bend working to connect the front with the back, we gain balanced and smooth gait transitions up and down. We are also able to rebalance the horse where necessary without complicated and complex figures or exercises.

All in all, bend is vital to the advanced training of the horse. Even while working the basics, encouraging the correct bend creates a positive foundation for the horse to build upon. And with that, a closing tip when working on the bend. Make certain that your outside rein is soft, the horse cannot relax into the bend if the outside rein is taught…

The importance of the half halt is considered bar-none to correct riding, however I think little is emphasized in the use of lateral suppling and it’s effect on the half halt. In my observations of riding, the presence of lateral suppleness maximizes the use of the half halt, while minimizing the pressure needed in the action of the aid. The horse’s balance is easier to influence and mold to our liking. Lateral movements find ease and fluidity.

Lateral suppleness is not gotten with gadgets and gimmicks.. or I should say “correct” lateral suppleness. When we use tools of force and leverage we lose the horse’s mind – which is the most important element. It takes instead, soft hands, consistent and smooth actions, and above all else, a conscious mind.

I’ve rekindled my need for physical activity. Still cold, still snowy after a new accumulation of 19+ inches just this week alone. I’ve got a bit of cabin fever, combined with watching videos of my old teacher talking about seat training… pushes me out the door. Scout, my love, was quite anxious to be brought into the barn today, perhaps because he enjoyed our last ride all that much, or maybe it is the vitamins he gets after workouts. Either way I am happy to oblige him as he waits at the gate eagerly.

I wanted mostly a light workout for Scout today, considering the predicted drop in temps for the evening combined with a strong wind chill factor, I wanted to avoid any sweating if possible. Keeping this in mind, I had no problem devoting much of the energy to my own development. A light warm-up with walking laps around the arena in hand. Forward, forward, forward.

Once in the saddle we proceeded to resume the laps about the arena, encouraging forward. Combing the reins to encourage him to stretch down into them, take some contact. I played around with the various seat exercises, pretending in my mind that someone else was calling them out in quick succession, trying to separate my mind from the actions. Take the thinking out of it and let it become a simple reaction.

We played at the walk and trot with the seat exercises, then moved back to the walk with more combing the reins. I then moved back and forth between elevating his posture with light half halts and stretching his posture down and forwards with combing the reins. Following that we did circles about the arena of varying sizes, forward, forward, forward, letting the quality of the circle be the tell-tale of the correctness of his tracking.

A very enjoyable ride, very cold by the end, but so rewarding. I will be certainly happy when the spring breaks through and I can justify spending 9+ hours in the barn alone.

Scout’s overall improvement from yesterday to today has been very noticeable. We are looking for forward, forward, forward. A familiar sentiment from my work with Andie… We are getting more energy, more involvement, more mental connection. We had less forward in leading today from yesterday, the temperature difference was noticeable and the horses were soaked today, so understandably he was more stiff during the warm-up. Less distraction towards the arena mirrors.

Moving to lunging, I had a real half halt today! Once I had to strongly give a half halt for the entire lunging session, the rest were very subtle, he was connected, he was present with me. We have been working in the corner much, to encourage more forward while having the support from the rail to assist with balance when giving the half halt as he is still learning it on the lunge. His posture was beautiful! We worked through the walk until he was giving consistency. He is balanced between the left and right as well as his lateral balance, now to continue developing the suppleness that will give the proper tracking up, he is still short though much improved from where we started. His hind hooves step into the hoof print of his fronts, when we started he was a good hoof print behind his front hooves.

The trot work we moved between slowing with the half halt until he was on the verge of walking, and then increasing the stride until he was tracking up at the trot, and again slowing. Going back and forth to both extremes, I then asked for a canter departure from the slowed trot. His canter is still unbalanced, but he is consistently picking up the correct lead. Baby steps. Considering even the attempt of a canter depart was not so long ago a train wreck, let alone the correct lead. It is now balance which is the final issue since he is understanding better that canter is not something to panic about being asked for.

Lovely, lovely..

Part II : Direct & Indirect Rein

In the first part of this article, we covered the Rules of the Aids, along with introducing and describing the Half Halt and Reverse Half Halt. We now continue on, in a very logical way, to discuss the Direct and Indirect Rein. These two aids are the means of directing, guiding and helping to shape the horse.

Direct Rein

The simplest and most straightforward rein aid, is appropriately termed a Direct Rein (now on referred to as DR). Also commonly referred to as an opening rein, plow rein, inside rein, or considered to be the common means of rein control in English disciplines. The DR is commonly used to “open” to the side you want the horse to turn to, and a certain amount of traction or pull applied.

The DR is capable of greater refinement, and specific control than it has been given credit for. Let’s first go over some of the key points of the DR.

• Weight Distribution: The DR puts the weight on the inside front limb.
• Bend: The horse is bent in the direction of travel – bend left, travel left.
• Exclusive Movement: Turn on the forehand.

In the illustration to the left we see a basic model of a horse viewed from above. This is assuming we are using a right DR. The red X marks where the majority of the weight will be placed, the right foreleg. This is the leg that the horse will pivot around. What this also means is that by using a DR, we are placing the horse on the forehand.

The red line directing us towards the left, is indicative of the direction that the haunches will swing in the motion. This action is what disconnects the horse’s direction (the forehand) from the driving force or energy (the haunches). The DR disconnects these two elements, making it difficult if not impossible for the horse to propel himself forward into the direction of travel with full power. For example, in a wide turn using the DR, the horse will have a considerable amount of force in propelling himself forward. In a tight turn or pivot on the forehand, that energy will propel the horse’s haunches sideways.

Finally, the blue arrow directed towards the horse’s right hind leg is indicative of the direction of the rein’s action. When using the reins, you have the option of moving forward, backward, up, down, left and right. The arrow represents backward, in a parallel line to the horse’s body when straight.

Indirect Rein

The second means of direction at your hands, is the Indirect Rein (now on referred to as IR). This rein is similar in action to a neck rein, although the IR follows different rules than a neck rein.

• Weight Distribution: The IR puts the weight on the outside hind limb.
• Bend: The horse is bent in the opposite direction of travel – bend left, travel right.
• Exclusive Movement: Turn on the haunches.

In the illustration to the left we see again a basic model of a horse viewed from above. We are basing the picture on the assumption that we are using a right IR. The red X marks where the weight of the horse is being supported, the limb that the body will pivot around. This time, it is the opposite hind leg, both from the rein we are using, and from the DR’s weight placement.

The red arrow points to the direction that the forehand travels, around the pivoting hind limb. The motion of the forehand, unlike the DR, aligns the forehand with the haunches (direction and propulsion). This makes the IR ideal to help set the horse up for movements that require lots of propulsion straight forward (i.e. canter departs, extended or collected gaits, etc).

The blue arrow is the direction of the rein action when using the IR. As before, we have the options of moving the rein forward, backward, up, down, left and right. Our action is in a diagonal fashion – left and backward, in alignment with the leg that will be weight bearing, the left hind leg.

How both of these rein aids interact with each other is simple and complex. They have the capability to be used alone, or together. They can also be used in conjunction with the HH and RHH. Any of these combinations will create certain movements from the horse, and it is the refinement of balancing between the rein aids that is the core of riding skill.

Dissecting Movements

Exactly how are movements created using the rein aids that we’ve already discussed? Let’s try to approach the movements of the horse critically.

First we should define exactly what it is we are looking for, and why. Every idea must have reason behind it. What are “movements” and why are they important? Taken down to it’s most basic purpose, any act of riding or training is in some way to define, direct, teach and be able to recall a movement, or series of movements, with a specific aid or cue. Why do we spend such a large portion of our time with horses, working towards influencing, controlling, or directing the walk, trot, canter, and gallop?

• Usefulness: Horses were not always used primarily for pleasure or hobby. Their employ started to lighten our work load, and increasing theirs. The ability to specifically control how the horse moved was an important way to make sure the work was done in a quick, efficient manner, and with less risk of injury to horse or human. Imagine trying to direct a 6-horse coach without the ability to speed up or slow down in a turn…
• Physical Conditioning: Now that horses are used in competitions, and are considered to be athletes along with their counterparts, the importance of muscle health is number one. Unlike their counterparts, horses cannot be told to “do 50 push-ups”, so it is by positioning the horse to use his body in a certain way that conditions him. Just as a person can lift a heavy weight by bending at the back, they can be more efficient, lift more weight and do less physical damage by lifting with their legs and keeping the back relatively straight.
• A Better Ride: Like a graceful ballet dancer, a strong horse whose movements have been refined through physical conditioning will move more beautifully. What this means to us as riders, is that the horse is also more enjoyable to ride. Their gaits become smoother to ride because the motion is consistent rather than erratic, the turns and maneuvers are balanced and elegant.

So, knowing the purpose to pursuing the development and refinement of various movements in the horse, lets dig deeper.

Movements can be divided up into different groups, based on how they change the way the horse uses himself, and also the direction of travel.

Straight-Forward

• Walk, Trot, Canter, Gallop
• Lengthened or Shortened Walk, Trot, Canter
• Extended or Collected Walk, Trot, Canter
• Piaffe, Passage, Terre Terre

Lateral (at any pace)

• Leg Yield
• Shoulder In
• Half Pass
• Full Pass or Side Pass

Standing

• Any of the Airs including Levade and Courbette

This is a very basic, and incomplete list of how the various movements could be divided up. There are certain movements that could fall into several categories as well – the Terre Terre being one of them. It qualifies as a straight forward movement, however can also be considered as an Air because of it’s rearing and leaping motion.

Primarily it is the HH that directs and controls the straightforward movements, and most certainly the standing movements. It is because elevation is the key to straightness, when the horse’s neck reaches a certain amount of elevation, which is specific to the individual horse, it makes it impossible for the horse to also have any significant amount of bend through the spine. Elevation fixes a crooked horse. Elevation also kills the forward energy, so it is vital that both are balanced. Teaching a horse to respond to the HH with a light rein, will enable the rider to be more subtle in asking for elevation to straighten the horse’s spine, and also allow them to balance between increasing elevation and losing impulsion.

The Indirect and Direct rein aids will control the lateral movements, but you cannot forget the HH either. The HH plays a secondary role in the lateral movements. Without the HH, it is easy for the horse to move to quickly in the movements, and lose the physical benefit, and also be less precise in the movement. Since the HH controls elevation too, any increase in elevation increases the amount of sideways movement you get. With maximum elevation, you kill all the forward energy of the horse. When you then add energy through either the whip or the legs, you get straight sideways movement.

The lateral movements also require a balancing act between the Direct and Indirect rein, too much of one or the other in a specific movement can change it completely. For example, in the shoulder in, your primary rein is going to be an indirect rein, however too much indirect rein will turn your shoulder in, into a turn on the haunches.

Part I; Introduction, Half Halt & Reverse Half Halt

I should think that the best place to begin with describing the aids we use to influence the horse, is to first find the exact meaning of aid. By Definition:

Aid: noun (plural aids)

1. Help, succor, assistance, relief.
2. The person who promotes or helps in something being done; a helper; an assistant
3. Something which helps; a material source of help.
4. An aid-de-camp, so called by abbreviation; as, a general’s aid.
5. Aid: verb (aids, aiding, aided)
6. (transitive) To support; to give support to; to further the progress of; to help; to assist.

The etymology of the word Aid is from Old French – Aide, from Latin adjuvare, “to assist.”

Perhaps the first point to make on the definition of aid, is that in no way does the meaning ever describe it as a means of control. The aids that the rider uses, are meant not as a way to force, coerce or otherwise take away the will, freedom or direction of the horse, the aids are there to help support the horse in his own natural abilities, if you will. There is a fine line between force and guide when working with the aids, our goal is to guide the horse, redirect his own forces, not contain them. It is with keeping this in mind, that our refinement and perfection of the aids will develop more freely.

Rule of the Aids

There is a certain amount of predictability in the aids, once we come to understand their function. Along with a predictability of the aids, there are also predictable patterns in the horse as to how they interact and react to the aids. Before setting out to practice and discover these rules one on one with your horse, I would like to cover a few rules that should be followed in the use of the aids.

• Never Pull : horses instinctively move into pressure, when you pull, it incites the horse to respond by pulling back. With time and practice you can train the horse to respond to pulling by giving into the pressure, this reaction however is not a natural one. Not only is yielding to pulling an unnatural reaction to the horse, every time you use the force of pulling to control or direct the horse, you are showing him exactly how much (or how little) strength you have. Once a horse learns he is stronger than you, he will always win the pulling fight. In addition, horses come to resent the action of pulling. The horse / human relationship has turned into a dictatorship.
• Never Force : what is forcing? Forcing is what it takes to go beyond the touch barrier. You can come to touch with your hand, leg, etc, but once you go beyond the touch and begin pulling or pushing, you are forcing. There is no use in forcing a horse, physically changing his physical shape, by overuse of the aids. If the horse is so unresponsive to the aids, work needs to be done to create more sensitivity to light aids, rather than using a greater amount of force.
• As Little As Possible, As Much As Necessary : What this means is that you work to do as little as possible, keeping your aids infinitely light. However, on the same end you do as much as is necessary in that situation. For example, working at home in your arena, using the lightest touch (or non-touch, which will be explained later) at all times whether you get the desired response or not may be acceptable, whereas in a situation that could be dangerous for you and the horse, using a firmer touch to ensure the desired result may be needed to maintain safety. This is not to say that you do not strive for using the lightest touch possible under all circumstances, but that there may be times when the lightest touch is not appropriate.
• Horses Are All Perfect : Every horse knows how to be a horse, more so than we can ever know, being humans. If an aid you are using consistently fails to bring about the desired result on the horses you are riding, change it. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing repeatedly, while expecting different results. Aids are meant to guide and support the actions of the horse.
• Singular Aids : The use of the aids should never be so complex as to confuse the rider and horse. If you are using more than two aids at any one time, it is too much. While horses are capable of learning complex combinations of aids, how many get confused in the process? If it cannot be done with a single aid, the horse is not ready to perform it.
• No Contradictions : The aids must never contradict each other, with exception to the Combined Halt. The reins never oppose one another, creating conflict and blocks. The reins and legs are never used against each other (i.e. increasing speed with the legs while asking for slowing with the reins). This applies laterally, diagonally and bilaterally.

The list of Rules may seem lengthy, but as you begin working they will make more sense to you. Questions will be answered by these rules, and will help form new questions, which leads to greater understanding and knowledge of the aids.

Resistance

There are times when a horse will resist the aids. There are three ways a horse can resist the rider; through weight, physical force and mental resistance. The first two resistances (weight, force) are simple to overcome. The resistance of the mind is the resistance that there is no set solution. Time, building trust and a relationship are the means to break down this resistance, and is not a topic to be discussed in conjunction with the use of the aids. Resistances of weight and force are the common means that a horse will passively (or not so passively) protest the rider’s efforts.

• Resistance of Weight – the horse uses his positioning of weight to resist.
• Resistance of Force – the horse resists by the contraction of muscles.

Resistance of weight is commonly associated with horses who are young and unbalanced. It is easy for them to misplace their weight to the forehand or off to one side or the other. The solution for resistances of weight is by the application of the Half Halt. The Half Halt changes the posture of the horse, which in turn re-balances the weight of his body onto the haunches, allowing the horse to move with greater precision.

Resistance of force is associated with horses who have learned to pull against the rider’s pull. Both types of resistance often elicit a response from the rider to attempt to pull the horse into the position that they desire, which only completes the cycle of resistance. Resistance of force can only be solved through Vibrations. The use of vibration through the reins is based on the principle that to release muscle tension you have to create a non-static, non-invasive energy to the source of resistance. In other words, think of vibration in the way of massage. You do not dent the horse, you do not pry or attempt to force relaxation. Simply put, you are creating an environment that over time the horse cannot resist through force.

Vibrations can be done through the fingers, the wrist or the whole arm. The preferred method is through the wrist, because the action becomes left to right with the wrist, there is no backward action, whereas with the fingers you create an opening and closing, that inevitably creates a forward/backward motion. The use of the whole arm in vibrations may be needed for large vibrations, but for general use lacks precision and tact.

Half Halt solves the problem of weight resistance. If the horse fails to respond to the Half Halt, the resistance of weight has changed to a resistance of force, which requires the use of Vibrations. Once Vibrations have solved the resistance of force, you can once again employ the Half Halt to solve the resistance of weight.

Rein Aids

The use of the reins will be described first, since not only does the horse’s mouth come first, but the major ability to direct and guide the horse comes from the use of the reins. Learning how to properly use the reins in a tactful manner is the most difficult lessons to learn, it is no wonder that so many riders teach and have been taught to use their legs in the majority of influence over the direction of the horse. The legs not only require less tact, but are less capable of acting with the measure of precision that an educated hand is. The key phrase here is educated hand, the beginner hand often lacks more precision than a beginner’s legs. It is for this reason then that the use of the hands should be practiced so much, considering that we as humans have a nature to do everything with our hands, why then do we so often consider the primary use of the hands to be evil or uneducated?

The Half Halt

The ever mysterious Half Halt (from now on referred to as HH). I still recall my first instructors describing it to me as being “something that involves your hands, legs, seat and weight” of which it was assumed the magical combination of these four things would yield the desired result of making your horse pause momentarily to regroup and rebalance himself. When I thought I was getting the correct response, it was still shrouded in mystery because I didn’t know what I was looking for, or at. The HH is something that nearly everyone in the horse world has heard about, if not discussed or practiced. Despite the well known use of the HH in riding and training, it is still an aid that at times seems impossible to acquire with consistency.

The function of the HH is indeed to rebalance the horse, but how it does this is not through means of magic. Rather the HH causes the horse to change his posture, in turn affecting how he carries himself – putting the weight on the haunches and taking it off the forehand. The very posture of the horse dictates how and where he will move at any given moment, therefore posture is everything in the way of directing and guiding the horse.

Without using force, how are we to change the posture of the horse? Is it by a specific combination of aids – leg, seat, hand & weight? Perhaps the real question to ask, is how do we perform the HH when we are not seated upon the horse?

The exact actions the HH inspires in the horse are as follows:

In Order of Occurrence:

• Elevation: The horse’s head will elevate to some measure, by a little or by a lot. There is no change in pace.
• Slowing: Following the elevation of the horse’s head, a continuation of the HH will produce a slowing of the pace. This slowing may produce a transition downward, say from canter to trot or trot to walk, or simply a change in the length of stride at any given gait.
• Halt: The horse will halt and stand.
• Rein Back: Continued application of the HH from the halt will produce rearward motion.

Often when the rider is first applying the HH and expecting the horse to halt, they get only the first stage of HH, elevation, which causes the rider to become concerned because not only did the horse not slow or halt, but elevated it’s head instead. Elevation is not a form of evasion when the HH is being applied. Often the actions of elevation will be very apparent when the horse is first being taught HH, or the rider is first learning how to HH, but as both parties become more refined the actions are smaller and truly become invisible. The need for a large amount of elevation to change the posture of the horse diminishes, because the horse carries more weight on the haunches during the ride as a result of continual posture alignment through the HH. Just as a human will slouch, over time practicing sitting straight, the changes to sitting even straighter become less and less because you are closer to the perfect posture for balance.

If the horse gives you a halt when you HH, and all you wanted was elevation or a slowing of the gait, you are using too much hand. Remember, use as little as possible, as much as necessary. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the horse may chose to resist the HH through force, of which must be addressed by Vibrations (as discussed earlier) before the HH.

The HH can be employed through a single rein or both reins together. The preferred method is to use a single rein – keeping with separating the aids and keeping them as simple as possible for the horse to understand.

Reverse Half Halt

A “by-product” of the HH, is the Reverse Half Halt (from now on referred to as RHH). The theory of the RHH is that you can create impulsion and forward energy through the reins. A RHH the opposite of a HH. The RHH, unlike the other rein aids, is not one of any natural reaction from the horse, necessarily. It is an aid that is first taught from the ground, where you have the physical ability to bring the horse forward using the reins. While mounted, we lose that ability, being as we do not ride with wooden reins and cannot physically push the horse forward with the reins. It is a conditioned response that you transfer from the ground to under saddle, supported by the action of the whip or legs, which lessens until the impulsion is created solely through the reins by the RHH.

What purpose does the RHH have in riding? If a rider has the ability to use his legs, and whip, why then should you have to create a third method for impulsion? An answer to this question lies in the ability to be very precise with our hands. It is said that our hands are so sensitive, that a trained hand can learn to identify a temperature change of as little as ½ degree F. It would seem then that the ability to create so specific an amount of increased impulsion at any given moment during a ride would lead to precision that is unheard of.

The RHH has a secondary purpose besides merely creating forward energy, the RHH is a useful tool in lateral work, where you need to create more energy in one direction over the other. The opening hand, now uses the RHH to produce enthusiastic movement in the desired direction, without over using the legs or whip.