Today marked our first venture into the riding arena to both groom and work. A place where he is unable to see his herdmates, is unfamiliar with his surroundings, and has previously felt and expressed panic. I kept in mind all of these things in the way I approached the day.

Oh, but before I forget! I wandered out to the way back pasture in an attempt to find the stray ponies and catch Aligarh – they spotted me and continued to stare as I marched closer and closer. I was expecting them to stay at the furthest point away from the gate and wait for me to walk all the way there, and then I was surprised. Aligarh decided instead to pick up a brisk trot and come flying straight towards me, making a slight deviation to come around the side of me, slowed once he got past me to turn and proceeded to walk straight to me to be haltered. Nothing quite makes me smile so brightly as to have my horse excited to see me and make an effort to be involved.

He was easy about walking in the arena even with the others in the pasture lagging behind and leaving him. Instead of putting him in cross-ties I straight tied him and proceeded to groom him that way. He stood quietly just taking everything in, enjoying the grooming. His habit of being heavy about picking up his feet is starting to fade as he anticipated what I wanted and offered his feet to me today. I bridled him easily and off we wandered.

Our last work had been in-hand with some head elevation, half-halts, lowering the head and “flexions” to the left and right. Today it was back to the basic – forward. I cannot have him calm and relaxed in the arena away from his herd mates if he isn’t moving forwards with all his effort so that is where we start. Took a few laps before he began to get the idea and fall back into the habit, but it came pretty rapidly as it ought to over time. His head began to lower and sway softly rather than being high and stiff. He marched along and as soon as he relaxed his head and neck for half a lap I asked him to stop with a half-halt and my voice – immediate response with complete lightness, elevation of the base of the neck and a nice square alignment of his hooves.

Rinse and repeat on both sides. Before changing sides I asked him to elevate his head and neck while standing in front of him – as we had practiced last time – and then lower his nose to the ground immediately following.

In the end as I was removing his bridle his best bud began calling to him from the pasture and he naturally became distracted. I simply asked him to take a step back, bring his head back in my direction, lower it slightly and open his mouth so I could finish taking his bridle off. He was already relaxing again as I slipped his halter over his nose and once again tethered him to the grooming area. Brushed him down and he was calm as a cucumber – great night for a snack reward.

I don’t mind that he is a horse apt to being disrupted by his herd mates. Why? Because it shows me that he attaches strongly to those that he trusts and feels close to. The key to making this relationship work is to develop that kind of trust and closeness with him and make him feel herd-bound to ME. Once that is achieved there is no question about whether I have his complete and undivided attention.

So, bridle on, adjusted… can tell it has been a while since I’ve used this bridle as it somehow got assembled wrong. Fixed that, now back to the putting the bridle on and making sure it fits him. He takes the bit no problem and then proceeds to perform the obligatory mouthing until there is a nice stream of green saliva pouring out and onto my arms – lovely, nothing like some decoration!

I’d rather have him mouthing the bit than locking his jaw shut tight around it…

I’m not after an endless string of neck flexions, just an intro to the basics of how the bit communicates. Starting with head elevation – elevation from the BASE of the neck. Elevate, then lower the head to the ground, rinse and repeat.

Then add in walking. Walk, halt with a half-halt on the reins, elevate the base of the neck, lower the head to the ground, walk forwards again asking with a reverse half-halt on the reins. Wandering to both the left and the right directions.

Then adding in a few steps of backing up following the elevation of the neck, step forwards, elevate the neck, back up, walk forwards.

Then to each side. On the left side the right rein runs up the side of the bridle and over the poll back to my right hand. Left hand holds the left rein and makes contact and waiting for him to soften to the left and eventually turn his neck to a soft bend. Once he does the contact is released and much praise is made. Reverse and repeat to the right side…

He is responding quickly, perhaps more than I expected initially? He is very eager to be brought from the pasture and just in general is bonding quickly. In hindsight knowing his tendency to become herd-bound this should come as no surprise that he would become quickly and strongly attached to a person as well. He now comes up from the back of the pasture, solo, just to say hi to me.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this changes his work on the longe line, and how rapidly.

It is easy to fall into this habit of niceties with the horse. He does something well and so we praise and praise him and give him endless breaks because we do not wish to stress him or want to emphasize the fact that he did what we wanted. I have seen this mostly prevalent with riders who are more shy or lack the confidence in what they are doing with their horse. Perhaps the horse refused a request of theirs or flat out evaded in a way that frightened the rider and now they deal with him with kid gloves.

When a person envisions a business transaction however, it is devoid of this wishy-washy feeling between the parties. Both present the details of what they want to have accomplished and what will be the agreed upon price or outcome. Emotions are left outside of the board room.

This was a theme I was reminded of with Aligarh today, only our second session together. I realize the value in rewarding him and letting him know that what he has done is exactly what I asked for. At the same time there is only so much value in drawing out these rewards into lengthy transactions. Does he know he is being worked unless I make such a show of the reward that the contrast is striking and obvious? I want him to feel the work is fun and enjoyable and so the reward is rolled into that rather than completely separate.

Already he traveled more straight on the lunge without kicking his hindquarters to the outside laterally as much. He was also less resistant through his body and on the whole moved with more grace and relaxation than yesterday. This was evident as his tracking began to develop at the walk. When the horse first begins to step forward and march properly in the walk his whole body reflects it when it happens – the neck naturally drapes into a fluid arch and he reaches down and forwards. The back rolls and the hips no longer move in a stilted manner. The rib cage rolls from side to side as it ought to. The connection from the horse’s nose to your hand on the lunge line immediately softens into this wonderful buttery feeling.

Aligarh also felt comfortable enough to show some resistances. His friends in the pasture decided to wander out further away to graze and he was not having that. His attempts to throw a fit were met with unemotional responses on my part. He wants to be emotional and fight, and I refuse to get involved in the fight. What I do wish to become involved in however, is his attention which has been drawn away from me and put on the horses in the pasture.

He would come around the circle on the lunge and as he began traveling directly in their direction he would then try to bolt sideways, locking his neck and resisting the lunge line. I merely traveled with him and asking him to back – I want to regain straightness which has been completely lost. I cannot gain forward yet as he is not straight to travel forwards – I would merely incite energy which could result in running backwards, running further sideways or rearing. None of those are what I want, so instead I get steady steps of backwards movement at my request until he becomes straight. Then I ask him calmly forwards into a walk. When his straightness changes is again when he attempts to resist and move sideways so that is what I watch for – when he changes his straight travel I then ask again for the backing to bring him back to straight.

After a few minutes of this he calmed to a low simmer, changing his resistance to merely the neck. No longer attempting to travel sideways he locked his neck up and wished to walk or trot around the circle steadily leaning on the lunge line. How does one fix this, a common enough evasion that many horses present?

There are two things at issue – one is that he is on the forehand and the second is that he is attempting to change his bend. Rather than traveling with a natural bend in the direction he is going the bend has changed to the opposite. Walking to the right he is bent to the left or vice-versa. He has also put the majority of his weight onto the inside front leg. Solution – half halt. Elevation of the neck to the degree necessary that he changes the bend and moves the weight from that inside front leg back to a more balanced position. Once that is done he travels with the correct bend and no more leaning on the lunge line.

Even with the quirks he was so much fun to play with tonight. Those are expected and really the two he gave were very common. They have to be dealt with whether it is on the lunge or in the saddle and to be honest, I would rather correct them on the lunge first because that is the easy place to deal with them. We got some great tracking at the walk tonight, more relaxation and worked through some of his hesitations. His halt is fairly solid from the walk and surprisingly square, practiced changing directions and that will help immensely with bringing his attention back to me and off his pasture mates.

Aligarh is quite the lovely gelding, both in appearance and personality. Foaled in 2004, he is sired by the Dutch Warmblood stallion VDL Orame, who has been successfully competing on the international scene in Show Jumping. Aligarh’s dam is a Bashkir Curly mare of Native American bloodlines. Interestingly this combination has resulted in this stout, handsome horse with a bold personality.

There is always a story behind every horse, though I am at times loath to play to it because the horse generally cares little about that – it is instead us humans that like to get wrapped up in the details of their story. It gives us a scapegoat in the event of a problem arising that we are stumped by, we can blame it on some event in the horse’s past that would make him prone to behave in such a manner.

The important part of Aligarh’s story is that he is largely unhandled, and yet still tame. He is first one to the gate to say hello, unabashedly herd bound, catches, leads, loads, bathes. He likes being groomed and will stand to be hosed off loose in the pasture. His feet can be handled and trimmed with ease in the paddock, near his pasture mates, but taking him outside of his comfort zone quickly reveals the fact that he is as of yet untrained, only tamed. There is a big difference between the two.

His gaits are relatively flat, though not quite daisy-cutter. He still has a certain awkwardness when he canters about and reminds me of a yearling in that regard. Despite his flat movement, when he trots he has a very regal look to him. Heavy boned, thick through the body. To be honest there is a lot about him that delights me, far more than a horse who is a big fancy mover and perhaps causes people to gasp in admiration just with a single look to him standing still. Aligarh is not that horse. To me, however, I can see his diamond in the rough gleaming brightly. I enjoy seeing the change that inevitably comes from Classical work done properly. The horse’s posture develops and before you know it they transform from flat average movers to the most splendid thing you ever laid your eyes on.

Just where does a person start with training a 7 year old? I am unafraid of his age, a factor I feel is in my favor. He is mentally interested in interacting and physically there are no issues of whether he is mature enough or not. To me he is the perfect specimen – unspoiled at an early age now he just needs to be gently shaped. We begin on the lunge. He already knows how to be caught, led and groomed. Lunge cavesson is on and adjusted properly. From there it is still leading, bringing that forward energy along and encouraging him to feel comfortable leading the way. His position is with his shoulder even with me or slightly ahead and I give him the freedom in the lunge line he needs to take that position but nothing further without holding him.

Aligarh already gets this readily. The time spent leading throughout his life has mostly been with encouragement to take this position from both sides. Once he is steadily moving ahead in such a way I give him more distance and take the position of lunging him. I still walk with him because I want to encourage a larger circle – he is not physically developed and I do not wish to force him to a specific lunge circle. That will come with time.

Immediately my attention is on his feet, his tracking. This is the gauge I will follow during his time on the lunge for the rest of his training with me. The hooves do not lie and give away all the secrets of his balance, impulsion, straightness and intentions. At the walk he ideally will land with his hind hooves 6-8 inches ahead of his front hoof prints. Right now he landing directly in the front hoof prints or a few inches ahead. Laterally he is far from straight and his hind hooves land skewed to the outside of the circle going both directions.

At the trot he bobbles between over-tracking and under-tracking, and again continues with the lateral imbalance as his hind hooves are thrown to the outside of the circle. How does one achieve straightness on the lunge when it is the hind legs to the outside? The shoulders have to be addressed and utilized. Only by realigning the shoulders can you correct this on the lunge. Pulling the horse’s head into the circle will continue to push the hindquarters outside. The shoulders must be encouraged to move out on the circle. But how?

A great question… Half halts and the development of an indirect rein through the lunge. The half halt redistributes weight onto the hindquarters; effectively helping to “ground” them and allow freedom of the shoulders into the correct alignment. The indirect rein actually moves the shoulders while making the hindquarters the new pivot point.

I actually achieved a few strides periodically of this transition with Aligarh today. He offered it more freely traveling to the right than the left. You can immediately begin to see the development of the passage in doing this as well. Beudant wrote of the simplicity in first teaching the horse to passage and then piaffe, even before teaching him to canter. I have to agree.

Baucher and Comte d’Aure, who mastered the greatest equestrian difficulties, could doubtless have had their horses at the passage as quickly as they wished had not tradition, holding the passage to be the result of long and learned preparation, prohibited them from even dreaming of such procedure.

As a matter of fact, a passage is more readily taught an untrained horse than is a correct gallop-depart.

- Beudant (1931); Horse Training

I kept the work short, there is no use in tiring him out. A seven year old horse must be trained using his mind, not by wearing him down as is often done with 2 and 3 year olds. Besides, his mind is so much more interesting to interact with than his body to fight.

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.”

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!

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…

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 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.

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.