Can you perform the excercise of “Around the World” on your horse or pony? Before and after each lesson with kids, I ask them to do this simple trick to test their balance and agility. Here you see Jillian in the reverse postion, you simply flip your leg and turn four times around in the saddle until you are facing the front again. It is adviseable to try this on a safe quiet mount with someone at the bridle just in case the shift in balance upsets your horse.
Improve your riding skills regardless of what level or disicpline you ride. Test yourself eveyday to determine if you are riding with purpose or simply meandering around the arena or countryside. Take whatever excercise you are working on and experiment, slow it down, lengthen the stride, test your balance. Remember, practice makes perfect and it takes thousands of repetitions to change a bad habit.
Study a video of yourself riding and determine what you would like to improve. Almost without fail, relaxation and harmony are common goals. Clarify your weak points and develop a plan to improve them. It is vital to keep a training journal of your goals and progress.
Most importantly, be gentle with yourself. Riding does not ever improve with tension or temper. If you make a mistake, stop, regroup and try again. If your horse makes a mistake, ask yourself if you created that error or did he simply not understand what you were asking. A wonderful rule to follow is to smile and count to 3 before attempting to correct the movement. A smile relaxes your body and lightens your thoughts. Try not to overanalyze the situation. The most beautiful riders appear effortless and light, dancing in perfect harmony with their horse.
In preperation for moving up the levels, the horse must become more supple and balanced in order to develop the thrust (pushing power) required at First Level. Remember you have already confirmed that the horse’s muscles are supple and loose, moving freely forward in a clear and steady rhythm while accepting contact with the bit.
The Rider must always check that her horse is fulfilling these basic requirements before moving on to any other excercises. Once established you can move on to the Lateral Movements or Work on Two Tracks.
The objective of working on Two Tracks is to improve the obedience fo the horse and to supple all parts of the horse which will increase the freedom of his shoulders and suppleness of his quarters as well as the elasticity of the bond connecting the mouth, the poll, the neck, the back and the haunches. Lateral work will also improve the cadence and bring the balance and pace into harmony.
The requirements for Leg Yield are that the horse is staight and parrallel to the long side, except for a slight flexion at the poll away from the direction in which he moves. The Rider should be able to see the inside nostril and eye. The inside legs pass across in front of the outside legs. Leg-yielding should be introduced in the training prior to any collection. The shoulders should move slightly in advance of the quarters. Novice riders often make the mistake of pulling the neck out of alignment with the shoulders, or allowing the haunches to trail too far behind the shoulders.
It is a good idea to try 3 steps of leg yield from the center line and 3 steps forward and straight, and then repeat until you reach the wall. This will help the rider feel the hind legs of the horse and control the movement sideways without many problems.
Another excercise is to trot across the diagonal and at X leg yield to the corner. Remember to half halt and balance your horse before transitioning to the leg yield. Have someone video your work so that you can see if you are correct. If problems arise, breathe and slow it down to walk until you can feel the correct aids. This takes patience and practice.
Remember, always ride with integrity and finish after a good moment. Always end your training session with posting trot long and low to reward your horse. The goal is to achieve relaxation, balance and harmony at all times.
The USDF Glossary of Judging Terms describes the extention of all gaits as “stretching and lengthening of the outline and stride of the horse, and in trot and canter, an increased phase of suspension. The horse covers as much ground as possible with each stride maintaining nearly the same tempo and relatively uphill balance.
In walk, a pace which shows the maximum length of the stride and stretch and oscillation of the neck. The hind feet touch the ground clearly in front of the prints of the forefeet.”
Suspension is the period of time when none of the limbs are in contact with the ground. This is also the aerial phase. The canter and gallop have one aerial phase per stride, the trot has two per stride and the walk does not have any aerial phase.
The USDF Glossary of Judging Terms describes the frame as “the longer or shorter outline of the horse dictated by the relative degree of extension or collection. Incorrectly used to discuss the horses level of training as in ‘second-level frame’ or ‘fourth level frame’.”
It is very important to understand that the entire outline of the horse becomes longer in extentions. Students often misunderstand the difference between the working and lengthened strides. Always remind yourself to have a soft neck on your horse, testing yourself by allowing your arm muscles to relax and move your hands forward an inch to verify that you are not hanging on to your horses mouth.
The rider should also move her head from side to side to loosen up the spine and test your ability to remain stable in your seat while relaxing the spine. You should be able to do this in walk, trot and canter. It is amazing how much it will improve the stride of your horse when you relax your body.
Remember to always check in with your body to remove any tense areas because your horse responds to every movement your body makes.
One way to test the length of stride is to count the working stride between 2 letters, next count the exact same distance with an extention and you will find out if you are truly lengthening the stride or just riding faster. Remember, the tempo should remain the same and not quicken as you allow your horse to cover more ground.
Horses often find their way to me after being traumatized or handled incorrectly. The owners are confused and comment about their trainer, saying”well he has worked with horses his entire life.”
My grandmother, a wonderful horsewoman, would respond, “that person may have ridden badly his entire life. By that same token we would logically have to conclude that a man is bound to be a good doctor, a good lawyer, a good cook simply because he has performed these tasks for years. However, we know from bitter experience that the doctor may have been killing patients, the lawyer losing cases and the cook distributing indigestion throughout their careers.”
I am a strong advocate for the well being of the horse. As a result I spend considerable time educating people as to how horses think and learn. It astounds me that trainers still believe “beating” a horse into submission is the answer. Always remember that each horse is an individual and must be treated as such. And as my grandmother would say, if the horse misunderstands what you are asking, pause, smile, ask clearly again and you will almost always be rewarded with the desired result.
If you are confused or unsuccessful in your current training situation, ask around and find someone to help you move forward. There are many roads to Rome, you simply have to select the one that suits you best.
As a rider and trainer you are responsible for understanding how your horse moves. The USDF definition of Biomechanics, borrowed from Webster is “the application of the principles and techniques of mechanics (the branch of physics that deals with the motion of material bodies and the phenomena of the action of forces on bodies) to the structure, function, and capabilites of living organisms.”
Thus, when asking your horse to do something, you must be certain you are not blocking him from moving in the desired way. One common mistake is that riders hang on the inside rein, thus blocking the inside leg from coming up under the horse to bend properly or take the canter depart.
A study of the horses muscular structure is important when working with your horse. Each horse is an individual which means that you must take his conformation into consideration when asking for a movement. Dr. Hilary Clayton is an expert in studying and understanding the mechanics of equine performance and lameness. She is the author of two very important books, The Dynamic Horse and Conditioning Sport Horses. These are vital to any serious horseman. The following illustration of the neck muscles is from a recent lecture by Dr. Clayton.
This is an excellent new book I highly recommend for any riding enthusiast. As a teacher, it is always challenging to describe to the student how to feel a movement. As a judge, it is a joy to see a rider at one with his horse. As a rider one strives to ride in perfect balance and when this is achieved, the feeling is magic.
This book breaks down the riders anatomy in a way that helps explain how to use each muscle. Using the leg properly, tilting the pelvis and knowing how to brace the back are all critical to becoming an effective rider. Another master, Museler discusses in his famous riding manual that correctly ridden horses and riders are rarely found. In addition, only 1% or riders can actually move with the motion of the horse. Those who do ride in harmony with their horse are successful because they understand how to brace their back. A child can swing using their back effectively in the exact same way a rider must ride. It is imperative that any serious rider should study this new book on Anatomy and apply it to their everyday riding.
Anatomy of Dressage can be purchased from the USDF who co-published this new version.
People often ask me why I have a miniature horse, Mini Hop aka the Rock Star on my farm. Actually he is one of the most important horses here among the Internationally famous event super star, Mashantum who was long listed for the Atlantic Olympic Games in 1996, his stablemate Indiana Jones an up and coming Event super star and Explorer 007 aka Bond who is an emerging Grand Prix Dressage horse. Mini, as he is affectionally called, is the horse who introduces the youngest generation to the world of the horse. He is a wonderful teacher giving confidence and great pleasure to his young riders.
He is shown here taking Alex, a four year old equestian for a hack around the paddocks. Some days they climb the steps to the house entering through the front door to take a tour to the kitchen where many treats await him.
Recently I judged a dressage schooling show which was the last of a series from the summer season at the Stockade Polo and Saddle Club near Saratoga, NY. My scribe explained to me that many of the 60 rides I judged had been attending each monthly show, improving with each outing.
It was exciting to see the variety of breeds and sizes of the competing horses. There were small 14.1 hand Morgan’s and Quarter Horses to an 18.1 hand Shire cross to Dutch Warmbloods and Paints. And of course there were numerous Thoroughbred’s from the track desended from legends such as Seattle Slew and Secretariat. Some of the most consistent harmonious rides were on a trail horse and a former roping horse, both of whom transitioned well into their new career of dressage horses.
Several older school horses performed as pro’s, carrying their timid riders around an accurate, albeit, sluggish rides. The horses were clearly enjoying their job, relaxed and calm with floppy ears and soft eyes as they were put through the paces.
Of course there were the reluctant participants who misbehaved, dodging out of the arena every time they passed A, or refusing to step into canter, chosing to bolt or buck as an alternative. However, the riders persevered and finished with the horses completing their tests in spite of the arguments.
The high score of the day was won by an elegant black Anglo Trakener gelding, Azay Avignon, who was recently plucked off the film set of Ruffian where he played her double for the soon to be released Hollywood production of “Ruffian”. His test was beautiful. Azay was remarkably poised and correct in his rhythm and balance, showing a pleasant harmonious ride that judges enjoy watching. He clearly is enjoying his new career in the world of dressage.