With many horses, it can be helpful to take a deep breath and exhale in a sigh as you begin the walk portion of your Dressage test. This can help to dissolve any tension that the horse may be holding, that might otherwise make for a "jig" step, or an accidental transition into trot.
The outside rein is the key rein in downward transitions and half halts that are used to rebalance the horse. Many riders are well aware of this for Dressage and Jumping. But not everyone realizes that this is even true when you are galloping in a straight line!
Which rein is the outside rein when you are galloping in a straight line? It is relative to the canter lead. If you are on the right lead, the left rein is your outside rein. And if you are on the left lead, it is your right rein.
I hate to hear instructors who just yell, "Push, push, push!" to the riders on lazy horses who need more energy in their gait. To me, this shows a huge lack of experience on the trainer’s part - as this is NOT a productive way to produce forward in a horse, and only makes them more and more dead to the rider’s aids.
"There is one test that has the advantage over all the others, in that it can accompany the horse throughout his entire development… Showing the horse the way towards the ground. It is important that before the rider makes any attempt to perform the exercise, he makes sure that the horse is moving forward with impulsion at the selected pace, in good rhythm and contact with the bit. Then, while maintaining the forward driving aids, the rider should begin by giving slightly with the outside rein by moving the hand forward. As the horse responds by stretching his neck downwards and seeking the bit, the rider should offer the inside rein and again the horse should search to maintain the contact. The rider can then begin to lengthen the reins slightly by allowing them to slip through the fingers. Providing the horse is still being driven correctly from behind he will maintain the contact as he chews the bit towards the ground." ~ Christian Thiess
If you don’t ride and train in such a way that your horse learns to listen to your seat, you will usually find that you have to use a lot more hand to get things done.
"I cannot over emphasize that the rider must keep a soft contact with the horse’s mouth throughout the exercise [stretching down] and never just throw the reins away!" ~ Christian Thiess
"Essential to collection as well is the complete lack of resistances, as well as the maintenance of superior impulsion, and absolute submission." ~ Nuno Olivera
This exercise is a great way to test and confirm your horse's rideability when jumping, as well as check on the balance and overall quality of your jumping canter. Read on to learn all about it! (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
The purpose of transitions is not just to get from one gait to the next. But to do so in a way that further gymnasticizes the horse, and improves his carriage.
"We get the horses as loose as possible before we ask them to do more work in their bodies. if they're not loose in the beginning, they’re not going to be loose and supple in their proper work." ~ Charlotte Dujardin
"The better the rider’s balance in the saddle, the better the communication. There are two things the rider must be – balanced, and supple. The less good the rider’s seat, then the more often the rider is in the saddlery shop buying new saddles, new stirrups. The rider has to find his balance in the saddle, not being held in position by a saddle in which you cannot move." ~ Christoph Hess
Lateral work can be used to steady and improve the regularity of the rhythm of your horse’s gaits. Particularly with horses that want to rush and/or become irregular, asking for a little shoulder in, leg yield, or a few steps of spiral in or out, can help them wait and find more cadence in their stride.
"For me quality dressage, not the forced dressage, not where you pull the horse or force the horse to do something, dressage is a dance – you can dance through a test with little aids." ~ Ingrid Klimke
"Give the horse the feeling of freedom when you sit on it, always the feeling that it can move forward. Most riders all over the world use their hands to try and control their horse, the neck starts to shorten and then it all starts to go wrong." ~ Christoph Hess
While a thicker mouthpiece is generally considered to be more gentle than a thinner bit, the horse with a small mouth or a low palate often prefers a thinner bit.
When softening the reins, it is common for riders to mistakenly and unconsciously lean forward at the same time. Avoid this problem by thinking about pushing yourself away from your hands as you give the reins.
"I like to describe riding a course as riding a line at a certain pace, and the jumps are just like speed bumps on your journey. Whereas some riders ride the jumps as their objective. They ride one jump, then look up, and ride the next, and the next. I try to teach riders to ride a line with good balance and the correct pace, and that is their primary objective, and the jumps are their secondary objective." ~ George Sanna
Since the various available lateral movements all work to supple the horse's body in a slightly different way, it is a good idea to use bits of all of them in your training. Don't just do your favorites.
"The horse always tries to run away, that is part of his nature. When the rider uses the bit to stop the horse, that is the rider’s first wrong move. We must always give the horse an open door. When we hold the horse with our hands we take the horse out of its mental and physical balance, and that is the beginning of disharmony between horse and rider." ~ Christoph Hess
"The goal of all dressage riding should be to bring the horse and rider together in harmony...a oneness of balance, purpose, and athletic expression." ~ Walter Zettl
"We want the horse to know, if he gets into difficulties, if he slips, he can just take time with things, so they learn to get themselves out of trouble. If a horse has slipped badly or hit a jump badly, just keep hold of the front end, keep hold of the reins, just sit quiet and try and support the horse. Let the horse find his feet, try and slow the whole thing down." ~ Andrew Hoy
"I really believe that horses are very generous and they are on our side. They can also become frightened, so it is important that we don’t ask them anything beyond their capabilities. You can keep them on your side by being quiet with them. They have to be believers in you, and understand what you are asking. I think that we as riders get too aggressive when something doesn’t happen the way we want. You have to remember that the experiences the horses have, especially if they are bad, aren’t forgotten easily. It takes a long time to work through those bad experiences." ~ Andrew Hoy
"We must be careful when making the horse straight not to bend it in front of the withers. We must not loosen the muscles in front of the withers for we need to build them up on either side of the neck so it is steady in front of the withers." ~ Reiner Klimke
"Riding courses is still all about finding the canter. Every jump in every situation has a canter that is perfect for that jump. Whether it is a very flimsy looking stile, or very strong looking oxer, off a short turn, away from the entrance gate into a double… With the oxer to the double you are really under the pump to get in there nice and strong and get the horse in front of your legs – as opposed to the very delicate stile they can look through, going downhill, towards the gate, where you’ve got to take all the ground speed away from them and sit up and give them an opportunity to read it and stay off the front rail." ~ George Sanna
Here is a trot pole exercise that will improve your horse's balance and suppleness, while challenging your ability to maintain the quality of your trot through changes of bend. (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
It’s just as easy to train a horse to be sensitive to our aids as it is to train them to be dull to our aids. Every time you give your horse an aid you have a chance to train (or re-train) your horse to be sensitive to it.
Soften the reins too much at the beginning of a lengthening, and you may find that you lose your stored energy. Which will likely cause your horse to quicken his stride rather than giving you a true lengthening.
"If you are riding a youngster they are definitely tuned into you. So I found that if I rode unconcerned on the trails so were they. Eventually nothing seems to bother them." ~ Manette A Pacheco
"Often one hears riders in whatever discipline say that their aim is to bring the horse to a certain level or to place highly at certain shows. These goals are absolutely legitimate, but we must not forget that they are only a byproduct of what should be our highest of aims: To make our horses more beautiful and keep them healthy through their training." ~ Ingrid Klimke
"If you are riding a youngster they are definitely tuned into you. I found that if I rode unconcerned on the trails so were they. Eventually nothing seems to bother them." ~ Manette A Pacheco
If your horse does not offer to stretch near the end of a workout, there is a good chance that you didn't have him working correctly through his topline during your ride.
"Good riders land over an obstacle, go the the next jump and make a good arrangement. Great riders land with their horses already arranged for the next obstacle." ~ Bill Steinkraus
