Tex-Over Farms, Articles

the process of straightening the horse we strengthened especially the weaker hind leg so it can carry more weight on that leg. Collection, however, goes beyond finding a new balance to accommodate the weight of the rider and to strengthen the horse so it can move comfortably under the rider.
     In collection, we shift enough weight back so that the hind legs now must carry as well as propel the weight of the horse and rider. The direction of movement then changes from forward (natural direction) to forward upward (artificial direction).
     At this point many horses will offer serious resistance because they object to the burning in the muscles of the hindquarters as they must now support the increased bend in the hips, stifles, and hock joints. Imagine yourself walking with bent knees, - better yet - try it. You will soon feel what the horse is objecting to. So we are back to building strength. That means working the horse to its limit, resting, working in collection again, resting, etc.
     Our system of training has again given us tools to use to facilitate this task. Many of these exercises we have already practiced in their earlier form such as transitions from gait to gait or within the gait, i.e. walk-trot or trot-canter. Now we will try walk-canter and back to the walk. We will combine exercises like shoulder-in, ten-meter circle, travers.
     The body builder knows that in order to increase volume and strength of a muscle he must stress it in one or all of three ways. There must be repetition (rhythmic), duration (holding in a certain position as long as possible), or increase in load. The muscles of the horse respond in the same way. Let us consider the shoulder-in as a gymnastic (strengthening and coordinating) exercise. The trot is a clear two beat rhythmic movement, the rhythm becomes just a little slower (more time for the muscles to hold the joints in a bend position) and due to the bend in the body, the inside hind leg has to carry more weight. Repetition (the trot), duration (the slightly slowed rhythm), and the increased weight all serve to strengthen that particular group of muscles (shoulder-in left – left croup).
     Since horses are motivated by a desire for harmony with their rider, they will give this exercise a good try. When the muscles begin to burn, their desire for comfort exceeds that of harmony, and resistance rears its ugly head. At first there are defensive actions like slowing down too much, looking for support in the rider’s hand, or stiffening in the topline. That may turn into more active resistance like popping the outside shoulder out, turning the “shoulder-in” into a “leg yield” or stiffening the hind legs to protect the muscles from too much effort.
     When such resistance occurs, the trainer must stop the exercise, ride forward, prepare the horse anew, and try again. Should the resistance persist, it is time to stop and think about a different approach such as more time spent on a less difficult exercise like “shoulder-fore,” smaller circles, or just a few steps at “shoulder-in.” At the slightest hint of resistance, ride straight and try again. The trainer may want to change rein and see how the horse works on its other hand. As you can tell, a lot of sensitivity and thought is required to take the horse into moving in this artificial direction. Time should not be a consideration as we prepare the horse for the upper levels since usually it holds true that the more time we take, the quicker we get there.
     In our effort to influence the horse we have two major tools at our disposal. One is our skill in the use of the aids, and the other is the proper execution of exercises designed to improve the horse’s strength and coordination. So, a trainer must be skilled in riding to be able to influence the horse. Furthermore, she must be knowledgeable of the effects of the exercises, experienced enough to be able to recognize the cause of a problem, and she must choose the proper exercise to correct that cause.
    I hope that this article does satisfactorily emphasize five points that must be recognized and observed at all times.

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