Collection is the last step in
the basic training of the young horse. This is also the time when
we have to make the decision regarding what area of the equestrian
sport the horse is most suited for. Through the efforts of our breeders
there are few horses born today that are so poor in their conformation
that they cannot perform the work that will be asked of them in their
basic training. All but a few can collect to a satisfactory degree
for the expectations of second level. Should an otherwise willing
horse show a great deal of resistance or a clear difficulty in executing
a shoulder-in for instance, this horse is not a candidate for dressage.
The reason I bring this decision up again at this point is that I
think it unfair to the horse to have to deal with a frustrated rider
because it just simply cannot do the task. Poor training or incompetent
riding can bring about the same situation for the horse, but you can
remedy that through your work.
You listen to the best and most successful instructors, read all
the books, and you find out that collection means a lightening of
the forehand by shifting the horse’s weight a bit farther back
over the hindquarters. Sometimes you will hear it explained as the
horse stepping farther forward under the center of gravity. This is
a logical explanation that does help us understand why we train the
horse according to the pyramid and why that then allows the horse
to develop into the beautifully moving creature that is comfortable
to ride, obedient and powerful. Because we have been patient and correct
in our training we have preserved his joints and he will, therefore,
give us many years of service.
While obedience, comfort and power are the goals we have worked toward,
beauty and long service are the by-products of our success. I am,
however, not quite satisfied with the explanation I gave for what
happened to the horse that brought about these goals. Yes, it sounds
very logical and makes a great deal of sense and it even looks like
that change in the horse’s balance is exactly what happened.
The horse appears to move in an uphill frame, the hind legs are very
active. The horse also moves with so much more lightness in the forehand
and improved self-carriage that you just know it has less weight to
lift in the front. Now you sit on such a horse and you ride it. Yes,
everything you saw, you now feel.
Once more technology has complicated matters. It has enabled us to
measure more precisely and see more clearly every limb of the horse.
We can zoom in, slow down, and freeze any moment of suspension or
stance to evaluate exactly how the horse moves at liberty or ridden
in collection. What we see in the ridden horse is a slight elevation
of the forehand, an increased bend in the joints of the hindquarter,
a shorter more elevated stride and a slight shift of the center of
gravity towards the rear of the horse. That is precisely what the
old masters described and what you saw and felt while observing and
riding a well-trained horse. The complication is not in the effect
of our training but in what exactly did change in the horse to create
that effect. To me it was easy to see how, by lowering the hindquarters,
we created a relative elevation of the forehand. This is still true
today but it no longer is the whole story. We now know that the horse
also lifts its withers by contracting the muscles between the shoulder
blades that carry the front end of the horse. Therefore, we actually
have two reasons the horse appears taller in the front; the lowering
of the croup and the actual raising of the withers. Slow motion also
allows us to see that the leg is already moving backwards as the hoof
strikes the ground. This prevents the braking action a leg would have
if it were fully extended forward at that moment. The hind leg does
move farther under the center of gravity of the horse as we can clearly
see in the piaffe and the canter pirouette. The horse accomplishes
this by bending the entire croup down which brings the hip joint farther
forward and that way allows the hind leg to also reach more forward.
Such a degree of collection is, however, well beyond the scope of
the training pyramid and left to the dressage specialists.
The worst indigestion I had to deal with happened when I read that
the front leg of a horse ridden in collection pushed harder against
the scale when ridden in collection than when it moved on the forehand.
I was going to write a letter to the editor, cancel my subscription
and then petition Congress to pass a law to prosecute editors that
allowed false information to be published in their magazines. The
problem was that the author of that article was a veterinarian by
the name of Hilary Clayton who does her research at a major university
and has more letters behind her name than fit on an average business
card. So I cooled off, got on a horse and thought about what I felt
happening under me. I knew I was right about the lighter forehand
because about two centuries ago they had already proven that just
by raising the head and neck of a horse while standing, its center
of gravity moved back and loaded the hind legs down more. Therefore,
if Dr. Clayton’s scale did not lie, there had to be another
reason that the leg pushed harder against it. At first I thought of
the force of braking (slowing down the movement) but that could not
be it because that would have caused more stress on the joints. Experience
shows that more stress causes more wear and tear on the front legs
of the horse and, therefore, may cause early retirement of the horse.
One of the reasons for riding uphill, however, is to save its joints.
Then it dawned on me, more lift requires more push. That has to be
it! The elevation of the forehand was not only the result of a more
active hind leg but also that of a more active forehand. That made
me feel better and I went back inside to finish reading the article.
Dr. Clayton had already come to the same conclusion. As I say repeatedly,
horses will keep you humble.
It just occurred to me. Listen to a horse cantering on the forehand
and you can hear the front legs hit the ground, even in a dirt arena.
The horse cantering in collection barely makes a sound. That proves
it. The additional pressure the horse puts against the ground is not
the result of more weight hitting the ground but of a harder push
to lift the weight higher off the ground.
You have worked your horse for about two years now and reflecting
back you realize that horse truly does not look like the one you started
with. His once lean appearance has become full and round. Especially
the topline, the hindquarters and shoulder are packed with muscles.
The new strength also seems to have added a confidence that changed
his attitude from timid to positive. This is clearly visible in his
eye and his carriage. They radiate a heightened spirit and at the
same time, a calmness that shows your horse feels ready for the work
ahead. If this is the impression your horse gives to the people observing
him, you have done a great job preparing him for the training yet
to come in his area of specialty.
Now I have to take you back on the hill to explain in more detail
why riding our horses in an uphill balance saves their front legs
from early wear. Go ahead, jog down that hill and soon you will lean
back a little and catch your weight with the heel of your foot. You
will also notice that you are trying to have your knee slightly bent
to avoid the jarring effect of your heel catching your weight and
breaking the momentum of your run. That is quite strenuous on the
muscles but it saves the joints. Next, imagine a horse landing after
a jump. It touches the ground first with one leg and then with the
other. The first leg does not catch the weight of the horse but only
pushes it in a new direction, from moving forward-downward to forward.
This causes a significant difference in the amount of stress that
leg has to endure. Imagine yourself and some friends playing with
a medicine ball. You have formed a circle and are throwing the ball
at each other. When your friend throws the ball at you and you catch
it, you must really brace yourself in order to stop that ball. If
you, however, pass the ball on just by deflecting it with your hands
in the direction of your friend next to you, its impact on you is
greatly reduced. This same logic applies to the front leg of the horse.
By moving the leg backward before it strikes the ground, it is not
in direct opposition to the weight of the horse (catching the medicine
ball) and deflects the weight of the horse from forward-downward to
forward before its other front leg hits the ground and pushes it forward-upward
again. Not only has the horse, by deflecting the weight, reduced the
impact on the joint but it also has, by involving the muscles controlling
the joints, used their ability to protect the joint by absorbing some
of the shock.
The reason I explained this aspect of the benefits of correct training
is because that was very much on the mind of the masters responsible
for the training pyramid. They were military men dealing with hundreds
of horses every day and had to keep the cost down in order to stay
within their budget. They also had to report about the readiness of
their troops. A lame horse meant a veterinary bill and a trooper unable
to perform his duties.
Obedience and comfort are also important goals that we want to achieve
in our basic training. We can examine them as one since their development
in the horse runs about parallel. Both are determined by the horse’s
power and his attitude. Obedience also depends on the horse’s
understanding of the system of aids the rider uses to communicate
with the horse. The training pyramid concentrates on the physical
development of the horse. It assumes that the horse has been taught
a sufficient understanding of the aids. The area in which comfort
differs from obedience is the conformation of the horse. Some horses
just simply cannot be as comfortable as others because the angles
of their joints or proportions of their body do not allow for good
shock absorption and, therefore, they are rougher in their gaits.
As you take a closer look at the pyramid (see above drawing), you
will notice that five of the six steps serve to strengthen the horse.
First we develop the pushing power and then the carrying power. To
explain how this effects the obedience of the horse I am going to
have you imagine you are standing on a moving vehicle and have you
jump off it. Please do not try this at home! As you first hit the
ground, you cannot stop because the momentum of the vehicle’s
movement carries you forward and you will have to first balance yourself
in order to stop without falling on your face. Had someone told you
to stop at that time, you would have been unable to do so no matter
how much you wanted to be obedient. The horse experiences a similar
dilemma when it moves on the forehand. By asking the horse to increasingly
move in an upward direction and developing its power to do so with
ease we have enabled the horse to move in a balance that allows it
to be obedient at all times. No matter how strong the horse has become,
working in its natural direction will always be easier for it. Along
with the strength we must develop the attitude of obedience. We must
keep the horse motivated to want to work in harmony with us.
Motivating horses is a topic that deserves more attention than I
can give it here. Let me just mention the three most important considerations
that the trainer must keep in mind.
Before we domesticated the horse it was perfectly capable of taking
care of itself. It thrived for millions of years and grew in size
and numbers and enlarged the territory in which it roamed on this
planet. When the horse began to serve man, it became dependent on
its master for its needs to survive. A horse that is not well taken
care of is not going to be motivated to work. Nutrition, adequate
stabling, hoof care, grooming, routine veterinary care and a relaxed
environment are some of the needs the trainer has to make sure to
fill to keep the horse ready to serve him.
Fairness best describes the attitude the trainer must have towards
her horse while working with him. She must understand that he is an
animal and that he will be guided by instinct and not by reason. His
senses are in most cases much better developed than hers are and he
may react to situations she is not even aware of.
Self-confidence and trust in his rider are the only remedies for
the horse to overcome his instinct of flight in a threatening situation.
Only patient persistence in the rider’s demands and absolute
consistency in the way the rider treats her horse will bring about
this attitude in the horse.
Now that the horse has completed its basic training we must not forget
about the training pyramid. Every time we ride our horse we should
warm him up by taking him through the six steps of the pyramid before
we can proceed with the continued work in dressage, jumping, eventing
or just riding the trails. Even if showing is not in your plan for
your horse, you should train him through the basics because beyond
the above stated goals there is the consideration of safety. Most
riding accidents happen on horses that have not been thoroughly trained
on the basics.
Before we end this short trip through the theories of the training
pyramid, please let me remind you one more time that in my opinion
there is more honor and satisfaction in riding a precise circle with
a horse staying relaxed and on the aids, than to ride a poor pirouette.
To paraphrase Alfred Knopfhart in evaluating a horse: Don’t
tell me what he knows, tell me how he goes.
