Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage E-Book

Philippe Karl

• Herausgeber: Cadmos Publishing
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Seitenzahl: 325

Beschreibung

In this book, Philippe Karl, one of the most outspoken critics of the modern dressage world, reveals some disturbing facts about the physical, anatomical and mental effects through official dressage guidelines as issued by the German Horse Society (FN) on horses. By comparing these with philosophies of masters of classical riding such as La Gueriniere and Baucher, he shows possible solutions to the challenging situation of modern competitive dressage.

Leseprobe

Philippe Karl

TWISTED TRUTHS OFMODERN DRESSAGE

A search for a classical alternative

In memory of my Mother…and in tribute to her brother, Louis Wegbecher, an uncle who, as a rider, had such a profound influence on my teenage years.

Imprint

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To Bea Borelle for her constant encouragement.

Horses used to illustrate this book:

•  Odin (Lusitano. Breeder R. BOUZIN)

•  Verdi (Lusitano. Breeder J. PEIGNE)

•  Enanquim (Lusitano. Breeder D. LAHAYE)

•  Sampaio (Oldenburg Stallion. Breeder H. BLANK-JAEGELER)

•  Michelangelo (Trakehner Stallion. (The VEBELSGRUND Stud. Mr & Mrs ERDSIEK)

•  Quiela (Lusitano Stallion. Breeder M. BIRAGHI)

•  Tabea (Trakehner mare. Bea BORELLE)

•  Moses (Holsteiner-Haflinger crossbred. Wibke KUHL.)

Original title: Irrwege Der Modernen Dressur

Copyright © 2010 by Cadmos Verlag GmbH, Schwarzenbek

Design of the print edition: Ravenstein + Partner, Verden

Typesetting of the print edition: Nadine Hoenow

Cover Photo: Alain Laurioux

Photographs: Alain Laurioux, Christiane Slawik, Jacques Toffi

Drawings: Philippe Karl

Translation: Andrew Weal

E-Book conversion: Satzweiss.com Print Web Software GmbH

All rights reserved.

Reproduction or storage in electronic or any other form is forbidden without the publisher’s express permission.

ISBN 978-3-86127-953-2

eISBN 978-3-85788-676-7

www.cadmos.co.uk

Inhalt

Foreword

Preface

KEY ISSUES IN DRESSAGE

Psychological Aspects

Analysis

The taming stage

The learning stage

The practising stage

Conclusion

Suggestions

Natural Crookedness

Causes

Impact on our work

What the rider feels

The search for straightness

Conclusion

Balance

Natural balance

Collection

Conclusion

Gymnastic Approach

Observation

The consequences of overbending

Solution: Extending (telescoping) the neck

Conclusion

THE HAND

Using the hand

Holding the reins and position of the hand

The resisting hand

The active hand

Mouth problems

Conclusion

Issues involved in the mise en main

Stiffness to the left

Is the poll the seat of resistance?

Conclusion

Alternative

Initiation In-hand

Cession de mâchoire

Lateral neck flexion

Poll flexion and neck extension

Work under saddle

Cession de mâchoire

Lateral neck flexion

Poll flexion and neck extension

Horses which go above the bit

Horses which lean on the hand

“Overbent” horses

Overview

Double Bridle Work

Effects of the double bridle

Holding the reins

Introduction to the double bridle

A “low handed” approach to history

Changes of Direction

The official theory

Schooling the horse to the neck-rein

A little more history, concerning turning

Overview

Conclusion

The horse “en main”

The mise en main

Stability

Chronological sequence for the mise en main

Use of the hand

Dressage rules

THE LEGS

Forwards movement

Propulsive force

Schwung and impulsion

The lesson of the leg

Conclusion

Overall bend

Anatomy

Misleading feelings

Locomotion

Conclusion

Engagement of the hind legs

The hand

The seat

The legs

Conclusion

THE SEAT

Lateral work

Case study: the shoulder-in

Various lateral work exercises

Overview

Canter strike-off

Two types of canter strike-off

Strategy for teaching canter strike-offs

Overview

Counter-Canter

Official instructions

A useful approach to counter-canter

Overview

The flying change

Analysis of the official theory

An approach to the flying change

Method

Progression

Overview

Conclusion

TRANSITIONS AND COLLECTION

Transitions

Analysis of the official theory

Alternative

Fashionable objections

Overview

Rein-Back

Analysis of the official theory

Alternative

Overview

The Piaffe

Analysis of the official theory

Alternative

An approach to the piaffe-sequence

Overview

The Passage

Analysis of the official theory

Alternative

Conclusion

A SYSTEM AND ITS EFFECTS

The offical Training scale

Analysis of the official theory

Overview

Dressage, Breeding and Business

History

Dressage and trainers

The spirit, the letter and the foot notes

Conclusion

“Classical or not Classical?”

Dressage in history

Conclusion

PROPOSING A CLASSICAL ALTERNATIVE

The Schoolingof Légèreté

Training scale

Step No. 1: initial légèreté

Step No. 2: flexibility

Step No. 3: mobility

Step No. 4: collection

Straightness

Epilogue

BIBLIOGRAPHY

GLOSSARY

Foreword

I always enjoy reading Phillipe Karl’s texts, especially when illustrated by the author himself, whose pencil manages to perceptively and reliably capture the elegance and correctness of horses. But the pleasure is particularly due to the technical quality of his words that are true to the concepts of the French school at Saumur, whose mission it is to preserve and hand down to future generations this approach to horsemanship.

As a past Ecuyer in the Cadre Noir, Phillipe Karl has successfully participated in this noble task. He has schooled and presented several horses of different breeds, each with their own specialities, but all satisfying the basic requirements of training laid down by General L’Hotte.

Whether with the Lusitanos “Odin” and “Verdi”, the Anglo-Arab “Tetra” or other horses that participated in the Ecole Nationale’s shows, Phillipe Karl’s presentations were always one of the highlights of these Gala evenings.

An exemplary practitioner and a recognised teacher, Phillipe Karl has recently produced a series of films illustrating the school of légèreté. The beautiful images they show supplement the present work. In them we can see horses that are willing, reliable, and calm, whose accomplished schooling is proof of their stable balance. They make you want to ride with finesse. The ease with which they perform can be seen through the “gallant mouth” described by Pluvinel and La Guérinière, the “Abkauen”(seeking the hand) of Seeger and Steinbrecht and the “soft mobility of the jaw” of Baucher and General L'Hotte. Without this, légèreté cannot be complete; and its absence is an infallible indicator of certain problems in the horse’s "state of mind and body” as talked about by General Decarpentry.

Relaxation of the jaw, a preliminary to any mise en main (educating of the mouth), opens the door to impulsion, that most essential of luxuries, and is accompanied by a light contact punctuated by pronounced descentes de main (lowering of the hand).

When experts still agreed on a common notion of good and bad, these values were sought by competitors and upheld by judges. This was an auspicious time for academic dressage. Although dominated by Germany, competition was governed by a framework that included all the finesse of this art, and which extended well beyond national borders.

Today, the art of schooling horses has become a sport dominated by economic factors. There are many white knights who denounce these changes.

Phillipe Karl also has a campaign of his own. His actual achievements give weight to his words in an era marked by the predominance of critics whose equestrian virtuosity is dubious at best. His critical study starts with observations, then an analysis of the situation and a proposed alternative. He presents a very relevant view of how dressage competitions could be in comparison with show jumping competitions.

Although some may find his words harsh, the seriousness of the stakes on one hand and the technical rigour, frankness and passion of the author on the other are not really compatible with any diplomatic attempt at compromise.

I wish his efforts every success and hope that this brings with it responsibilities that his horsemanship and ethics allow him to legitimately claim.

General Pierre Durand

Ecuyer en Chef of the Cadre Noir from 1975 to 1984

Director of the French National School of Equitation from 1984 to 1988

Preface

What is dressage? One dictionary gives the following definition:

“A series of processes based on physical and mental pressure used to create conditioned reflexes with the end purpose of using an animal for various tasks.”

This is how we train a dog to be a watchdog, to hunt, to rescue people from avalanches or to guide a blind person, or an elephant to haul tree trunks, a seal to balance a ball on its nose or a rabbit to pop out of a hat.

Naturally, we can judge the value of dressage according to its effectiveness and results, but also according to the quality of the means used to achieve it since these can range widely from a fun learning approach, to force, or even brutality or cruelty.

In terms of riding, all riders consciously or subconsciously do dressage, even if they do not admit it. Horses make no distinction between a so-called “dressage” session and any other form of usage. Whenever we use a horse, whatever we do should be considered either a positive or negative act of dressage training because it marks the horse's psyche.

In the broad sense of the term, “dressage” is therefore all of the principles, methods and processes used to optimise the horse's capabilities, whatever the breed and whatever the discipline.

How has the concept of dressage changed over the centuries? In terms of riding, the middleages were limited to an empirical, warlike and often cruel use of the horse.

From the creation of the first academies during the Italian Renaissance, which occurred in the mid sixteenth century onwards, horsemen ceaselessly tried to develop an ideal training approach. Arts and customs became more refined. Equitation tried to distance itself from brutality:

“Time wears away mistakes and polishes the truth.” (G de Levis)

Whilst the majority of those living in the seventeenth century were satisfied with the theory of “animals-as-machines”, the discordant voice of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle laid down one of the founding precepts of classical dressage:

“Art must always follow nature and never oppose it.”

In the eighteenth century, the century of enlightenment and encyclopaedists, equitation started to become more rationalised.

François Robichon de la Guérinière contributed brilliantly to this with his School of Horsemanship:

“Knowledge of what is natural in a horse is one of the cornerstones of the art of riding and all horsemen should make it a main point of study… Without this theory, practice is always uncertain.”

This philosophy, strengthened by the scientism of the period, is a common thread throughout all equestrian research in the nineteenth century. General L’Hotte, one of the best known students of F. Baucher, wrote the following in 1906 in his book Equestrian Questions:

“Nature is the first of all masters. Its book is the fairest, most knowledgeable of all books, the most useful to consult. The effects recorded in its pages lead us to the causes which generate them.”

Finally in the 1920s, with the creation of dressage competitions, the art of schooling horses became a sports discipline.

Governed by the International Equestrian Federation, this discipline has become a sports business that is professionalised, sponsored, mediatised and globalised and used as an absolute reference for training purposes.

Since “doubt is a remedy taught by wisdom” (Publius Syrius, Roman writer from the 1st century BC) we can rightly challenge the roots, consequences and historical legitimacy of such a monopoly in comparison with our classical equestrian culture.

Considered as a specialised discipline, dressage only has a meaning if it results from the search for the most correct processes, in other words methods that are both efficient and gentle, because they are not contrary to the horse’s nature.

In this book, we propose an analysis of modern dressage based on knowledge of the horse. This is the most reliable approach to avoid the pitfalls of fashion, the inevitable restrictiveness of specialisation, the preconceived ideas of different schools and the tyranny of current dogmas.

Using fundamental data on anatomy, physiology, locomotion, balance, psychology and the all-too-neglected science of common sense, we will embark on a point-by-point study of the principles that govern official dressage. We will take these principles from dressage manuals and more particularly from those of the German Equestrian Federation, the current bible for any rider who rides in a rectangle surrounded by letters… wherever he is on the planet. The official handbooks of the German National Equestrian Federation, the Kenilworth Press published by, are Book 1: The Principles of Riding, completely revised edition 1997, and Book 2: Advanced Techniques of Riding, edition 1996. (These are referred to throughout the text as B1 and B2.)

In light of this analysis we will reveal the shortcomings and explain the detrimental consequences of the dogmas of modern dressage. This will also allow us to deduce well thought-out alternatives on the following aspects:

•  definitions of major equestrian concepts

•  dressage methods

•  rider education

•  teacher training

•  criteria used to judge dressage competitions and the design of the tests themselves.

Lastly, our equestrian culture requires that we should look at the writings of the best known masters to confirm the legitimacy of what we propose.

“Correct and incorrect do not result from nature, but from the law.”

(Milesian school of philosophy, VIth century BC)

The horse is the best all masters.

KEY ISSUES IN DRESSAGE

Checkmate…by the horse!

Riding in general, and dressage in particular, involve a certain number of key issues that we need to identify.

They cannot be effectively dealt with unless we make the right diagnosis.

Psychological Aspects

Analysis

In the past few years, under the pressure of ethologists and other “horse whisperers”, dressage manuals have consented to include a few pages on the psychological aspects of riding.

In Book 1, “The Principles of Riding”, we are judiciously reminded of the main traits of a “horse’s nature” by the following general recommendations:

“The schooling of a horse cannot only be judged on the quality of its paces under the rider, but also the maintaining of its natural attitude and personality. It is these fulfilled horses, ready to give the best of themselves in their daily work, that produce a stable and harmonious relationship between man and his horse. These foundations will be strengthened and developed through patience, a sense of psychology and frequent reward.”

“In riding, progress relies on theoretical knowledge. Knowledge of the nature and behaviour of horses, how to look after them as well as of riding and dressage principles are naturally essential for any serious and responsible horseman.” (B1, page 12)

We can only agree with such statements. But a dressage manual cannot simply rely on declarations of intent, however admirable they are. Without decrees for application or resources for implementation, a law is no more than a hollow shell. Preaching the benefits of equine knowledge is a good idea, but it is even better to say what you need to know and to draw some real conclusions and rules that can be used to guide dressage riders.

The basics of equine psychology allow us to determine three main stages in the relationship between rider and horse.

The taming stage

Even when raised close to man, a horse naturally remains a herbivore with a gregarious instinct and with a highly developed sense of hierarchy. Since it is a victim of predators in the wild, the horse is fearful and has very sharp senses, using flight to save its skin.

To satisfy his needs, man subjects the horse to a way of life that is contrary to its nature, separating it from its fellow creatures and imposing worrying situations on it, starting with the bit and the saddle.

Nothing good is possible until the horse accepts that man is a well-meaning and dominant fellow creature.

Trust and relaxation are absolute preconditions for any work of quality. In real terms this means banishing any use of force and coercion, as well as any constraining devices.

“The free consent of the horse gives better results than any remedies through which we try to constrain him.”

(Salomon de la Broue)

“Of all the conditioning required to educate a horse, the most important is that of his will.”

(Charles-Hubert Raabe)

Naturally a victim of predators, horses are herbivores with a gregarious instinct and a highly developed hierarchical sense.

To satisfy his needs, man subjects the horse to a way of life that is contrary to its nature. Photos: Laurioux

The learning stage

Horses are not just a mass of muscles to be shaped in order to satisfy our desires or to produce a performance, they are sensitive beings. Expressions such as: “The horse must do this… the horse must give that” are all too common in dressage jargon. The horse owes us nothing, it is we who have a duty to make ourselves understood.

“It is essential to link the rider’s gestures to those of the horse; this link is none other than the horse’s intelligence together with his moral consent.”

(Maurice Hontang, “Psychologie du cheval“)

So what is this intelligence worth? No master based their dressage approach more on the intelligence of the horse than François Baucher:

“Horses have perception as well as feeling, comparison and memory; they therefore have judgement and recall, and they therefore have intelligence.”

And we can believe that this approach is justified since General Decarpentry wrote the following in Baucher and His School:

“The results obtained by Baucher were extraordinary from all points of view. However it would seem that the speed with which he obtained them is what is most remarkable - it was truly prodigious.”

In fact, horses are capable of understanding everything that the rider is capable of getting them to understand.

In the end, it is the rider who needs a high level of equestrian intelligence in order to get the best out of the horse.

How does a horse learn? Fearful and worried by nature, horses spend most of their time assessing potential dangers in their environment. Any new element will monopolise their attention and is assessed on the basis of their past experience.

A brutal, authoritarian or simply clumsy rider, focuses the horse’s attention by unwittingly becoming an aggressor. He triggers protective mechanisms (tension, resistances, evasions) which hinder or cancel out any quality learning.

For a rider to achieve significant and quick progress from a horse, he must have a subtle teaching strategy that takes account of the horse’s psychological traits, its anatomy, essential points of its locomotion and the laws of balance.

We often insist on the importance of patience. But it is powerless on its own. It would be better to say:

Patience is not a science

But one needs...

a lot of science and a lot of patience.

The skill of a rider lies in the way that he plans a logical sequence of learning events. The wiser he is, the more he will arouse the horse’s curiosity and provide an element of fun in work that it enjoys.

Typical learning sequence

A rider communicates with his horse via the “aids”. Therefore, he above all teaches a language that is intended to influence the horse's movements. Several steps must be complied with in a consistent learning sequence in order to ensure success.

1. The language of the aids

Ensure that the horse understands all of the necessary aids for what you want to teach him.

2. Objective

Determine the smallest possible step in progress, relative to what the horse already knows. Any demands that are inconsistent or excessive will be seen as aggressive.

3. Prepare

Focus the horse’s attention on exercises that favourably bring together the conditions for the coming experience.

4. Assess

Put the horse in the new situation (position, balance, locomotion) in which it will naturally and certainly react, even if it is only by very slightly starting to do the desired behaviour.

5. Reward

Immediately reward the horse to confirm that this is what you want (use your voice, pat the horse, let him rest, give him a treat, etc.).

“You must reward the slightest concession as if it was a full submission, because it will certainly lead directly to that.”

(Alexandre Guérin, 1817–1884)

6. Repeat

By repeating the “assess” step and its reward we confirm, fix and perfect the new behaviour.

As a necessary to acquire any knowledge, repetition often leads the horse to respond by anticipation during the preparatory sequence.

This behaviour is a sign of goodwill and enthusiasm and the horse should never be punished for this. On the other hand, you must frequently repeat the preparation step and maintain it without executing the response.

This result should be rewarded just as much as a perfect response. In this way the horse learns to remain attentive to the rider and wait for a request that may come – or not as the case may be.

7. Perfect

As the new behaviour becomes imprinted in the horse’s mind, we can reduce the preparation step and depend more on decisive aiding.

In the end, the aids themselves will suffice and will become increasingly discreet until they are virtually invisible.

It then looks like the rider simply has to think about a movement for the horse to do it. This expresses the myth of the centaur.

8. Review

Something that is learned is only of value if it is part of a consistent whole, enhancing previous steps and used as a reference for future experiences.

To do well, we need knowledge. To teach well, we need understanding

The practising stage

When well designed, the learning phase is much shorter (sometimes a few lessons) than the period of physical adaptation necessary to correctly execute something (at least a few months).

Frequent and daily repetition is therefore essential for the muscles and joints to be able to perfect the movement, but this is not without its pitfalls.

Indeed whilst the learning phase arouses the horse’s attention because it is new, the repetitive nature of the practising phase tends to bore the horse and cause distraction. It produces mechanical and subconscious responses, like a child who can repeat a lesson he has learned by heart without really thinking about it.

This is what we call a "drilled” horse.

To avoid this pitfall riders must take a certain number of precautions:

•  Vary figures, diversifying sequences of exercises, changing situations, changing contexts and locations, with the sole purpose of maintaining the horse’s interest in its work.

•  Avoid repeating and prolonging an exercise or an air without any purpose. “Kilometric” dressage tends to physically wear out the horse, anaesthetise its attention and dull its intelligence.

Do not confuse dressage with bodybuilding.

Show yourself to be creative rider with a good imagination. Never limit your work to presentation objectives. Hacking, outside work and jumping are irreplaceable gymnastic exercises for the body and mind. Never lose sight of the risks involved in too restrictive an approach to any specialisation… including dressage.

Conclusion

Dressage competitions inherently promote repetative and drilling. Riders can repeat the same tests as much as they want in the ethereal and purified environment of the dressage arena.

This is why, when taken to extremes, “dressage” horses do not behave like “schooled” horses… and can be unable to bear the slightest unplanned event, sometimes performing rather embarrassing flights of fantasy for their "passengers" (over-excited, run-away piaffe during a prize giving, bolting during the lap of honour, etc.).

What is the purpose of a discipline in which submission is a goal in itself or when it creates difficulties for specialists in situations where any enlightened amateur leisure rider would have no problems?

Imagine the result for showjumping, both for the work of horses and the interest of the public, if the events were always held on identical courses and showgrounds: same jumps, same sizes and same distances? It would be a disaster.

Suggestions

We could consider a competition in which each level of rider knows what exercises and airs are on the programme, but never knows either the figures or the sequences for the tests on that day.

A skilful jury would determine a dressage test that is pinned up like a showjumping course… at the last moment. The test would, of course, be read out to the rider.

This competitive concept would assess and empower the judges, increase the interest of the public, protect the horses from a dull training programme, put those who rely on intensive last minute practising firmly in their place (even if they have better horses) and encourage well-founded dressage methods and intelligent riders (even when they are riding average horses).

Dressage competitions could be improved by redesigning them to really take ac­count of the nature of horses.

Natural Crookedness

“On the left side, the neck muscles are stiff, contracted and refuse to release. This is considered the stiff side. However, the difficult side is the right, hollow side.The right-hind escapes to the right, the horse pushes against the rider’s right leg and refuses the contact on the right rein. The aim of the work will be to bring this hind leg to engage under the body. Straightness must always be achieved by aligning the forehand with the hindquarters and not the other way round.For example, if the horse’s haunches escape to the right, the rider must stop this tendency by acting with his right leg. His left leg, close to the girth, will increase the engagement of the left hind. The left hand must be kept low, with the left rein containing and controlling the left shoulder, whilst the right hand brings the forehand to the right until there is alignment of the right-fore with the right-hind.”(FN Guidlines for Riding and Driving, German Equestrian Federation vol. 1, p. 147.)

This diagnosis is very superficial. It omits the deep rooted causes and their major consequences, those involving balance.

The approach falls short in two respects: it deals with the effects rather than the causes, and it supposes that the horse is already well advanced in its schooling; however the problem appears from the start.

We can look at this in more detail.

Causes

Foals are crooked from birth due to the foetal position that they grow in: shorter on one side than the other. Not all horses are bent to the right, far from it. Whether due to genetics or to chance, does not really matter, statistically the proportion is something like 50-50%.

Nature seems to be more inventive than the dressage manuals.

But never mind! We can take the case of a horse which is hollow to the right and analyse the causes and consequences of this crookedness. This will give us information on how we should approach this in our work.

•  The deep rooted and original cause resides in the natural bend of the neck to the right. The main cervical ligament is shifted to the right and the mane falls to the right. The horse tends to carry its head to the right and tends to weight its left shoulder to compensate.

•  Since the bending of the neck has an impact on the rest of the spine, in movement periodic dorso-lumbar waves produce bends, of greater amplitude to the right than to the left. Consequently the horse’s haunches escape to the right.

•  Therefore the right hind is more advanced than the left hind, but it escapes to the side. It reaches more than it pushes.

As opposed to this, the left hind is in a position to provide the majority of propulsion, but its engagement remains limited.

•  In movement, the inert parts of the body (thoracic and abdominal) move more to the left than to the right. This naturally increases the weighting of the left lateral pair.

•  Overall, the whole spine is bent to the right, especially the neck. The horse relieves the weight on its shortened right lateral pair (concave side) and weights its open left lateral pair (convex side).

“Like man, horses come into the world with two different sides, one strong and the other weak.”

(Commandant Jean-Charles Licart)

Consequences natural crookedness: a horse that is hollow to the right, has its haunches that escape to the right and weights its left lateral pair.

Impact on our work

•  The horse turns comfortably to the right and tends to enlarge the curves through its shoulders by bending its neck to the right.

•  Conversely, to the left, the horse turns short, falling on the inside shoulder with its head carried to the outside.

•  The horse canters more easily on the right leg, but with its haunches in. It is not uncommon for the horse to disunite its hind legs when cantering on a circle to the left.

What the rider feels

•  The horse is willing to take a contact on the left rein whereas it refuses to take a contact on the right.

•  The rider’s seat drops more to the right than to the left on each stride and his right leg is nearer to the horse’s hindquarters (concavity to the right) whereas his left leg tends to be pushed away from the left hindquarters (convexity on the left).

•  Since the horse weights its left shoulder and advances its right hind more, if the rider is not careful the horse will automatically trot on the left diagonal in rising trot.

•  In lateral work, the horse will be more willing to move its shoulders to the left and its haunches to the right.

•  In all work on the right rein, the horse seems flexible and “balanced”, on the left rein it seems to be stiff and “out of balance”.

When turning to the right, a horse which is hollow to the right tends to enlarge the curve through its shoulders. To the left it turns short and falls on its inside shoulder.

A horse that is hollow to the right tends to lean on the left rein and carry the left diagonal further forward than the right diagonal. The rider’s seat drops more to the right than to the left, his right leg is more nearer to the horse’s hindquarters and his left leg tends to be pushed away from them.

The search for straightness

Rectifying this crookedness is one of the main and priority objectives of training since the correct functioning of the locomotor system and the physical health of the horse in the long term depend on an even distribution of forces.

The question is: what education to the aids and which gymnastic exercises can we use to seek straightness? A good gymnastics teacher would not simply order you to “hold yourself straight!” He would put you through a series of exercises intended to compensate for your crookedness: stretching the shortened muscles and strengthening the elongated muscles to gradually correct your posture.

In the same way, with the horse's activity level compatible with relaxation, the rider will alternate work on both reins that is designed to reverse the horse's posture and imbalances. An effective gymnastics approach will compensate for nature without being contrary to it.

Since the neck is at the root of the problem, the rider will use this wonderful point of balance and leverage to straighten and rebalance the front end to benefit the whole horse. A horse that resists the left rein, has shorter muscles on the right side of the neck which refuse to lengthen. If there is truly stiffness, then it is on the right side and not the left side.

“The main pitfall in training is to focus on the effects rather than searching for, and changing, the causes.”

(Etienne Beudant)

Therefore, we can see that only pronoun­ced and repeated bending of the whole neck to the left can correct this problem. The rider will use this, notably to shift the weight towards the right shoulder, therefore lightening the left side (N.B.: people who train horses to lie down have to start by putting one shoulder on the ground. They only manage this by bending the neck fully in the opposite direction. This confirms the fact that, in terms of balance, it is the neck and the shoulders which are important).

In the end, this means teaching the horse to hold itself to the right in the same way as it spontaneously does to the left, which fully justifies educating the horse to respond to a “neck-rein” (a rein effect that is used in all types of riding where the rider only uses one hand).

In later work, a slight bend to the left to­gether with the left rein pressing on the neck will be enough to bring the shoulders in front of the haunches.

Popular wisdom says:

“What is complicated is unimportant, and what is important is never complicated.”

The rider then has to focus on harmonising the way the hind legs move, by controlling the haunches. He will pay particular attention to positions that encourage engagement of the left hind, as well as those that stop the right hind from escaping and that involve it more in propulsion.

Lateral work will be particularly useful in this with the following focus:

•  shoulder-in… to the right with limited bend and a pronounced angle… to the left with a pronounced bend and limited angle

•  travers… to the left with pronounced bend and a pronounced angle… to the right with limited bend and a limited angle

•  renvers… on a circle to the right with pronounced bend and angle… to the left with limited bend and angle

•  rein back on circles to the left with a distinct inward bend.

The horse will gradually acquire a more balanced ability to cross, push and engage with both hind legs which will lead to the straightening of the dorso-lumbar segment.

Horses that are hollow to the right have muscles on the right side of the neck that are shorter and harder to stretch.

Straightening using a neck-rein: a horse that is hollow to the right must firstly learn to push its weight to the right shoulder under the action of the left rein against the neck to turn him towards the right in a counter-bend. Following this, a slight bend to the left together with the left rein against the neck will be sufficient to straighten the horse.

Conclusion

All of this work carried out firstly at walk, then at trot and lastly at canter will be a minimum requirement for the rider to claim that he has a straight horse… which means: a horse that is symmetrical due to the equal flexibility-mobility of the left and right sides.

“Through the perfection of his art, a horseman will spend his whole life correcting this imperfection.”

(Jacques d’Auvergne, 1729–1798)

Therefore, you do not “hold” a horse “straight”, unless you content yourself with a very approximate approach to managing stiffness using “tricks”.

Straightness is not possible to impose on a horse. It is the result of a lot of systematic work involving suppling and mobilisation in every direction.

By recommending that people ride a young horse “forwards and straight”, we are asking for the impossible and causing riders to cover more kilometres and resort to expedients rather than educating a horse to the aids using a corrective gymnastic approach, thus leading to a lot of work for nothing.

It would be a better idea to suggest working the horse to that it is:

•  above all relaxed, without which the exercise has no value

•  driven forwards, because without impulsion there is no horsemanship, but always within the limit that maintains relaxation

•  flexible, to harmonise the horse’s forces and therefore work towards straightness

This is summarised in General L'Hotte’s well-known formula: “calm, forwards, straight”, having stated elsewhere that dressage must “… combine impulsion with the flexibility of springs”.

Balance

With four legs and a strong instinct for self-preservation, a horse normally manages to stay upright… often in spite of its rider. Therefore, in the basic sense of the word it always remains “in balance”. In dressage this can give a feeling of impunity that the rider is all too willing to take as confirmation of his theories (even if they are contrary to the horse's nature) and his approaches (even if they are absurd). However, when jumping, the sanctions are immediately visible, objective and sometimes painful. They are undeniable and impossible to wrap in hollow words. This leads to the dressage world eruditely using the terms “on the forehand”, “in a horizontal balance” or “on the haunches” without rhyme or reason.

In riding, the search for postures which provide an “optimum balance” for a given movement is one of the keys of any intelligent dressage approach… since we cannot escape the universal effect of gravity with impunity. It is rather surprising to notice that the dressage manuals remain evasive and even silent on such an important point.

Natural balance

Built for flight and speed, a horse is naturally balanced on its forehand. All experiments to measure the weighting of the forelegs (Wf) and the hindlegs (Wh) carried out by General Morris or Captain de Saint-Phalle amongst others, have revealed a weighting coefficient (WC) for the forehand calculated in the following way:

We will take the average value equal to 1/9. In addition, the weight of the rider is distributed as follows:

Forelegs

Hindlegs

Rider sitting

2/3

1/3

Rider on the stirrups

4/5

1/5

Example:

Horse weighing 450kg rider weighing 75kg

Wf

Wh

Horse

250

200

Rider sitting

50

25

Total

300

225

The forelegs are subject to an extra load of 75kg or in other words 1/7 of the total weight. This is enormous.

Once in the saddle, a rider can only hope to optimise his use of a horse if he remains in perfect control of the horse’s balance.

Initially the rider has to manage the horse’s natural balance as best as he can by putting the horse in as comfortable a situation as possible. We will come back to this.

Then, the main focus of his work will involve gradual gymnastic exercises intended to produce a more equitable weight distribution between the forehand and the hindquarters. Only an “unstable balance” can give immediate mobility in every direction. From this point of view a rider can be compared to a tightrope walker.

The equestrian concept of collection corresponds to this search for an “unstable balance”.

We can even say that riding itself can be boiled down to our ability to modify the horse’s balance at will.

Collection

How can we achieve this “unstable balance” that we need for mobility and ease? By lifting the base of the neck, bringing it more vertically above the forelegs and by shortening the weight-bearing base.

•  Lifting the base of the neck.

Experiments carried out by General Morris and F. Baucher gave the following results:

•  Maximum lifting of the neck, with the head in front of the vertical: shifting back of 1/20th of the mass.

•  Lifting of the neck combined with flexing of the poll; ramener position: shifting back of 1/25th of the mass.

•  Extending the neck: 1/25th more on the forehand.

We can apply these figures to the example given above: a 450kg horse and a 75kg rider sitting in the saddle.

450kg Horse

75kg Rider

Wf

Wh

Difference

Weighting

coefficient WC

Horse standing freely

300

225

75

1/7

Extension of

the neck

(+ 1/25 ± 18kg)

309

216

93

1/5.6

Lifting without poll flexion

(- 1/20 ± -22.5kg)

288.75

236.25

52.5

1/10

Lifting with poll flexion

(- 1/25 ± - 18kg)

291

234

57

1/9

Distribution of weight between the forehand and the hindquarters varies according to the position of the horse’s head and neck. The figures give the weight carried by the forelegs and hindlegs in four different positions.

We can draw the following conclusions from this: