(continued)
First is that of being able to develop an approach with the horse that allows a relationship to develop in which the horse can let down, relax and feel as though he can truly be himself without the need to use his instinctive self-preservations, which engage his powers against us. A relationship in which both the horse and human can feel that they are equal partners learning this process together.
Before we go on to the second fundamental requirement, I want to mention that I am not going to go any further into the subject of relationship in this article. I would like to deal with the physical aspects required in order to develop and enhance balance into the horse’s movements through the achievement of the horse working through and engaging his back. However, as we practice getting the horse working through his back we must not ignore the fact that it is quite impossible to gain the engagement of the back without the horse feeling content inside in their relationship with the human and in their work. (Articles on the subject of relationship can be found on our website at www.claywrighthorsemanship.com under Articles)
The second fundamental we need to understand is how to educate the horse to engage and work through his back and hindquarters. The engagement and/or working through of the horse’s back is one of the most important, as well as one of the most commonly overlooked, and/or unfamiliar aspects of horsemanship. What makes this aspect so important is the fact that it is the part of the horse that when engaged allows the connection between the front and hindquarters. It is the engagement and activity of the back muscles that creates the connection from the horse’s hindquarters to the mouth. Without the engagement of the horse’s back, the two quarters cannot aid nor do they compliment one another. Engagement of the back causes the hind legs to reach further under the horse’s center of gravity and increases their flexibility. This allows the horse to carry more weight on the hindquarters, elevates the front quarters, brings softness to the jaw, and helps the horse understand how to properly use and carry his head and neck. It is the coming together of all of these things which brings the horse onto the aids. Bringing the horse onto the aids will accomplish four very important things that are:
1. Bring the horse into obedience.
2. Allow the rider to change and/or adjust the balance and/or speed of the horse without causing tension in the horse.
3. Allow the horse to carry the weight on the hindquarters, relieving the forehand, thus preventing wear and injury of the front limbs, which greatly increases his longevity and years in service.
4. Develops collection.
Having the horse on the aids acts to develop longitudinal suppleness, balance, and power coming from the hindquarters going through the horse’s midsection and out the shoulders, neck, and head creating lightness and softness of mouth, relaxation, acceptance, carrying capabilities, engagement, impulsion, ease of movement and quickness of response to the riders request, which eventually brings the horse into collection.
When the horse is on the aids the back engages (lifts, lengthens, and stretches) causing an increase in the elastic tension throughout the top-line which in turn produces the same down through the horse’s hindquarters and legs. This causes the hind legs to reach further up under the horse’s mass with increased flexibility and power which is then returned from the hind legs back through the hindquarters and through the back continuing out through the horse’s shoulders, front legs, neck, and head. All of this creates a continuous, forward, circular, circuit of energy producing a fluid, rhythmic, and energetic gait. It is important to remember that a horse moving in balance moves in circular forward movement not in straight hard forward lines.
Having the horse on the aids is what allows us to bring the horse into various degrees of collection and/or states of readiness. For example, a rope horse coming out of the box, a barrel horse beginning its turn, a stock horse preparing to stop and turn back, a trail horse before descending a cliff or steep decline, a dressage horse preparing for a pirouette, lengthening, or piaffe, a reining horse setting up for the sliding stop, a lead depart, or a spin, a race horse in readiness to leave the starting gates, an event horse preparing for the jump, etc., etc. It also keeps the horse content, balanced and safe while covering varying terrain or in slippery or varying ground conditions.
If a horse moves itself forward without engaging its back, it will move itself forward through the power of its legs, feet, and shoulders. This creates a hollowing of the back, which results in falling behind the bit or leaning on the bit, and puts an excess of weight on the forehand. On the other hand, if the horse moves itself forward by engaging the muscles of the back, top-line, and hindquarters, it creates a suppleness throughout the horse and an activity in the hind limbs, an elevating and lightening of the forehand, softness of contact on the bit, and the feet and legs become attached to and controlled through the engagement of the muscles running the length of the horse’s top-line and down the length of the hindquarters and limbs. This creates a connection throughout the entire longitudinal frame of the horse. Either of these two different types of moving has nothing to do with the horse itself, but rather how the horse has been ridden and educated.
To really understand how to help the horse move through his back it is helpful to understand how the application of our aids will influence and create varying outcomes of the movement of the horse, as well as keeping in mind that it is through the engagement of the muscles of the horse (especially those of the neck, top-line, and hindquarters) that brings the horse into a state of longitudinal roundness and readiness, not the skeleton itself, as this is not possible without the aid and engagement of the muscles.
To the left is a picture of the skeletal makeup of the horse. The spinal column of the horse is basically a single unit; it is physically connected throughout its entirety. However, the shoulder blades have no physical connection to the rest of the skeleton (Figure 1, Labeled A). The horse has no collarbone and therefore the front limbs are connected with only muscles and ligaments.
What does this mean to us as riders? It means that if we try to round or engage the topline of the horse in longitudinal flexion by pulling back with our hands, or if we try to elevate the withers by trying to lift the shoulders of the horse as we are pushing with our seat and squeezing with our legs, it will cause a hard tension in the horse’s muscles and leave us with only the capability to affect and influence the skeleton of the horse. This puts us in a position where we can only try to round and lift the spinal column of the horse through the direct influence of the backward pulling action of our hands. But if we look at (Figure 1, Labeled B) where the vertebrae of the neck meets the vertebrae of the back, the influence of the backward pulling, or lifting and pushing effect would stop at this point leaving us unable to influence or round the back, or be able to bring the hindquarters any further up under the horse’s center of gravity. And in fact puts us in a situation where the only influence we have on the horse’s spinal column is in that of the head and neck. This puts the horse in a position where he has no other choice but to resist by either lifting the head and neck, becoming hard in the jaw, and braced in the shoulders (Figure 2, as shown in red). Or he must overbend the head and neck by bending in the curve of the neck behind the two first vertebrae (Figure 3, as shown in red) instead of flexing at the poll itself made up of these first two vertebrae. Both of the scenarios (although they vary in position of head and neck carriage) will cause a hollowing of the back, forcing the withers to drop between the shoulder blades loading undue weight upon the front quarters and putting strain on the horse’s back. This will also cause a shortening of stride in the hind legs, and create a situation where the horse cannot softly accept or be put upon the bit and aids.
In order to bring the horse into a longitudinally rounded frame, in which the back is engaged, we must always work the horse from back to front, thinking about allowing the engagement of the horse’s muscles throughout the topline to bring the back into elevation by developing suppleness and strength in the hindquarters, as well as increasing the flexibility of the three major joints in the hindquarters: the hip, stifle, and hock. It is the development of suppleness, strength, and flexibility of the neck, back, and hindquarters that develops the engagement and impulsion in the hindquarters—which when released in forward motion is sent up through the back and neck of the horse creating the engagement of the back and neck muscles. In other words, the loins, hindquarters and hocks become flexible, engaged, and active. The hind legs now swing further up under the horse’s center and drive the horse energetically ahead creating an engagement of the back muscles, which act as tensioned convex springs that connect, coordinate, and compliment the action and movement of the two quarters. When the horse is working through his whole body, he will be in a balance that is strong, energetic, and in a state of readiness. Yet he will be supple, steady, and in light contact on the bit. This state or balance is commonly referred to as being “on the aids,” or “carrying the soft feel,” (Figure 4, as shown in red). And eventually through much time, patience, and correct work, will develop collection without tension and anxiety (Figure 5, as shown in red).
If we cannot use our legs to squeeze the horse forward, and we cannot use our arms and hands to pull the horse’s head or jaw back towards the body of the horse without causing these ill effects, then what can we do? We use aids, feels, postures, and thoughts that create willing submission which allow the horse to move in a more natural, balanced manner. Before you ever reach for the horse, have a picture in your head of what you’re going to ask for, how you are going to ask for it, what kind of attitude you are going to reach with, and how you want the horse to respond, feel, and look. Then let your body prepare to do what you have pictured. As you prepare, feel for the horse to prepare with you, then you go do it together.
As I mentioned earlier, we should always reach for the horse and work the horse from back to front—not front to back. So as you reach for the horse don’t just feel for the horse’s jaw. As you feel the jaw (before applying pressure to the jaw) make sure it is soft and then feel through the horse’s back and down to those hind feet. Get those hind feet in your hands, get the horse’s back attached to your back, get the hindquarters attached to your seat bones, and get the shoulders attached to the front of your pelvic joints. To do this, the back and hindquarters need to engage into a state of readiness getting the horse ready to move forward. As you feel the horse lift his back, engage the hindquarters, and prepare them to step forward, receive that forward momentum into your hands and allow the horse to roll his body forward into your hands. Do not bring the horse’s head back to you, and do not bring the horse’s weight back over his hocks. Bring the horse forward to your hands, and bring the hocks up under the horse’s weight.
To get the horse to this state of readiness to move forward, engage the muscles in your back. Your back is your control center; you gather the desired amount of energy and engagement you wish the horse to have in your own back and then let that energy release out your center. Let your back control your legs, arms, hands and seat. In this way, you can let your legs, arms, hands and seat act as extensions from your back, and they become driving and/or regulating aids that receive and go with the horse’s motion instead of contracting, pushing, holding or pulling the horse causing resistance.
Engaging your upper back engages your triceps while allowing your biceps and forearms to stay relaxed in order to receive and go with the horse’s motion. Contrarily if we engage the biceps and forearms, the hand and arm then become tense, which restricts and interferes with the horse’s motion. This causes the horse to feel that his forward momentum is being blocked. This would cause the scenarios shown in figure’s 2 and 3 in red. The horse becomes fearful of the rigid disruptive contact and protects himself.
Your lower back engages and drives the horse forward and engages the driving seat without causing the seat to push the horse, which would also cause the horse to brace in resistance. Anytime you feel resistance in the horse, use your back and fingers to play with the horse’s hocks, and soften the horse’s mouth on the bit re-establishing the balance and light contact. Use an alternating right – left rhythm in the opening and closing of the fingers. This playing of the fingers is not a seesawing action in the hand but an impulse in the hand itself, like that of a heartbeat. Allow the closing and opening of the fingers to be controlled from the back muscles, not the biceps and forearms. If the horse is pulling on you, use your back, weight, and rhythm until the horse re-establishes his balance, softens, and becomes light. Anytime you work the hands without first adjusting your back, you only affect the horse’s head and can have no influence over the rest of the horse’s body. When you feel the horse think about giving to you, give to him. By give, I mean yield the lower fingers, lower the hands, stop the rhythm in your hands and just let the horse’s rhythm move your hands, while keeping a light, equal feel on both sides of the horse’s mouth in your hands. Also relax and let down the engagement of the muscles in your back while keeping your energy at the level it is and keeping your spinal column straight. Do not sag in the saddle—just let your muscles relax and melt into the ground.
The engagement of the lower back also engages your hip and your lower leg, or more specifically the calf muscle, and this is what sends the energy forward out through your center communicating to the horse to go forward from the hindquarters. The engagement of the calf muscles creates an expansion of and energy in that muscle, which creates a feeling of the whole leg being lengthened. This gives a feeling of more weight being taken in the stirrup without relieving weight in the seat. It allows your leg to touch the horse if engagement of the hip and lengthening of leg alone was not enough. This will create a feeling of your feet reaching down into the ground stepping you and the horse into forward motion without the need to kick, squeeze, or press the horse into forward motion. If the legs kick, squeeze, or press the horse, it causes the horse to stiffen the rib cage. When the ribs become rigid, they lose the side-to-side swing blocking the hind feet from reaching up under the horse’s center. As a result, you loose the engagement and impulsion that keeps the horse’s back engaged, round, and elastic.
It is important to understand that the longitudinal flexion that brings the horse onto the aids cannot be obtained through direct work in longitudinal flexion. It is developed only through the loosening of the horse and through the use of lateral flexions. When the horse can be loose, supple, and forward, while bending equally from head to tail on both sides, then as the horse is straightened, the horse will offer you the longitudinal flexion. It is through allowing the horse to first learn and warm up in the normal balance at the normal gaits, and then through the practice of proper lateral flexion in such exercises as that of, flexing the head and neck, turn on the forehand, yielding the hindquarters, serpentines, loops, circles, and half or quarter circles that readies the horse to bring himself into the longitudinal flexion and up onto the aids.
Working the horse in the normal gaits while doing serpentines, loops, circles, halts, rein-back and shoulder-in at walk and trot and doing transitions back and forth from the halt, walk, and trot in the bends and through the changes of rein is what loosens the horse up and settles him into the work physically, mentally, and emotionally. If the horse is feeling somewhat lethargic, the rider would work the horse at a little brisker pace until he could come into and hold the pace the rider is asking, in relaxation, freedom of movement, regularity of stride, suppleness, and some degree of correct lateral flexion. On the other hand if the horse were feeling anxious or tense, the rider would then work the horse at a slower pace until these same qualities come through. But these qualities are a must in order to ask the horse to come up on the aids.
As the rider works through these lateral and bending exercises, pay close attention to the softness of the horse’s mouth, the movement and action of the inside hind leg, the flexing of the horse’s neck and ribcage, the vertical alignment of the head and shoulders, and the rhythm of the footfalls. At each new bend, the rider wants to feel: the horse’s head and neck look and bend into the new arc, the ribcage flex away from the bend, the inside hind leg swing up under the center balance point of the horse, (nearing the center point right below the center of your seat) and the shoulders of the horse staying upright and parallel to the ground. For example, if the rider were traveling a straight line and then asked the horse to circle off to the right, the horse would initiate the circle to the right from his hindquarters. He would move the hindquarters away from the bend (to the left) by stepping the inside hind foot deep up under his center, while the front quarters held to the straight line until his lateral flexion to the new bend was committed to and correct, at which time the rider would allow all four quarters to flow onto the circle.
Executing the lateral bends in this manner, while keeping even rhythm, is what creates the flexing in the three major joints of the hindquarters. This develops the engagement and impulsion in the hindquarters, which creates the engagement, rounding, and stretching of the back muscles. All of which prepares the horse to come up onto the bit and onto the aids.
When practicing these exercises, there will come a point where you will feel the horse shape up for the turns in the manner described above. You will feel the horse lift and use his back more actively, free up his movement, become even in his rhythm, and become soft and light on the bit. Now the horse has come up on the aids. And at this time, it is critical that the horse be ridden on the aids for only a few strides before the rider straightens the horse or enlarges the circle and allows the horse to go long and low. Before we can engage the back and keep the horse on the aids, it must first be able to stretch. Once the horse understands how to and/or is loosened up enough to consistently offer correct lateral flexions and stretching of the back, then the rider can begin to keep the horse on the aids for longer periods of time, and keep him on the aids as the horse is straightened or the circles enlarged. When all of this comes into place, as the rider straightens the horse he or she will feel a livelier, more engaged, energetic stride in the horse coming from the hind feet. The horse will want to roll its body forward into the feel of your hands. This is the horse coming up onto the aids and is what begins the development of the working gaits. Let your hands and back receive and accompany this forward motion. At this point, the rider should feel as though he or she can feel the whole body and the action of the horse, and be in control of that action as well as the impulsion and rhythm of the horse with your attitude, posture, back, seat, legs, and hands.
Once the horse can be brought up on the aids consistently, you can begin working through the same patterns and transitions of serpentines, loops, circles, and especially that of the shoulder-in while keeping the horse on the aids and further develop the working gaits as you straighten or enlarge the circles. Remember that frequently releasing the horse back to long and low or back to the normal position, will enable you to eventually hold the position of on the aids for longer periods of time. If your work done on the aids has been correct, as you release the horse, the horse will want to go towards long and low of his own accord because he will now want to stretch and relax the muscles throughout the topline which have just been worked and engaged.
From this work while being on the aids and done correctly—correct being working the horse from back to front without pulling on or holding the horse, and making sure that each new arc in the horse is being initiated by the inside hind foot stepping up under the center of the horse—the horse will begin to offer you the working gaits by simply engaging the small of your back slightly deeper and releasing more energy out from your center as you straighten the horse or enlarge the circle. The working gait is much the same frame and feel as that of the horse being ridden on the aids with the additions of a slightly quicker tempo, and a slight increase in the lowering of the hindquarters and lifting of the front quarters, which will give the gait an increase in liveliness with more cadence and spring.
Through this work a certain degree of collection will have already been established, we can now use this degree of collection to begin more concentrated use of the lateral movements—the shoulder-in, haunches-in, and half-pass and begin to vary the pace within the gaits as well as from one gait to another (gait being—walk, trot or canter). For example, in changing paces within a gait: start from working trot, practice slowing the trot, then lengthen the trot, and then come back to working trot while maintaining the same rhythm in each variance of pace. These transitions of pace combined with the lateral work will eventually begin to bring clarity to the horse in the different paces within a gait and perfect the various paces of—normal, working, medium, and eventually collected, and extended work.
In the development towards collection, I think it is important to remember that the lateral movements were invented and designed to develop the qualities of movement (the stretching, flexing, and strengthening of the back, neck, limbs, and hindquarters) in the horse that bring about collection. Collection is not something that one day you decide the horse is ready to start working on. It is developed through the process of gymnastically and pragmatically working on the balance and rhythm of the horse through the lateral movements and the changes of rein, gaits, paces, halts, and rein back. These exercises and transitions are the keys to the creation of a quality riding horse for any discipline. They teach the horse to properly prepare and balance himself for the transitions and each variance of gait or pace. They are also what prepares the horse for further schooling such as collection, lengthening, lead departs, change of leads, pirouettes, spins, etc. However for these exercises to be effective in preparing the horse in furthering his development and training and to promote obedience, the rider must be able to keep the horse soft on the bit and keep the two quarters united through the engagement of the horse’s back.
All content © Clay Wright Horsemanship Schools 2008