Dressage: Foundation for All Riding Disciplines
Laterals
or lateral work involve sideways movement or moving your horse “off the track.”
The collection you
have been practicing will now come in very handy, because if you cannot control
the momentum of forward movement you will not be able to move his body away
from your leg. The horse must have some
degree of collection to be able to move sideways easily and with balance. To stay balanced, he must be carrying himself
well and have the ability to shift his weight and move off the track.
For
example, let’s say the speed of the horse is 10 units of a possible 10, meaning
he is rushing. Since he is using all 10
energy units going forward, he would have 0 units of energy that he could move
sideways. But if you collect him down to
5 units, then there will be 5 units of energy remaining to move his laterally.
The more collected
the horse, the more energy available for sideways movement.
Energy
is the key. You do not just slow the
horse’s forward movement; you put the horse in balance by “collection.” Collecting the horse keeps his energy up and
allows you to funnel that energy in any direction you want. When you send him forward with it, you get a
lengthening . . . a lengthening without energy is "strung out".
Lateral
work is "contained forward energy" which you have chosen to direct
into sideways movement.
It
does not take an extreme amount of collection to be able to do these next
exercises, especially at the walk. Do
these exercises at the walk, and then the trot. As you perfect the exercises you will be
able to attain collection, which will in turn improve the exercises.
To
prepare your horse for lateral work, start with the basic leg yield. It is a good way to get the horse to
understand he is to move laterally away from your leg pressure. Leg yielding will be easy for you since you
have already been doing the exercise.
When
I introduced the square and turn-on-the-forehand, you were using the leg
yield! Leg yield is simply yielding to
your leg.
The
leg yield is not considered a "true" classical dressage exercise, and
is frowned upon by “traditionalists” if used too often. However, I find it very useful for reminding
the horse to move away from the rider's leg.
There is some
argument as to where the horse’s nose should be; some say in the same direction
as the turn, and some say the opposite.
I feel you should
start by keeping the horse’s nose fairly straight ahead or to the inside toward
the leg you are pushing with (as in the double). Keep the outside rein firmer and the horse’s
head straighter. Then try it turning the
horse’s nose away from your pushing leg.
Use your common sense, and choose to give the cues and aids most
beneficial to your individual horse.
SHOULDER-IN
The
shoulder-in is the exercise that is most helpful in making your horse
straight. It is the classic of the classical
. . . the foundation lateral exercise of dressage.
There
is also some argument about how this exercise is to be performed. I want you to perform the shoulder-in as the
Spanish Riding School describes it. I
prefer this method as it creates a better bend in the horse's body. If this exercise is done in an exaggerated
way, as is often seen, it is not necessarily wrong, but it will be more like a
leg yield. Both ways are considered
correct.
This
exercise was created to work all the leg joints in a horse, and to increase the
activity of the inside hind leg. We will perform the exercise as follows,
working all the leg joints and creating good bend.
Walking along the
rail to the right, begin to turn the horse onto a circle to the right. Freeze this moment after two strides and you
will see that the forehand is just coming off the rail, creating a separate
track. The shoulder-in is performed with
the forehand of the horse on that separate track, while the entire horse
continues to move down the rail. The
horse’s forehand (shoulder) is at an angle to the rail and yet the horse is
still traveling along the rail.
Your
hips should be twisted to the inside (right) to create the bend, and you look between
your horse's ears. Your inside (right) hip drops and sends the energy of the
horse to the left hip, which is leading.
If
you remember the clock exercise, your hips are now on 10 and 4 in the
twist. Now change your weight
distribution to send the horse laterally.
You put weight in your right hip at 4 and send the energy to the left
hip at 10. The shifting weight of your
hips acts like a teeter-totter, the area you weigh down makes the exact
opposite area lighten, sending the horse into the direction that is lightened.
The
horse should be ridden forward along the rail with your seat as you keep your
outside rein firm and your inside leg pressure holding
the bend. Your outside leg should remain
passive just behind the girth to keep the horse’s hindquarters steady and
forward. Your hips must remain in the
correct twist to keep the bend.
The
horse's legs are moving in this sequence--the inside (right) foreleg is
crossing over the outside (left) foreleg.
The outside hind leg should be stretching forward. The inside hind will
move more toward the center of gravity of the horse, NOT stepping into the
print of the outside fore as commonly happens.
In this manner, there should be 4 tracks, not 3.
A
three track occurs when the inside hind foot steps into the print of the
outside fore. There is nothing at all
wrong with this, and it is often seen, but it is not appropriate for this
lesson program in dressage. Other disciplines
may not be concerned about getting deeper bend of the joints, but that is
exactly what we are striving for.
Try
not to rock your body. You may feel like
doing it to a small degree at first, but keep your body as quiet as
possible. If your horse stiffens, speeds
up, or loses his bend, then let him continue on the circle and then ask for the
shoulder-in once again when he is relaxed.
Keep the horse calm,
moving forward with energy and collected.
If he is rushing or falling on the forehand, he will not be able to
perform the exercise.
The
shoulder-in is much easier at the trot, but practice at the walk first so you
can feel what you need to do, and so the horse gets the idea you are asking him
for a new response.
If
you remember your rules, you will not lead him with your inside hand and over
bend his neck; your outside rein will keep his neck fairly straight, which will
keep the bend in his body. Do not
attempt too tight a bend: start with a
20-meter circle size bend and then gradually decrease it to about 10 meters (11
and 5 o' clock is where your hips should be if going to the right with a 10
meter bend).
Practice
just a few strides at a time. It will
take the horse some time to strengthen and become supple. If he is losing his position, ask him to trot
on a circle and then straighten him and ask again for the shoulder-in. Always end on a good note. Do not labor over this exercise; it needs to
remain light and lively and fun.
Work
for balance, cadence, and tempo. You
should feel like you are dancing with your horse. You should begin feeling an undulation through
his back and some spring in his stride; when you feel it, you are getting the
correct action.
COUNTER-BEND
To help improve the
shoulder-in, and to perform the half-pass, you need to work on bending and
counter-bending while riding a circle.
Bending and counter-bending will help you identify where he horse’s rib
cage is. While doing a circle, be sure
your horse is bending in the correct manner.
You will feel his rib cage pushing into your outside leg. When changing direction, be sure the horse’s
rib cage has moved over into your new outside leg.
Where does he put his
head on these circles? Hopefully his
nose is slightly toward the inside. If
he is on the correct bend, he will want to face the inside. Consequently, if he is counter bent, he is
pushing his rib cage towards the inside, making him bend and look to the
outside.
Ride the horse on a
circle in a semi-collected frame, changing his bend for a few strides by asking
him to half-halt and then giving him the cues for the opposite bend. Your hips swivel, and your legs and hands
change outside/inside positions.
You will need to drop
your outside hip a bit and increase your outside leg pressure to keep the horse
on the original circle. Ride the new bend
for a few strides, and then switch back.
Keep you head facing the direction of the circle, and let your body
change for the bend.
If you or the horse
has a difficult time with this at first, try working small circles--10 meters
or so of the opposite direction, off the main 20-meter circle. For example, ride a 20-meter circle, change
direction to the outside for a 10-meter circle, and then go back to the
20-meter circle. Do as many of these
changes as you need to do to get the horse comfortable switching his rib cage
immediately. If he cannot do even these,
then go back to the basic groundwork or under-saddle work that helps you move
his rib cage. The more you return to the
basics to improve a difficult exercise, the more cooperative and understanding
your horse will become!
Suppleness should be
increased through these exercises, and collection will be improved greatly by
the shoulder-in. I feel that only when a certain amount of suppleness and
collection has been achieved should you ever attempt a rein-back.
REIN-BACK
In a rein-back, you
are asking the horse to back up.
Diagonal pairs of legs should move smoothly and evenly backwards. The horse must lift his back and accept the
bit. His haunches will drop and carry
more of his weight. The rider sits
quietly and uses his legs, not his hands!
Basically, the
rein-back is a halt cue from a standstill.
If you perform a correct halt and then immediately ask for a halt again,
he should back up if he is correctly on the aids. This is how subtle you need to be.
Your legs press the
horse into the bridle with a soft and slightly yielding hand to halt him, then repeat the exact procedure: press him again into a soft
and slightly yielding hand, and he should back.
Your legs give him the energy and keep his rib cage centered. The hands catch the energy and forward
momentum and hold softly so that the horse's body springs like a coil into the
bridle and then reverses direction.
The horse should be
calm and smooth and straight. The horse
should not throw his neck up, drop his back, swing his haunches or take tense
hurried steps. These are major faults,
usually caused by too much hand and not properly applied leg aids. If the basics are tended to, these things
should not happen.
Is he sore or tight? Stiff?
Not understanding? Clue: it is
usually a back problem if it is not rider error.
The rein-back only
works if the horse is using his back well and has elasticity through his
body. His hindquarters must stay
underneath him, which means your legs must be active.
NEVER pull on the
reins to back him up. You may need to
shorten the reins a little before you start, but do not pull.
The horse's body must
work correctly and have proper training to perform this well. It is often an exercise the judges look at to
see if the horse is really on the aids, or just being pulled in and pushed
around. There is such a big
difference. Never pull in! You can hold and push tactfully, but do not
pull and shove the horse up into the bit!
If the horse
cannot rein-back, you must discover the problem and correct it. Return to
the basics and work on the earlier exercises until you discover a reason for
the problem. At this point, you should
be able to understand where faults are originating and how to use basic
exercises to correct the fault.
Let me know immediately if you feel you are in a battle with your horse, or if he is just being just plain crazy. There are many things that develop unexpectedly. We want to correct them before they become a problem. E-mail me!
HALF-PASS
The half-pass should
not be hard to master if everything else is going along just fine. It can be done at all three collected gaits,
but start at the walk first. As I
mentioned, the degree of lateral movement depends on the collection and degree
of forward movement. In the Half-pass,
the horse is asked to move laterally and forward at the same time.
Let's do half-pass to
the right. (Collection is the key!) As always, look and turn your body in the direction
of travel. Your hips and shoulders line
up with your horse's shoulders. Your
inside hand gives a slightly right bend to the horse’s head as your inside leg
supports the horse's side and keeps him moving forward. Keep your outside leg back to keep his
haunches from swinging to the left, and to push him softly to the right. Your outside hip drops, (don't lean), and
sends the horse to the inside. And as
always, your outside rein remains firm and keeps his neck fairly straight.
The horse will be
moving to the right, his rib cage against your (left) outside leg, as opposed
to the inside. He will be bent in the
direction he his going. (Warm up on the
counter bend prior to this exercise.)
Ask your horse to move over a stride with your outside leg, (while you
be sure to keep your bend), then send him forward a stride with your inside
leg. Your hips do the same. The outside hip sends him over, your inside
hip sends him forward by dropping back and pushing him forward. Be careful not to lean. Use your hip tactfully, but efficiently.
The horse moves over,
forward, over, forward while keeping his bend.
Do this for only a few strides, then let the horse rest. Gradually increase the number of strides as
the horse builds muscle and rhythm. It
will be easier at the trot, but learn it at the walk first.
Ride him forward into
the trot if he gets confused or frustrated.
Don't lose your cool either! Practice leg yields and counter bends and
turns on the forehand. Be tactful and patient. Tell yourself, "I have all the time I
need!" And mean it!
If you start with a
young horse, it should take about 3 years to train him to the upper
levels. You must take the horse's
physical body and mental aptitude into account as you teach him. If you started with an older horse that has
muscle and understanding, it may take only half the time. If you take the time he needs to do it right,
then you won't have to constantly fix the same problems that occur from taking
short cuts, or rushing him.
I am going to review
the clock exercise so there is no chance that you will not understand it.
CLOCK EXERCISE
Set Up: Pretend you are on a clock face on your
horse.
12 is in front of
you, 6 is behind you.
3 is your right hip,
9 is your left hip.
You should have your
hips level -- no leaning to the side,
forward or backward.
You are the center --
ground 0.
Your hips should be
deep in the saddle, your seat bones tucked underneath you.
Your
hips move in relation to each other--if
your left hip moves back to 8, your right hip moves up to 2 -- the exact
opposite point on the clock.
When you rotate your
body, keep your hips level and in the saddle.
When doing a lateral
movement, you drop a hip to help send the horse away form that hip into the
direction of the lightened hip -- the exact opposite direction of the one you
dropped.
Yes, you can rotate
your hips and drop one to send him in the opposite direction.
You can then send
your horse in a lateral and a bend at the same time!
Now, here's how to
tell if and where your hips are stiff.
If your hips are stiff, they will inhibit your horse's movement and make
it difficult for you to do these exercises correctly. You need to understand that if your horse
does not perform, it could be rider error; and it often is.
PELVIC
While keeping contact
with your saddle, roll your hips until you are in the 12 position. Then roll back to 6 behind you. Rock gently back and forth until you find
your center, ground 0.
Tuck your seat bones
so they are not digging into the middle of your horse's back.
Roll your hips right
to 3, then left to 9. Rock gently until
you feel even pressure on both hips.
Now, start with your
right hip, keeping contact with the saddle, and roll your pelvis up to 12, then
back to 3. The secret to this exercise
is to feel your pelvis touch 2 and 1 on its way to 12. Then do the same thing from 3 to 6. Go back up to 3 then to 1 then all the way
back to 6. Get the idea? You are rolling your pelvis in various
degrees of a circle on your right side.
(Yes, your left side lifts to allow you to do this.) Go towards 12, go towards 6, go in any
pattern you want until you feel if and where your pelvis feels stiff, leaves
the saddle, or is hard to roll. What
number would that be? Does your pelvis
like to skip 2 or 1 and jump straight to 12?
Wherever it does that tells you the position of your hip that is
stiff. The rolls actually help loosen
the hips.
Now, the left
side. Start at 9 and go to 12. . . etc. Do this side as you did the other until you
get the feel of where you are stiff. The
exercise itself will help loosen you.
Once you can do the
half circles on both sides, then practice 3 to 9 and vice versa across 12 and 6
until you can press your pelvis all around the saddle.
Make circles with
your pelvis all around the saddle from any number to any number, back and forth
in both directions. Wherever your pelvis
skips or jumps, or gets stuck, that is where you need to really slow down and
put extra attention.
Your horse may find
all this a bit silly and confusing, but that is okay as long as he is not
upset. If you feel confident, let him
wander around and see what he does.
This is also a good
warming up exercise for you and your horse, as it helps him become more aware
of his body..
Some horses are so sensitive to this that they will walk circles, change
directions, and move sideways in accordance to your hips. If they do, that's great! If not, it's okay. Give your horse the chance
to learn this and react to your body.
Gently encourage him, but do not worry if he does not wander; he may
just be waiting for a more specific signal from you!
BALL EXERCISES
Get
an exercise ball from any toy store. Put
enough air into it so when you sit on the ball, your legs are about where they
would be if you were in the saddle. You
sit centered on the ball with your legs balanced in front of you about as far
apart as your horse is wide. Keep your
toes forward and your thighs on the ball.
Use the ball as a substitute for your
horse. Do the clock exercises with the
ball and you will get immediate feedback.
The ball will react to your weight distribution and roll about, telling you
exactly where your body is sending your horse.
The good thing is that you can do this at home in your leisure time and
work on the exercises. Being round, the
ball will work better with your hips and do a great job of loosening them.
You can even practice
posting. Be aware of your observations so can to track your progress.
Do
the exercises in this lesson. Work on
them and intermingle them with the previous exercises. Incorporate them all and create patterns and
exercises of your own.
The next lesson is
about the dressage arena and how all these exercises and patterns will be
applied.
I want you to
continue doing all the exercises. Get
comfortable with what you have been learning and work on refining your
skills. Be patient. Approach your training in small, systematic
steps and do not be afraid to go back to the beginning to fill in any gaps.
TERMS:
Contained Forward Energy--when a
horse is collected, balanced, and forward; ready to move off in any direction
in any form; on the aids.
Core--your midsection, diaphragm; doing a tummy
crunch to help "hold"
the horse.
Drop--deepening a hip; putting more weight in one
hip to send the horse over or forward.
Half-Halt--asking a horse to almost stop, but not
quite; asking the front of the horse to slow down or halt, while at the same
time asking him to move his hindquarters farther under him; balancing the horse
from the hindquarters to the forehand; using quiet, energetic legs, soft
yielding hands, active seat, and holding your core; balances and energizes your
horse.
Hold--doing a tummy crunch to firm up and
strengthen your midsection to hold the front end of the horse still or steady;
used in a half-halt.
Lighten--when a hip is lighter in the saddle, but
not actually off the saddle.