Dressage: Foundation for All Riding Disciplines

By Tammy Fifer

Copyright © 2004

Lesson Two

Laying the Groundwork

If you can longe your horse then do so, or if you have a round pen then place him in it and let him move at liberty.

Use a whip if necessary, just keep him moving forward. As long as he is not dangerously running about, let him move around on his own and just observe him.

At this point, he does not need to be performing; I want you to watch and see what he wants to do. Where does he go? Which direction does he go when he changes directions?

His actions will give you a clue to his psyche. If you longe your horse all the time and he knows his routine, then try to get him to move out on his own and be more spontaneous. Do not direct him, just keep him moving.

Does he tend to be forward with lots of energy, or lag and need constant urging? Does he change directions a lot? Does he turn toward the rail, or toward the center? Does he make a nice loop, or spin about? Does he buck and twist or leap about?

Now, how does he move? Is he loping or trotting with lots of action? Does he take long, ground-covering strides? Is he short and choppy in his strides? Where does he carry his head? Is his head low with his nose dragging the ground or is he holding it high? Is his nose poked out stiffly or carried to one side? Does his neck bulge underneath or is there a swan-like arch over the top of his neck?

Look at his back. Does it look stiff? Is it swayed downward? Does it undulate and round up? Does it look strained and stretched? Are his hind legs out behind his rump or do they swing way underneath his belly?

Good even stride with nice contact

It is not always easy to assess our horse's weak and strong points. You may need to get him out several times and watch him move before you can actually follow what his body is doing. Perhaps watching him in the field will work better for you. What you need to do is break down the body parts and watch what he is moving and where it is moving.

Just what are you looking for?

Watch for his favorite gaits, his best direction. How does he avoid certain areas in the ring? Is he spooky? Timid? Bold? What is his expression? Does he look joyful or overly serious, anxious or perhaps uncomfortable?

Write all this down. Here is a list of things to check.

Horse in Motion Check List

Write your observation for each part of the horse during each gait:

	WALK	TROT	CANTER
Head Carried:
Face forward
Nose up
Out stiffly
Low in the dirt
Towards the left
Towards the right
Other
Ears:
To the side
Pricked forward
Flicking about
Other
Neck Carried:
Slightly arched
Bulging underneath
Upright
Ewe-necked
Out stiffly
Straight in to the air
To the right
To the left
Other
Back:
Slightly rounded up
Straight
Tense
Tight
Sway backed
Tipped to the right
Tipped to the left
Other
Hindquarters:
Slightly lowered
Rounded
Straight
Stiff
Raised
Tipped to the right
Tipped to the left
Other
Hind Legs:
Moving evenly underneath
Out behind the buttocks
Left taking shorter strides
Right taking shorter strides
Swinging from both hips
Swinging from the hocks
Swinging out to the side
Other
Front Legs:
Even forward strides
Short choppy strides
High knee action
Flat knee action
Flipping toes
Other
Shoulders:
Long sweeping motions
Small movements
Other
Movements:
Even tempo
Quick
Rushed
Sluggish
Balking
Incorrect canter leads
Leaning to the right
Leaning to the left
Lame
Other
Changing Directions:
Turns to the outside
Turns to the inside
Turns to the left
Turns to the right
Other
Avoidances:
Bucking
Rearing
Spinning
Leaping
Other
Expressions:
Joyful
Bold
Silly
Content
Serious
Worried
Timid
Anxious
Spooky
Confused
Angry
In pain
Other

These are some of the common things you see in horses. The top movement in each list is the preferable action we like to see. If your horse does not exhibit these it's okay; we will work on his movements until he reaches his potential. Right now it is important to see what we have.

Why is it important to improve the horse’s movement?

The answer: it is difficult for a horse to carry us in his best manner if he is unable to carry himself. What we are going to do is analyze some of these movements and discuss possible reasons and solutions to improve them.

If a horse is balanced he will raise his back, arch his neck, carry his face forward with his nose pointed towards the ground and have freedom of movement in his shoulders.

His haunches will lower as his hind legs swing well under his belly. His tummy muscles will lift, supporting his back, and his front end will be light and lofty.

These are the movements we like to see in a horse.

Exercises to be learned in future lessons will improve the way your horse moves, and that will make him easier to train and ride.

If the horse is not lame, but just moves slightly off or crooked, we can probably do something with him.

One of the major reasons a horse will not move to his best potential is a sore or poorly conformed back. Most of the problems on the check-list can be traced to back problems. There can be numerous reasons a horse will have a tight, sore, or swayed back. These issues can creep into the horse's everyday movement and cause all kinds of undesirable actions.

A major and frequent factor in back problems is an ill-fitting saddle. It can be too tight, too wide, too far forward or unevenly stuffed.

To check for back soreness, run your finger pads (not nails) about three or four inches apart down both sides of the horse's spine. If he flinches, bucks, drops his back or tries to move away from your hand, he is letting you know his back is hurting or stiff, depending on the severity of his avoidance.

You may decide to have your vet to check the horse.

Here are some ways your horse will tell you through movement that his back is hurting or tight.

He will carry his neck up high or hold it to one side or the other. He will toss his head constantly, tug on the reins, or possibly reach around and try to bite you. He may buck, drop his back (being considered cold-backed), or carry his haunches way out behind himself.

He may over-bend his hocks in movement because it hurts for him to lift his back and drop his haunches. He could stiffen his sides and want to move in only one direction. He may want to rear up and throw weight off his back.

If the horse’s back is not sore, there may be problems in other areas. Think about any old injuries that could have created soreness or muscle tightness, even if they happened years ago. Sometimes when something heals it leaves a "calling card", bunched or constricted muscles that need help to loosen. Some horses, like people, simply have poor posture.

I want you to notice the horse’s habits in movement and attempt to determine what, if anything, he may be trying to tell you.

If your horse seems to have an attitude, is grouchy or sometimes mean, it could possibly be tightness from an old injury that is bothering him. Do not be too quick to punish him. Think about what you are asking him to do when he gets that way, and determine if there is a correlation with a body part that he just does not want to move. It could be the cause of the bad mood.

If something is easy and doable, then usually the horse will be willing to follow along and just do it. If he is having extreme difficulty, then either he does not understand your commands or he is unable to carry them out. This is more common than we might think. Many horses get punished due to our lack of understanding.

Then again, the horse may be doing exactly what we are asking; it is our responsibility to know what we are asking and the correct way to ask!

Let's discuss tack fit a little more. It is very important we have the appropriate tack, and that it fits correctly.

A snaffle bit bridle is the best to use for dressage. It is especially important to use it when doing the exercises we will be doing soon. You can choose a ring, D or eggbutt snaffle. I prefer you start with a single jointed mouthpiece. The reins attach opposite the mouthpiece and there are no poll or curb pressures. The snaffle is a direct action bit. (To learn more about bits, be sure to take the course Bits and Shoeing.)

Some snaffles have an extra, small link in the middle of the joint. The link is called a French Link. A Loose ring snaffle tends to pinch the corners of the horse's mouth. You can get a round rubber bit-guard that goes between the corners of the horse’s mouth and the rings, but make sure there is space, that it does not make the bit too tight.

Choose a snaffle that fits your horse’s mouth. Narrow mouthpieces are more severe than thicker mouthpieces. The bit should fit into the mouth as comfortably as possible. It is my opinion the mouthpiece is wide enough to allow a finger-width space between each corner of the horse's mouth and the ends of the mouthpiece.

The horse will be moving his mouth around and will need room to do so. When the bridle is in place, I prefer the mouthpiece fit into the corners of the mouth snugly enough to create a wrinkle in the skin. The bridle should not allow the mouthpiece of the bit to bang the horse’s front teeth, nor be so tight the horse’s mouth is held in a "grimace".

A dressage saddle is preferable, but if you use an all-purpose saddle that is okay for now. A hunt saddle will not put you in the best position for dressage, but it is not impossible to begin learning in one.

I suggest you use what you have for now, but be sure that it fits both you and your horse, and is in the proper place on the horse's back.

If you purchase a saddle, it is good to get one that has an adjustable tree. There are many good saddles out there; however, make sure you have an agreement you can return the saddle if it does not fit your horse.

To check the fit of your saddle, place it, without a pad, just behind the withers and slide it back onto the flat of the horse's back.

Yes, I said slide it back behind the withers. There should be at least 3 finger's width behind the end of the withers and the front of the saddle. The saddle should not be lying on the withers or the shoulder.

Saddle up too far – on the shoulders

Place your hand over the horse's shoulder -- it should not be covered by the saddle. Don't we want good shoulder movement? The saddle can ruin the shoulders and withers of the horse. Even if the saddle does not touch the withers when it is forward, it still needs to be put back behind the end of the withers.

Saddle placed properly

You may have thought the saddle fit when it was pulled forward, but it must fit the width of the horse's back when it is pulled back into place. It should not pinch or be squeezing the sides of the withers either. The saddle should lie flat along the sides of his back and there should be no gaps.

The gullet of the saddle, where it allows room for the horse's spine, must be wide enough to allow the spine to be unhindered. Too tight a fit here can ruin a horse's back.

If the saddle fits well without the pad, then place the pad under it. It should not be a thick pad. If it is too thick, then you will cause undue pressure on his back. The pad that goes with a saddle that fits well should only be thick enough to cushion the saddle.

If the saddle is too wide, you can sometimes pad it well so that it fits better. But if the saddle is too narrow, adding padding to it will only make it fit tighter. It is like adding socks to shoes that are too small already -- it does not work. You will need a wider saddle; otherwise the tight fit will create pressure points and can ruin the horse's back and shoulders.

Do not worry about having the saddle put back too far. It is hardly possible to hurt the kidneys; you are way more likely to create damage to the withers and shoulders if it is too far forward.

With the saddle in its correct place, it allows the girth to be put back a hands width from the horse's elbow. That is where the girth goes. In its correct place, it will not cause girth sores and chafing. It may look weird to you at first, but it is truly the proper placement of the saddle and girth.

Proper girth placement

If the saddle had been causing soreness, it could take a few weeks for the soreness to go away before the horse is moving better with the new placement. Every time you put on the saddle, be sure to check that the shoulder is uninhibited and that the saddle is behind the withers. This is vitally important. Sometimes bad saddle placement is the cause of many problems. Correct saddle fit is an instant fix. Use it!

A few more good things result from the saddle being in the right place—it gets you back farther on the horse and allows you to use your legs and seat more appropriately. It is also much smoother to ride the back of the horse as opposed to his neck.

There are some things dressage riders often complain about. They bemoan the fact they cannot get their legs back far enough. Well, if the saddle were back farther, then they would have their legs in the right place. And that elusive big shoulder movement would be more enhanced with the saddle not interfering.

Neck and shoulder pain often go away, and then the horse is more comfortable and can lower his neck into a better position.

If you are not sure about watching your horse's movements, or if the tack fitting is difficult, I can receive pictures and/or video so that I can help you make evaluations. But you are here to learn, so please do your best on your own.

Click here to take Quiz 2