Rev Up Your Dressage Scores

Tammy Fifer

Copyright©2010

 

Lesson Three

 

 

The “How-to” of Straightness

 

     You may be looking at the outline, and wondering why circle movements are involved in a lesson about straightness.

 

          I am sure you’ve heard that a horse has to bend to be straight, but he also has to be straight to bend correctly.

 

          I feel that straightness is one of the most misunderstood concepts on the training scale.  Let’s get the “how” and “why” figured out so you can use this to your advantage and rev-up you dressage tests scores.

 

          We have been discussing how to work within the arena, but let’s step back a moment to be sure you know how to get the horse truly straight in the first place.

 

           Let’s say you are riding down the centerline from A toward C.  Just because you make a generally straight line, it does not mean, in any way, that your horse is straight.

 

          “Well, he went straight, didn’t he?” you may ask.  Perhaps, but going straight doesn’t always mean the horse is straight.

 

          This may not mean anything to you until you are showing in a test and the judge tells you your horse is crooked, or makes a strange comment that your horse is “against your leg.”  If you get that comment, you can be pretty sure your horse is not straight.   

 

          How can you tell your horse is not straight without a judge telling you?

 

          Here are some obvious things a crooked horse does, or cannot do well, until he is straight.

 

          If your horse is not straight, he will not truly be forward, but will rush instead.  He will prefer to move in one direction more than the other.  He will have a certain side that will not move away from your leg cues.  He will often “drop” a shoulder, and will consistently tip his nose to one side.

 

          Tail-swishing will often accompany crookedness, or just carrying the tail to one side instead of straight. 

 

          These symptoms are not unique to crookedness, as they can often be pain-induced as well.  But if your horse exhibits any of these “signs” chances are good “crookedness” is the cause.

 

          If the issues mentioned are never correctly addressed, your chances are zero of performing higher-level movements correctly.

 

          Believe it or not, you can feel it when your horse is crooked; I am sure you have already felt it, but may have given that feeling a different name.

 

          When you are riding, and place your leg on the horse’s side to move him over, and he responds by pushing back, he is probably telling you he is crooked. 

 

          When you are going along the rail and try to prepare him for a turn, and he insists on looking outside the arena, he is telling you he may be crooked.  And if you are working in a circle, and he is consistently counter bending or dropping the inside shoulder, he is most likely telling you he is crooked.

 

          Most horses are crooked at times, especially before warming up. 

 

          Often a crooked horse can be straightened with correct riding and solid softening exercises.

 

          There are, however, a lot of horses with chronic crookedness which prevents them from being able to straighten easily.

 

          When a horse is straight, he has an equal amount of weight bearing on each leg and he is square at the halt.  There should not be any need for the rider to make the horse stand a certain way to appear straight.  Ridden correctly, a straight horse will naturally halt squarely.

 

          So what IS straight for a horse?

 

          It has to do with his ribcage.  The horse’s ribcage should be able to swing to the right and left equally.   In other words, the horse can stretch or contract both sides equally.

 

          A horse can only stretch one side at a time; the opposite side is contracting.  This is how a horse bends.

 

          To picture this, think of a rubber ruler standing on its edge. Take one end of the ruler and bend it left or right. If you can visualize this, you can see the ruler is bulging on one side and bent inward (contracting) on the other side.

 

          If the ruler is stiff, it is always stiff on both sides. It can’t be stiff on one side and at the same time bend on the other. If it stretches on the left, it is contracted on right; if it stretches on the right, it is contracted on the left.

 

          The horse’s rib cage is just like the ruler.  When going to the right, the contact of the rider’s right leg asks the horse’s muscles to contract on the right side, which creates the right bend.  This can only happen if the horse’s left side can stretch and bulge.

 

          The horse cannot bend correctly if one side or the other is stiff.  He will try to compensate by either contorting his neck, shoulder or haunches; or possibly by pushing back against the rider’s asking leg. 

 

          There are many attitudes or behaviors a horse can take to avoid doing something that is physically difficult.  The horse may react violently, stubbornly or just ignore the rider.

 

          To really get the horse straight, you want to put the horse together in three parts.  The horse’s head/neck/shoulders are one unit put together by using the outside rein.  The horse’s barrel or ribcage is controlled by the rider’s seat, thighs and lower leg.  The horse’s hindquarters are controlled by the rider’s seat and lower leg.

 

          The idea is to keep the ribcage centered between the rider’s legs and also directly between the horse’s forehand and hindquarters.

 

          If the horse responds by moving from away from the rider’s leg, and bends into either direction easily, then he is probably pretty straight and can bend well.  The two go hand in hand; can’t have one without the other. 

 

          Lots of bending and flexing exercises loosen the ribcage and enable the horse to become straight.  Being able to easily bend in either direction is what makes it easy for the horse to be straight.

 

          There are a few things to remember when preparing the horse to be straight.

 

          First you want to loosen his ribcage—his midsection.  Many people call it “swinging the hammock”.

 

          When you keep his forehand straight (use the outside rein to keep his head and neck in front of his chest and shoulders) you can then send the horse’s ribcage right and left with your legs.

 

          Practice this at the walk on alternating strides.

 

          Depending on how responsive the horse is, you can use your thigh, upper leg, calf or heel to create the cues.  Never just push or kick, use more of a pulsing action.

 

          The most responsive horses will react to your upper leg.  Your lower leg is a way to “raise your voice” in terms of the cue request.

 

          If the horse is very tight, crooked or sore, you will probably need to use the lower leg, ankle and heel.  (Of course, immediately find the source of the horse’s tightness or pain and correct that before continuing his training.)

 

          Don’t kick the horse, but use your heel or ankle like an ice cream scoop, lifting up on his muscles as far down as your leg hangs.  If you raise your leg or put it way back, you will engage the haunches and that is not the part we want to move at this point.

 

          You want to control the middle of the horse, so that is where you should be using your leg aid.

 

          Always think of using both legs.  One is the “asking” or “pushing” leg, and the leg on the other side is the “passive” leg.  Think of pushing his ribcage into the passive leg.  Give the horse a “hug” with your legs; one leg pushing the horse into the passive leg.

 

          Do not take your passive leg off your horse.  The passive leg must remain against the horse so the horse doesn’t simply move his whole body over instead of swinging his ribcage over.

 

          There is a lot more detail and information about “straightness” in my course: Dressage: Foundation for All Riding Disciplines.

http://www.horsecoursesonline.com/index/index_dressage_description.html

 

          For now, understand that “straightness” is going to rev-up your dressage scores.

 

          Here are two exercises to help get the horse straight.  These are not asked for in any test, but are great for improving your horse’s performance.

 

 

          The Double

 

          You want to sit tall and level.  The inside rein is taken away from the horse’s neck (not back) and then brought back toward your hip.  Twist your body to the inside, without leaning, and with your legs, ask the horse to “double” and “chase his tail”.   In this exercise, you do NOT hold the outside rein.  If you allow him that freedom, both his front legs will cross and his hind legs will cross.  This will help him both stretch his outside and contract his inside.

 

          Do NOT do this with speed and do NOT use it as a punishment.

 

          This exercise will help introduce him to contracting his bulging (harder) side while stretching his over-contracted inner side.

 

           Do the exercise several times in one direction, and then repeat moving in the opposite direction.

 

          Keep your body and hips level, swiveling toward the inside; that means inside hip is back and the outside hip is forward.

 

          After you have him moving a little rounder and softer from this exercise, you are going to do the second exercise, the turn-on-the-forehand.

 

 

The Turn on the Forehand

 

          This will help lighten his forehand, round his back, straighten his body straight and put him on the bit.

 

          Walk your horse forward, going to the left, and halt correctly, pushing him into your hand. Make sure you have a firm (not tight) contact on your outside rein.

 

          Your inside rein opens slightly and stays soft, keeping the horse’s nose slightly to the inside. Put your inside leg back just a bit and send the left ribcage and haunches toward the outside leg.  Use your hips as well and eventually your hips will take the place of your leg.  Your inside hip will come back as your outside hip goes forward. 

 

          Use a press and release cue with the inside leg.  Your outside rein is keeping his neck straight – no bend in the neck please!

 

          As the horse steps over, your outside leg then presses to send the horse’s outside forward.  His inside hind leg should be stepping over and forward of his outside hind leg.

 

          The horse’s head and forehand remain relatively still as the hindquarters are moving around the forehand in a controlled, when- asked-for motion.

 

          You do not want the horse to step backward.

 

          Click Here to Watch a Short Video

 

          Done correctly, the inside hind leg of the horse must cross in FRONT and forward of the outside hind leg.  The horse’s front legs lift and step, making a smaller, circular motion. Have someone watch you or do this on the ground so you can see that he is moving correctly.  Always work both directions.

 

          Here is an exercise to help improve hindquarter movement.

 

          Place four cones to create the corners of a large square.

 

          Now ride the following pattern: Ride to a cone and halt.  Push the horse’s hindquarters over a few steps, (keeping his neck straight and his motion forward), and then push him into the walk toward the next cone.  Repeat the exercise.  You should make each turn a 90 degree angle.  The goal is to make nice straight lines between each cone.  Keep his neck straight; raise your hands if he lifts his neck (you want a straight line from your hand to his bit), keep contact and do not let him backup.  He may even try to cheat by turning his forehand over instead of his hindquarters.  If he does this, you need more outside rein and maybe slide your legs back a bit to be sure you are affecting his hindquarters.

 

          This exercise can help your horse straighten, bend and flex, raise his back and remain “forward”.  Improve in these areas and your horse will move forward correctly---and I guarantee the judges will notice!

         

Click Here To Take Quiz

 

Assignment:

TASK ONE:

Please have someone video tape you and your horse performing both a “Double” and a “Turn on the Forehand”.

 

TASK TWO: 

Send a report describing each of the above exercises.  Describe using concrete details and with very specific Do’s and Don’ts. 

 

Any questions, feel free to ask.

 

EXPLAIN WHICH SIDE IS YOUR HORSE’S CONTRACTED SIDE AND BULGING SIDE, AND HOW YOU KNOW THIS.  ALSO TELL ME YOUR PLANS TO STRAIGHTEN HIM. WHICH EXERCISES SEEM TO WORK THE BEST?

 

Load the video to YouTube, Photobucket, or another video hosting web site.

 

          Please send the link to the video and your report (in the body of an email or as an attachment) to: circlesofhorses@gmail.com