expectations in the day-to-day conduct of this training. Toti has some great elements of talent for piaffe: a natu-
rally uphill balance, a topline that rounds easily, haunches that want to flex, a neck that comes out the right way and an interest in learning new things. Nevertheless, we still have to explain to him how to put the pieces together and connect his diagonal pairs the right way. Toti has the ability to reinback with a natural eleva- tion of his front feet (lifting his foot forward, bending the knee and then bringing it back). This is usually a sign that piaffe will be reasonably easy (as opposed to horses who tend to drag their heels when going backward). The most important reason to teach piaffe to Toti
is to soften his very powerful, bouncy trot. Letting him trot much longer in his natural form of the gait will only make his further training harder. By teaching him to flex his haunches through collection, we can reach our goal without constant manipulation of the front end by the rider’s hand, something we see way too often. Collec- tion will make him suppler and more responsive to the aids by using the most adequate exercise rather than force.
Piaffe 101 Piaffe is a very different mode of movement than anything the horse has done so far. He knows how to push himself forward but not how to lift his legs without gaining ground. A “finished piaffe” takes a long time to be developed.
A horse that has been schooled in piaffe from early on, as long as the work was gradual, becomes as comfort- able with that air as with any other gait, compared with horses who are perfect at Prix St. Georges (which is a very forward going test) and are suddenly struggling when asked to collect themselves. This is why we see all
the resistances and the bad piaffes that are so notice- able in many Grand Prix horses. It is important for the horse to learn this higher form of collection because it will facilitate every lesser form of it, improve his general balance and save his front legs. A collected horse, even at a low level, will carry his rider with greater ease, will stay sound and will be more controllable (because he can stay “under the rider”). His balance will be easier and that will allow him to stay light in the bridle. A horse in true collec- tion (not compressed between legs and hands) is easier to sit and a pleasure to ride. Piaffe is not a transformation of forward thrust into
vertical thrust, but the transformation of forward thrust into vertical lift (from the hip/stifle/hock) at the same time that those joints are lowered toward the ground. The hind legs are shortened from both ends: from the hip by flexion downward as well as lifting upward. A very important concept to be sought out from
the start is the verticality of the standing front leg. If the horse is leaning over his standing front leg (which would be inclined backward) he will lose his balance, lean on the bridle and engage his hind legs too much to compensate for the loss of balance (without real flex- ion of his hind joints). As a result, he would have to lurch forward in his transitions to passage. If the horse is standing behind his front feet, they are
therefore braced and he will lose his impulsion, raise his head and “spit the bit,” forcing the rider to abandon the contact. The hind legs will also stay behind the vertical (not engaging) as the horse is “parked out” and the tran- sition into passage will be unclear, with many small inter- mediate walking steps. A good piaffe associates the flexion of the hind legs
(their lowering) with the elevation of the front (base of the neck/withers) and the rebound of the front legs. If
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Halt and reward is essential. Teaching piaffe to a young horse can have its unavoidable moments of excitement. Toti performs a few steps of piaffe, with the author JP helping from behind with a slack lunge line (attached to the chain/cavesson) and a lunge whip. The goal of this method is to render the helper obsolete as soon as possible. The balance is much improved in that arrangement: the front leg on the ground is vertical and the hind legs are both more flexed and more lifted. The poll must not be any higher or the hind legs will be overloaded as a result. We are not concerned with how low the front leg lift still is. Toti is very calm and trusting and completely in place. Two steps each time is all we need. Toti departs into an energetic trot. As he is learning NOT to push when piaff- ing, it is fundamental that we remind him how to push forward when asked. Goals are trot depart and halt, alternate immobility, activ- ity in place and forward thrust.
Warmbloods Today 33
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