need. Others find collection difficult and we need to work on relaxing their topline to improve their flexibility into the contact. Eventually, the horse must become light to all hand and leg actions, regardless of which direction the aids come from. The first step is to teach the horse to turn by pointing
his front toes in the exact direction the rein wants him to go. It is most easily taught using a stick while working in- hand. Associate the tapping on the outside front leg to make it take a longer step in the direction of the turn with a direct, consistent pressure of the lead rope. The trick is to alternate rapid taps on the shoulder or the back for
The Correct Piaffe
the joints of the lifted leg upward. The vertical push of the hind legs is abso- lutely minimal and must not be transferred to the croup, which remains low- ered. If the horse’s hind legs are stiff and push too much upward, the horse can only balance himself by rooting his front feet. The flow of energy is then blocked by this bracing of the front feet, which puts the horse more and more on the forehand. If the front legs do not have a free path upward and forward, the torso of the horse stiffens and the hind legs either lose their ac- tivity or have to find a path upward, backward or sideways, but they cannot engage and flex down. This problem, combined with the unresolved asymmetry of the horse,
T
produces disengaged, uneven piaffe behind in which we see one hock lift more than the other and generally steps increasingly backward with each stride. Even more importantly, the synchronization and harmony of move- ment of the diagonal pairs are broken. All this stems from the bracing of the front feet on the ground that is part
and parcel of the resistance of the mouth against the bit. This is why all the classical authors who have written about the piaffe believe the horse’s lack of lightness, combined with the excessive use of the rider’s hand, is always re- sponsible for defects in the piaffe. No amount of frantic spurring from a rider suffering from “performance anxiety” in the show arena will improve the qual- ity of a horse attempting to piaffe out of this unsuitable balance. When the horse is properly flexed in front, arching his neck from the base
toward a very light contact, he recovers the freedom of movement of his front legs. The discreet action of the rider’s leg close to the girth can then increase the lift even more. As a natural reflex, the diagonal hind leg advances under the body in proportion to the front leg's advance in front of it. The correct piaffe has its own “vibration” (the electric quality of a rhythmi-
cal energy) and horses start to piaffe on their own, as the famous KWPN stal- lion Totilas has demonstrated brilliantly and exceptionally. The only piece of training left is to teach the horse to stop piaffing on command. This is done by a light squeeze of the legs under an immobile seat (called “the compre- hensive effect” or “effect of the whole,” a Baucher concept indispensable to all training). This is easily taught and helps horses stay calm in all situations and perform impeccable halts for as long as needed. v
he piaffe needs to show elevation of the knees with, ideally, some vertical push from the front legs in order to achieve a modicum of suspension. Behind, the horse flexes the joints of his standing leg downward and flexes
relaxation (every time we see the top line contract) and slow taps in the rhythm of the gait’s tempo to increase the stride length at the walk. Progressively, apply the stick to the side of the horse where the rider’s leg will act in or- der to transition to ridden aids. When the horse releases the pressure of the lead rope by advancing just a little more without the help of the stick, he has understood the task and achieved lightness in that particular direction. This work may be tedious, but it has immense value:
the trainer will find that every horse, by either resisting a particular turn or resisting the bend, will come against the rein action. At first, he may lose his stride length, change
TOP: JP Zuperstar (Istoso X Sultana), my six- year-old, learning piaffe. His standing front leg is vertical, lifted knee is close to the horizontal, hind legs are flexed (down for standing leg and up for lifted leg), haunch- es are lowered (see the lowered, swinging tail), back is rounded, neck is arched, poll at the highest point and nose slightly in front of the vertical. BOTTOM: Zuperstar in a perfect square halt, front legs vertical and haunches lightly flexed, his front end immobile and light with equal contact on both reins, forehead vertical, poll high. This halt must be followed by immobility, under the consistent light pressure of the Endo- stick on the thigh ("Effect on the Whole"). In the saddle, the light pressure of the legs and immobility of the seat replace the stick.
Warmbloods Today 53
Photos by Kim Taylor
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