POINT OF VIEW
his tempo, jog, etc., but once this work has been done thoroughly, the horse will be available to turn in any di- rection while bending easily, in a constant tempo and length of stride, all with a feather light touch on the rein. Once the horse knows how to turn, he needs to do it with a bend (practice shoulder-in and flexions in hand). The lat- eral flexion of the neck facilitates the uprightness of the shoulders by placing the weight on the front foot outside the bend. The next step is to teach the horse to slow
down the gait by a slight upward opposition of the hand so the horse learns to shut down his push partially, then reactivate it instan- taneously when the hand allows the head to lower again. This is a skill that the horse needs to learn by associating a slight pres- sure on the reins with a verbal command (“Steaaadyyy!”) and a release associated with a cluck to go again. Today, too many horses are taught to go in very big gaits and do not possess the mechanics of the slow trot (the “doggy trot”) that will be indispensable when they come to study the piaffe. The search for the showy rebound, started too soon, incites riders to use endless half-halts and prevent the horse from learning self-carriage. Once the horse knows how to shorten his stride and
transform his forward movement into an upward gesture, he can progressively learn to shorten his frame from both ends. Short gaits and short frame are two separate les- sons. This happens by the work of flexions and mobiliza- tion, which will be the subject of my next article: release of the jaw, flexion of the poll, lifting of the withers by arching the neck, bending the back laterally and diago- nalizing the walk by the shoulder-in, rounding the loins by the reinback, flexing the hocks in the engaged halt, putting it all together in the piaffe. In learning collection from back to front, a horse with
a naturally uphill conformation will learn to elevate the neck progressively and sit down behind. For less well con- formed horses, we must elevate the neck carefully to help them sit behind, while paying particular attention to the back (never let it sink down). This work has some limita- tions relative to each horse’s conformation.
Just Enough All of these techniques designed to instill lightness, bal- ance and impulsion in the horse follow the principle of the “diminution of the aids.” The rider needs to do enough at first to be understood (“imperative force”) alternated with rapid tapping of the stick to induce relaxation, then identify the slightest sign of compliance verbally so the
54 September/October 2017
“If [trainers] do not diminish the intensity of the aids rapidly, the horse has no op- portunity to exercise his comprehension
and, from there, im- prove his goodwill.”
horse knows he is doing the right thing. The reward comes by the ceasing of the demand (release to long reins). After a moment of rest to help the horse register what happened, the trainer reiterates the demand with a less- er intensity, and again, until a very light aid suffices. This process is not always linear and might be “two steps for- ward and one step back.” In general, the horse learns to anticipate the full effect of the imperative force and com- plies with a smaller and smaller signal. This is absolutely fundamental to the training of horses in all disciplines. It leads to compre- hension as the key to self-carriage, self-pro- pulsion and self-discipline (cooperation). Imperative force has nothing to do with
any form of brutality. It is simply the key to the trainer’s credibility because it brings on the horse’s attention and respect, from which his trust will derive. In nature, domi- nant horses send each other very clear sig- nals supported by their physical might so they can be clearly understood and com-
plied to. They then send smaller and smaller signals very quickly, eventually reduced to a simple facial expression, but they never hesitate to return to force if not under- stood. This is the equine behavioral process for establish- ing total lightness. Trainers need to follow the same mod- el: if they do not diminish the intensity of the aids rapidly, the horse has no opportunity to exercise his comprehen- sion and, from there, improve his goodwill.
Aim for the Vertical One of the fathers of 18th-century French military riding, Boisdeffre, discusses how most resistances came from the lack of uprightness of the horse; in other words, the faulty distribution of his weight over his feet. If the horse is not upright, he may be leaning on one side, or one of his legs may be usually inclined under the body or in front of it. The withers are usually tipped toward the heavy shoulder. This problem is not just obvious in the stance but also, and most importantly, in movement. In order to move in balance, the horse must always move one foot in suf- ficiently far in front of his body to “catch” the mass pro- jected forward or sideways by the thrust of the legs. Too much contact restricts and delays the advance of the feet and compromises the balance. The horse ends up need- ing the hand as a permanent crutch and the vicious circle is completed. Think of it this way: a basketball player dribbling
around himself always moves a foot in the direction he is sending the ball, supporting his body as far as he can to stay in balance. He can relax his body and keep control
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