Tips to Supple a Stiff Horse

by Jane Savoie

There are lots of exercises you can do to supple a stiff horse, but one of my favorites is one I call "+7/+1." Here are the aids to supple your horse with that exercise:

The Active Aids
1. The Inside Rein – The action of the inside rein is the same as it is for loosening the poll (indirect rein). However, in this case, ask for a bigger bend. Turn the key in the lock to bend your horse's neck until his face is seven inches (+7) to the inside of a neutral position (neutral means his chin is directly in line with the crease in the middle of his chest.).

To use an indirect rein, turn your wrist so that:
• Your thumb points toward the center of a circle
• Your fingernails point up toward your face
• Your baby finger "scoops" up toward your opposite shoulder
• Your entire fist stays forward in the "work area" but moves over toward the withers. (Come very close to the withers, but don't cross over.)

As soon as you've turned your hand in that position, return to a normal position with the thumb as the highest point of your hand.

Bend and straighten your horse's neck to a +7 three times. Do the three bends one right after the other, and do them very quickly but very smoothly. Make sure to keep contact with your horse's mouth before, during, and after you bend him. Don't let the rein get loopy.

2. The Inside Leg – It's very important to use your leg at the same time you use your inside rein. For example, bend your horse's neck with your right wrist to a +7 and squeeze with your right calf at the same time. By doing so, you're telling his right hind leg to go forward into your right hand. In this way, you put your horse "through" the right side of his body.

The Passive Aids
1. The Outside Rein – Keep your outside rein steady and supporting to limit the amount of bend in your horse's neck to a +7.
• Don't let your outside hand go forward toward your horse's mouth. Keep your hands side by side.
• As soon as you've bent your horse's neck to a +7, use your outside rein to straighten it and bring your horse back to a +1 flexion.

Important: Don't keep him bent to a +7 until he "gives." That's the wrong kind of giving. He's just giving in the jaw, and that's not what you want; you want him to come over his back as he connects his hind leg to your hand.

2. The Outside Leg – If your horse is very stiff, you'll need to support him with your outside leg to prevent him from swinging his hindquarters out when you bend him with your inside leg and rein. Make sure all four of his legs stay on the original line of travel. Your horse's neck is the only part of his body that comes off the line of travel.

Sequence of Aids
Go on a circle, and supple your horse three times in a row. Then leave him alone for 6-8 strides to give him time to react to the suppling. During those 6-8 strides, make sure your contact is elastic, depending on the gait you're in.

Elastic contact means:
• In the walk and canter, your elbows open and close as if you're rowing a boat.
• In the trot, your elbows open and close like a hinge or like you're washing clothes on an old-fashioned scrub board.

Keep alternating between suppling your stiff horse three times and then being quiet for 6-8 strides. If you've been effective, with each set of three supples your horse will lengthen and lower his head and neck. He'll also feel looser and softer in his body and more mentally relaxed.

Ride the Shoulder-In

Learn to ride dressage movements, part 2 of 2
by Jane Savoie

Shoulder-in is the father of the advanced lateral dressage movements. It does many wonderful things for your horse. Here are just some of them:

• Shoulder-in is a suppling exercise because it stretches and loosens the muscles and ligaments of the inside shoulder and forearm. During shoulder-in, your horse passes his inside foreleg in front of his outside foreleg. This motion increases his ability to move his forearm gymnastically in other movements.

• It's also a straightening exercise because you should always straighten your horse by bringing his forehand in front of his hindquarters. Never try to straighten him by leg yielding his hindquarters out behind his shoulders.

• Shoulder-in is also a collecting exercise. It increases your horse's self-carriage because he lowers his inside hip with each step. As a result, his center of gravity shifts back toward his hind legs. His hindquarters carry more weight and his front end elevates.

What Does Shoulder-In Look Like?
The horse flexes to the inside and bends around your inside leg. His forehand comes in 30 degrees off the wall so he's on three tracks. At this angle, his inside hind leg lines up behind his outside foreleg. Sometimes in competition the judge likes to see a hoof's width more than three tracks, but don't bring the forehand in more than that, or you'll lose the bend.

What Are the Aids?
If you're doing left shoulder-in, the aids are:

1. Put your weight on your left seat bone.
2. Keep your left leg on the girth for bend and to ask for engagement of the inside hind leg.
3. Place your right leg behind the girth to prevent the hindquarters from swinging out.
4. Use your left rein to create a +1 flexion at the poll.
5. Keep your right rein steady and supporting to prevent too much bend in the neck.
6. Keep both hands low and equidistant from your body as you move them to the left. Move them to the left enough to place the outside front leg in front of the inside hind leg. Use your inside rein as an opening rein. Bring your outside hand very close to the withers, but never let that hand cross over the withers.

What's the Sequence of Aids?
Always ask for bend before you ask for angle. The formula for the advanced lateral exercises is Bend + Sideways = Engagement. It's not Sideways + Bend = Engagement.)

• Make a 10-meter circle (or ride a corner with a 10-meter arc) to bend your horse.

• You'll know your horse is bending easily when you can soften the contact on the inside rein and he stays bent by himself. He'll also feel like he's "giving" in his rib cage (i.e., if you're circling to the right, his rib cage feels like it's bulging to the left).

• Once he's bending nicely, start a second 10-meter circle.

• Interrupt that circle during the first step, and continue down the long side. To interrupt the circle, look straight down the long side and give a squeeze with your inside leg.

• Bring both hands to the inside to place the forehand 30 degrees away from the wall.

• Make sure you do the shoulder-in with the same amount of bend and angle in both directions. Don't ride on three tracks in one direction and on three and a half tracks in the other.

Marks of a Good Shoulder-In
The quality of the shoulder-in really comes down to bend. You know your horse is bending if his hindquarters are in exactly the same position (i.e., parallel to the wall) in shoulder-in as they are when you're just riding straight down the track. If his hindquarters swing out at an angle to the wall, you're just doing a leg yield in a shoulder-in position.

Learn How to Ride Dressage Movements, Part 1 of 2

The 20-meter circle at Training Level
by Jane Savoie

A 20-meter circle at Training Level is the first dressage movement that you'll do to make your dressage horse more athletic. The goal of riding a 20-meter circle is to create flexibility.

Flexibility refers to your dressage horse's ability to bend laterally through his side. Here's what you should know about the lateral bend:
• The bend through your horse's side should be equal from poll to tail.

• Your goal is to help your horse become ambidextrous. In other words, he can bend as easily to the right as he does to the left.

• As a dressage movement, correctly ridden circles teach baby engagement (the bending of the joints of the hind legs).

• Circles also develop straightness. A straight horse is straight on lines and bent along the arc of a circle.

As a dressage movement, why is it so important to ride 20-meter circles accurately?

• Physically, accurate circles help develop lateral flexibility and engagement of the inside hind leg.

• Mentally, riding accurate circles develops obedience.

Always keep in mind that horses are herd animals. When you ride, you're part of a two-animal herd. Your horse is happy to be a follower if you're a leader, but he'll take over if you aren't. If you don't ride accurate circles, you're letting your horse take over and make decisions. Once your horse learns to take over on a circle, eventually he'll make more and more decisions on his own. Letting him make his own decisions can escalate into disobedience.

You always need to be the leader of the herd. It's up to you to tell your horse where to go, how to go, and when to go there.

To make an accurate 20-meter circle, you need to do two things:
1. Bend your horse.
2. Ride to specific reference points.

If you're circling to the left, the bending aids are as follows:
• Weight your inside seat bone (left) to encourage your horse to engage his inside hind leg.

• Place your inside leg (left) on the girth. It acts as a pole for your horse to bend around and also maintains the activity of his inside hind leg.

• Put your outside leg (right) behind the girth to help bend your horse's body around your inside leg and prevent his hindquarters from swinging out. For a 20-meter circle, place your outside leg one to two inches behind the girth.

• Ask for flexion to the inside with your inside (left) rein. You should just see your horse's inside eye and nostril.

• Keep your outside (right) rein steady and supporting. Think of it as a side rein that limits the degree of bend in his neck. It also functions as your turning rein to bring your horse's shoulders around the curve.

Create a marriage between your inside and outside aids. You need both sets of aids to bend your horse while you turn him along a prescribed line. Your inside aids bend your horse, and your outside aids turn him.

Reference Points
To make an accurate circle in a large arena at Training Level, you need four reference points.
• Start your circle at A or C. This is your first reference point.

• Your second reference point is four meters past the corner letter (this is ten meters from the corner). The biggest mistake riders make when starting a circle is that they aim for the corner letter. If you do this, you'll end up with an oval. So aim for four meters beyond the corner letter.

• Your third reference point is the spot where you cross the centerline. If you draw a line between M and H (or F and K), that line is six meters from the short side. The imaginary line between the next set of letters (R and S or P and V) is an additional 12 meters. When you add 6 + 12 meters, you get 18 meters, so in order to make a 20-meter circle, cross the centerline two meters above the line that runs between R and S or P and V.

• Your fourth reference point is on the other long side. Touch the long side four meters before the corner letter (ten meters from the corner).

Important: The key to learning how to ride a round 20-meter circle is to look two points ahead and "connect the dots."

Remember that all of the dressage movements are not an end in themselves; they're a means to an end. That end, for a 20-meter circle at Training Level, is developing flexibility in your dressage horse.

This article originally appeared at www.ezinearticles.com.

Progression from Training to First Level

Look ahead to prepare your dressage horse to move to the next level
by Jane Savoie


Riders often ask me, "How do I know it's the right time to move my Training Level dressage horse up to First Level? In this article, I'll give you a way to come up with a logical plan for introducing new work at Training Level.

First, I just want to make a general comment. All training should be a systematic progression toward a desired end result. You need to be able to see the big picture.

For example, even at Training Level, the quality of your 20-meter circles is going to make it possible to collect later down the road. Circles show your horse's ability to bend equally to the left and to the right. His ability to bend on a large circle makes it easier for him to progressively increase his bend from 20 meters to 18, to 15, to 12, to 10. As he becomes flexible enough to bend along a tighter arc, you're laying a foundation for advanced lateral work such as shoulder-in, haunches-in, and half pass.

Planned Progression
A lot of times people say to me, "Oh well, I am only working at Training Level." You need to understand that the work that is done at Training Level, such as correctly bending on a 20-meter circle, is essential for your horse's systematic progression to the more advanced work.

So let's look at one way you can plan your program. Here's what I did: back in the early 70s, I had to work a lot on my own, so I used the USDF tests as my guideline. I knew those tests were designed with the systematic progression of the dressage horse in mind. I thought, "Well, this is a good place to start since I don't have anybody around to tell me what to do."

I'd work on whatever was at Training Level. And even if my horse wasn't ready for the next level, I'd always look ahead and read what was in the First Level tests. That way I'd have an idea of what was coming up next.

Let's say my dressage horse is at Training Level. I polish my 20-meter circles, my basic transitions from gait to gait, and the stretchy circle. That's all great, but I also look ahead. I see that I'll need to do serpentines, where I have the complication of changing the bend from left to right.

I'd also begin to add smaller circles because eventually, at First Level, I need to do 10-meter circles in the trot and 15-meter circles in the canter. That doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to go from 20-meter circles in the trot to 10-meter circles. Instead, knowing that my horse will have to do 10-meter circles down the road, when he can comfortably do 20-meter circles, I'd do some 18-meter circles. And then, in a few weeks or months, when he can comfortably do 18-meter circles, I'd do 16-meter circles.

Because I look ahead and I know what is required at First Level, I plan a program where I progressively make the arc of my circle tighter and tighter until eventually I can do 10-meter circles easily in the trot. And what I mean by "easily" is that my horse can handle the arc of that curve without having to find an evasion such as swinging the hindquarters in or out from his line of travel.

Getting Ready for the Next Step
I'd also see that there are leg yields in the First Level tests. So I think, "My horse has to learn how to move away from a leg that's behind the girth. Maybe I should incorporate some turns on the forehand into my work at Training Level so that I'll be ready to do some leg yields when the time comes."

At First Level, I also have to show lengthenings in the trot and in the canter. So I work on developing elasticity by lengthening and shortening. Even at Training Level, I start to do rubber band exercises. I go a little more forward for three or four strides and then come back for three or four strides. Then I repeat that--three or four strides a little more forward and three or four strides a little bit back. While doing that, I really focus on maintaining the same rhythm and the same tempo in both "gears." (Editor's note: see last month's article for more on rhythm and tempo.)

I also notice that at First Level there is a little counter canter. So I think about incorporating some counter canter into my work. I come one meter off the rail by the time I'm across from B or E. Then, by the end of the long side, I'm back onto the track. I do this pattern so gradually that my horse doesn't even know I'm asking for a couple of counter canter steps. Little by little I come off the rail a bit more. My next step is to come one and a half meters off the rail. We're one and a half meters off the rail when we're across from B or E, and then we arc back to the last letter.

I keep polishing the movements at Training Level with my dressage horse, but I always have an eye on what's at First Level and start to incorporate a little bit of that work as well. That way, the transition from Training to First Level will be easier on me and the horse.

Running, Lengthening, Rhythm & Tempo

Can you tell the difference between when your horse runs and when he lengthens?

by Jane Savoie

People often ask me to explain the difference between "running" and "lengthenings." In this article I'm also going to describe the difference between running, lengthenings, medium gaits, and extended gaits.

Running

When you ask your horse to lengthen his strides and frame and you hear his tempo (the rate of repetition of the rhythm of his hooves) get quicker, he's not lengthening. He's just running.

Lengthenings

In a good lengthening, your horse lengthens his stride and frame to the utmost he can at this relatively early stage of training (around first level) while staying in the same rhythm and tempo. He ends up covering more ground with each stride because it is longer.

Lengthenings are developed from the working trot or canter. Since your horse is in what I call "horizontal balance" in a working gait, his balance will also be in the horizontal in a lengthening (i.e., his topline is basically parallel to the ground and his center of gravity is toward his front legs).

Medium Gaits

In medium gaits, your horse lengthens his strides and frame from a collected gait while staying in the same rhythm and tempo. In terms of length of strides and frame, medium gaits are between collected and extended gaits. This movement is "rounder" than that of an extended gait.

Because medium gaits are developed from collected gaits, your horse's balance is different from his balance in lengthenings. His center of gravity is more toward his hind legs, and his topline looks more uphill than it did when he was in horizontal balance for a lengthening. He looks like a speedboat in the water or an airplane taking off.

Extended Gaits

In extended gaits, your horse once again lengthens his strides and frame, this time to his utmost, while staying in the same rhythm and tempo. Like medium gaits, extensions are developed from collected gaits. Your horse's center of gravity is more toward his hind legs, and his balance is uphill.

That's a description of running, lengthenings, mediums, and extensions in a nutshell. But, if you ask my friend and mentor Robert Dover how to show the difference between medium and extended gaits when you're competing, he'll say, "Do the maximum your horse can do for mediums. Then do the same thing for extensions, but make your eyes bigger!"

(That was a joke!)

What, Exactly, are Rhythm & Tempo?

The definitions above are largely based on an understanding of rhythm and tempo. Let me define those terms; I want to do this because many dressage riders use them interchangeably, and they don't mean the same thing.

Rhythm

Regularity of the rhythm refers to the even spacing between each step in a stride of walk, trot or canter. Regular rhythm is a priority for all work--whether or not you're riding a pure dressage horse. Movements and exercises should never be done at the expense of rhythm. Rhythm should always stay the same. Tempo or speed, however, is a different matter.

Tempo

Tempo--which is the rate of repetition of the rhythm--can be adjusted, depending on what your horse needs. Think of rhythm and tempo this way: a waltz is always done in 3/4 time. That is the rhythm of a waltz. But a waltz can be played faster or slower. In other words, the tempo can vary.

When should you ride at a tempo that's different from the one your horse chooses? Let's take an overly fresh horse as an example. You start your warm-up, and this horse is so excited that he picks up a trot that is much too quick. The longer you let him go at this clip, the more his tension builds. Left alone, he probably isn't going to slow down. He's like an overtired child who is so wound up that he can't quiet his mind or body. He needs you to help him calm down by asking him to trot at a much slower tempo than that of his normal working trot.

Adjusting the Tempo

Slow the tempo by asking for a transition to the walk (or even the halt!). Then, just as he's about to step into the walk, don't finish the transition. Instead, allow him to jog forward very slowly. Think about riding halfway to the walk, and then jog forward slowly. If he accelerates after a few strides, repeat the incomplete downward transition until he understands and is willing to stay in the slower trot.

Ride him in this lazy tempo--the opposite of what he wants to do--until he relaxes. Once you feel him relax, gradually allow the tempo to become more normal.

On the other hand, let's say you have a horse that tends to get too slow and labored in his tempo. For example, his canter becomes four-beat because the tempo is too slow. Quicken his tempo by doing a few strides of a lengthening. Feel how your seat moves faster during the lengthening. Then, when you shorten the strides, keep the same quick tempo by moving your seat as if you're still lengthening.

Whether or not you're riding a dressage horse, always work in a regular rhythm and a tempo that allows your horse to be in good balance.

The Canter Explained

Your questions about the canter answered, part 2 of 2

by Jane Savoie

Last month’s Q&A covered questions like “How do I use my hands and seat in the canter depart? What rein aids, if any, should be used?” If you missed this column last month, find part one online at www.nwhorsesource.com. This month, the answers continue...

Question

What aid do I use to go from canter to trot?

Answer

The primary aid for any downward transition is a "stilled" seat.

• Sit with equal weight on both seat bones and stretch up tall so you have a gentle curve in the small of your back. I call this posture a "ready" back.

• Brace your lower back in a stopping, non-following, or retarding way by tightening your stomach muscles like you're doing a sit-up.

• When you brace your back, your hips stop following the motion of your horse. Your non-following hips signal him to drop down to the next slower gait.

• To learn the feeling of stopping your hips, simply sit on your horse at the halt. Focus on the immobility of your seat.

• When you ask for a downward transition, mimic the way your seat feels in the halt.

• To practice your stilled seat, pick a point in the ring or on the trail. As you pass this spot, make your body immobile.

Question

How do I keep my horse on the bit during the transition back down from canter to trot?

Answer

Let's say you want to do a downward transition from canter to trot on the bit. Remember, if you want to do a transition on the bit, you need to give two sets of aids at once:

• Ask your horse to stay on the bit during the transition by giving the connecting half halt before, during, and after the transition.

• While you're in the canter, start your connecting half halt.

• After giving the half halt for a couple of seconds, add the aid for the downward transition by tightening your tummy muscles.

In the beginning, it may take a few seconds for your horse to respond to your seat. No matter how long it takes, keep giving the connecting half halt until he listens to your seat and drops into the trot. Maintain the connecting half halt until you're trotting for at least two strides.

Note: If your horse does the downward transition from the half halt itself, you're either using too much hand and not enough leg or he's behind your leg. He should wait to do the downward transition until you actually still your seat. The connecting half halt is just for keeping him on the bit. It's not the aid for the downward transition.

Question

When we're cantering, my lower leg and knee creep up and my stirrups dangle on my feet (both left and right). What can I do while I'm working alone, which is most of the time, to improve my leg position at the canter? I realize lunge line lessons would improve my position, but that's not an option right now.

Answer

It sounds like you're gripping with your knees and thighs for balance. Think about relaxing your knees and thighs and letting your legs hang loose so that you feel your feet supported by the stirrups. Sally Swift has a great image for this: she says to imagine your legs are so long that your bare feet are dangling on the ground and you can feel mud squishing between your toes.

Question

I was initially taught to ask for the canter with the outside leg, as are most people. However, as I progressed in dressage, I was taught that although my outside leg was behind the girth in the canter transition (to tell the horse which lead I wanted), I actually asked for the canter with my inside leg, at the girth. Is this right?

Answer

Absolutely. The outside leg tells the outside hind to strike off. (The outside hind leg needs to strike off first for your horse to end up on the correct lead.) Your inside leg at the girth tells your horse to go forward into the canter.

So, you do end up using both legs, although the emphasis changes from your outside leg to your inside leg as you and your horse become more advanced.

Question

I unconsciously lean forward as I ask for the canter. Should I stay upright? Should I lean back?

Answer

Stay upright, but push your inside seat bone toward your horse's inside ear during the depart. As Kyra Kyrklund says: pretend there are arrows extending down from your seat bones. You'll push your horse's hind legs in whatever direction your seat bones are pointed. So when you lean forward, your seat bones point backward, and that's the direction you'll send the hind legs. By pushing your inside seat bone forward, you bring the hind legs with you and underneath your horse's body.

Canter Aid Q & A

Your questions about the canter answered, part 1 of 2

by Jane Savoie

Many people are confused about the aid for the canter. What follows are some common questions about the canter, along with my answers.

Question

I know to ask for the canter it is outside leg behind the girth and inside leg at the girth, however, during the canter is your outside leg supposed to stay back or do both legs then become neutral at the girth once the canter is achieved?

Answer

Swing your outside leg back once, and then bring it back to its normal position on the girth. Think of it as a spring-loaded action or a windshield wiper action. If you wait for your horse to answer, he's not listening to your leg aid. If he doesn't canter right away, give him a little bump with your outside leg or tap him with the whip. (Carry your whip in the outside hand for the canter work so you can use it to reinforce your outside leg aid.)

As soon as he does the canter depart, reward him.

You can teach him to canter by holding your outside leg back, but when you start doing half passes in the trot your horse might get confused. He won't know whether to stay in the trot and go sideways for a half pass or pick up the canter. It's easier to teach him to canter from an aid that only means canter depart, rather than to teach him to canter from that aid and then have to reschool him when you get to trot half passes.

Question

Are you saying that the canter depart is achieved with the legs only? Or were you just addressing your reader's concern about her legs? I thought the canter depart was achieved by a slight turn of the wrist on the inside hand, weight on the inside seat bone, and the "windshield wiper" outside leg. Is that correct?

Answer

Yes! I was just addressing her concern about the legs--but you're right about the rest of the aids. I also push that inside seatbone toward the inside ear and support with the outside rein so I don't get too much bend in the neck.

Question

How do I use my hands and seat in the canter depart? What rein aids, if any, should be used? Do I stay centered with my seat or shift my weight to the inside or outside when I cue for a canter depart?

Answer

Your weight is on your inside seatbone. When you ask for the depart, push your inside seatbone toward your horse's inside ear.

Ask for flexion at the poll to the inside with a slight indirect rein aid, but support with the outside rein to keep your horse from over-bending his neck to the inside.

Question

How do I keep the canter depart from being hollow?

Answer

Your horse is perfectly justified in coming off the bit if all you do is give the aid for a transition. To do a transition on the bit, you need to give two sets of aids at once: the transition aid and the aid to tell him to stay on the bit--the connecting half halt. When you give these two sets of aids at once, you're telling your horse to do a transition on the bit.

· Essentially, you'll superimpose the connecting half halt over the aids for a transition. That is, you'll give the connecting half halt before, during, and after the transition.

· In this case, the connecting half halt lasts longer than three seconds. It might even last six, seven, or eight seconds.

· Apply it lightly before, during, and after the transition so that you "bridge" the transition with your connecting half halt.

· Start the connecting half halt before the transition:

o Close both calves as if you're asking for a medium gait.

o Close your outside hand into a fist to capture and recycle the power back to the hind legs.

o Vibrate the inside rein to prevent your horse from bending his neck to the outside.

· Keep giving the half halt while you add the aids for the canter depart.

· Continue giving the connecting half halt for two or three strides into the next gait.

This Q&A with Jane Savoie continues next month with answers to questions such as "What aid do I use to go from canter to trot?" and "I unconsciously lean forward as I ask for the canter. Should I stay upright? Should I lean back?" Don't miss the July issue!

Sitting the Trot

Nine quick tips for a successful sitting trot 

by Jane Savoie 

1. First and foremost, your horse needs to be on the bit. If his back is hollow, stiff, or tight, you'll find it impossible to sit comfortably--and, in turn, you'll make your horse uncomfortable too! (Editor's note: See Jane's column in the NWHS February 2009 issue for help getting your horse on the bit.)

2. Slow the trot down. Ride "sub-power," and when you can sit easily, increase the impulsion for just a few strides at a time. Then slow down again.

3. Put your horse on the bit in posting trot. Once he's round, sit for just a couple of strides. Start posting again before you feel like you need to grip with your legs. Reorganize your body, relax your legs, and sit again for just a couple of strides.

4. Cross your stirrups over the front of the saddle. Post without your irons until your legs are tired. If they're tired, you can't grip, so you'll sit deeper.

5. Focus on your hips. Notice how they open and close in the walk. Mimic that motion when you're in sitting trot.

6. Pretend you're a belly dancer. As you swing your hips, use a buzz phrase like "Do the hootchie kootchie."

7. Hold the front of the saddle with your inside hand. Use that hand to pull you deeper into the saddle so you can learn the feeling of sitting close to your horse in sitting trot.

8. Relax your knees and thighs by taking then an inch or so off the saddle for a moment, letting them drop, and then placing them on lightly again.

9. Take lunge lessons. This is the best way to develop an independent seat so you can sit the trot easily. Don't use any reins or stirrups. Let the person lunging you handle steering and controlling the speed. Do exercises in which you move one part of your body while you keep the rest of your body still (arm circles, scissor kicks etc.). Also, just practice sitting deeply on your horse in his traveling gaits as well as through upward and downward transitions.

This article originally published at ezinearticles.com. Reprinted with permission.

Free Walk Q&A

How do I get a good free walk? Jane Savoie answers your questions

by Jane Savoie

What is the free walk? 

The free walk is a gait of relaxation. 

What should it look like? 

•  Your horse should lengthen his frame and lower his head and neck so he looks like he's going to graze. His poll is lower than his withers.

•  He should open the angle at his throatlatch so his nose points a bit forward and he looks like he's stretching toward the bit.

•  His strides become longer so he over-tracks to a greater degree.

How should you do the transition at the beginning of the free walk?

Preparation is the key to getting a good free walk. You should prepare for it the same way you prepare for the "stretchy" circle in the trot.

•  Use a connecting half halt for three to four seconds on the short side while you're still in a medium walk.

•  To give a connecting half halt, create energy by closing both calves as if you're asking for a lengthening, but don't let your horse lengthen. Instead, close your outside hand in a fist to capture, contain and recycle that energy back to the hind legs. (See January and February 2009 NWHS "In Plain English" articles for further instructions on the connecting half halt.)

•  Keep your legs and outside hand closed for three to four seconds.

•  While closing your legs and outside hand, vibrate or squeeze and release on your inside rein so your horse doesn't bend his neck to the outside.

•  As you turn onto the diagonal, relax your legs and open your fingers so your horse can chew the reins out of your hands.

How should you do the transition back to the medium walk?

Use the same connecting half halt you used to prepare for the free walk.

•  While the reins are still long, press lightly with your calves.

•  As you shorten the reins, keep your new outside hand closed in a fist and squeeze and release with your new inside hand.

What if your horse is lazy? 

If your horse doesn't march with good energy, "breathe" your legs during the free walk. To breathe your legs:

•  Take your legs off of his sides.

•  Move them an inch or two back

•  Then, place them on lightly again

Breathing your legs does two things: if you've been gripping, your horse is probably numb to your legs. Taking your legs off allows you to put them on again lightly so he feels them. Moving your legs back also puts them closer to your horse's "engine" and reminds him to use his hind legs actively.

What if your horse wants to jig?

If your horse wants to jig, do several transitions into the halt.

•  Praise your horse after each halt. Soon he'll learn to anticipate stopping or slowing down.

•  Then you can use just a little bit of your "stopping aids" to remind him to stay in a four-beat flat-footed walk as you make your way across the diagonal.

If he tends to jig when you pick up the reins at the end of the diagonal, halt first. Then, pick up the reins in the halt. Doing so will train him to stay slow when you do the transition for real.

This article originally appeared at ezinearticles.com. Reprinted with permission. 

Eliminate Leg Yielding Resistance

Use quality contact for leg yields without resistance

by Jane Savoie

People often tell me that their horses leg yield very well as far as going sideways is concerned, but they tend to toss their heads and show resistance to the reins. In desperation, some riders even use a tie-down to put pressure on the nose to discourage their horses from yanking at the reins.

If your horse finds it fairly easy to cross his legs and move sideways with his body, yet he's tossing his head during leg yields, it sounds like he's objecting to your contact with his mouth. Any effort to steady his head with methods such as tying it down or using draw reins is simply treating the symptom rather than the cause.

Leg Yield vs. Rein Yield

The first thing that occurs to me is that you might be "rein-yielding" rather than leg yielding. Often when riders begin to teach their horses to leg yield, they try to move them sideways by pulling them over with the reins. As a result, their horses feel restricted and unhappy.

Your reins actually do very little during a leg yield. It's not their job to help your horse go sideways. When leg-yielding to the right, for example, turn your left wrist as if unlocking a door to ask your horse flex at the poll to the left. While flexing with your left wrist, keep your right rein steady and supporting like a side rein to prevent your horse from bending his neck too much to the left.

Your legs ask your horse to move over. In the above example, your left leg moves slightly behind the girth to ask your horse to go sideways while your right leg stays on the girth to ensure that he goes forward as well.

Keep your weight balanced over the center of your horse. It's easy to get "left behind" and lean to the left. This happens partly because the horse is moving to the right and partly because some riders push too hard with the left leg. If your leg says, "Move over" but your weight says, "I'm going to make it difficult for you to do so," you'll probably resort to using your reins for leverage. To counteract this tendency to lean, pretend you’re going to dismount. That is, if you’re leg yielding to the right, step down into the right iron and pretend you’re going to dismount off the right side of your horse.

Quality of Contact

Now let's look at the quality of your contact. Here are the ingredients that contribute to an inviting and sympathetic contact:

First, maintain a straight line from the bit to your hand to your elbow. Keep your thumb the highest point of your hand. Make sure one hand is the mirror image of the other so you offer an even contact on both sides of the bit.

Next, establish a firm connection with your horse's mouth. "Lightness" becomes a goal only after you begin to collect your horse and ask for self-carriage. At this stage of your horse's training, a light contact means that there isn't a solid connection from his hind legs to your hands.

The contact should also be consistent. The reins shouldn't alternately go slack and then tight. Your horse might not mind when the reins get loopy, but you'll be jerking him in the mouth each time he hits your hands again.

Next, strive for an elastic contact by using your elbows to allow for movement--either your movement or your horse's. In the walk and canter, your horse moves his head and neck forward and back, so an elastic contact requires that your arms follow this movement by moving forward and back as well. The motion is like rowing a boat.

In the rising trot, your horse's head and neck are steady, but you go up and down. You need to allow for this motion by opening your elbows as you rise. Think of pushing your hands down as you rise (rather than forward as in the walk and canter) and bending them again as you sit. The motion is like a hinge on a door opening and closing.

Check your Contact

Run over this list while you're still on a straight line, and then strive to maintain all of these qualities during the leg yield. Challenge yourself gradually and systematically by starting with a small leg yield. For example, turn down a line that is only one meter away from the long side of your arena. Before you start moving sideways, run through your "contact check list." Then keep the contact exactly the same as you move toward the track. When you can do this easily, progressively increase the distance away from the track.

Ask someone to watch your hands during the leg yields. If you don't have a ground person, peek at your hands. Of course, ideally you should have your eyes up, but if you work alone, you might have to look at your hands for a while to get feedback. Once you can see what you're doing and can feel how to make a correction, you'll have more "educated" hands and can look up again.

For more information on leg yielding, check out Train with Jane Volumes 1 and 2 and Cross-Train Your Horse at janesavoie.com or visit www.dressagementor.com.

This article originally appeared at ezinearticles.com. Reprinted with author's permission.

On the Bit

How to get—and keep!—your dressage horse on the bit

by Jane Savoie 

No matter where I travel, the most frequently asked questions I get are, "How do I put my horse on the bit?" and "How do I keep him there consistently?" This concept baffles many riders. My hope here is to simplify the process for you with the following information.

Get on the Bit

Do you saw left and right on your dressage horse's mouth or wiggle the bit with both hands to get him "on the bit"? If you saw on your dressage horse's mouth by alternating squeezing and releasing with your hands, you're riding your horse from front to back. He might look like he's on the bit because his head is down and his nose is on the vertical, but you don't have an honest connection from back to front.

The only part of your horse's body that you can affect by sawing is his jaw. Moving the bit in his mouth encourages him to chew; when he chews, he flexes in the jaw. So, if all you do is saw on the bit, all you have control over is a flexed jaw. Your horse has a whole lot more body left over that you have no influence over.

You might think your horse is on the bit, but then wonder why he comes off the bit when you ask him to do something like a transition. The reality is that he was never on the bit to begin with. All you had was a flexed jaw.

To put your horse honestly on the bit, use your connecting half halt (see details below). Close both legs to add power from behind as if you're doing a lengthening. When your horse "arrives" at your outside hand, close that hand in a fist to capture, contain, and recycle the power back to the hind legs. Do this for three full seconds. 

Then, lastly, you can vibrate or squeeze on the inside rein for two reasons:

1. To keep his neck straight - Your goal is to keep him from bending his neck to the outside in response to your closed outside hand. This means that when you ride with his soft (hollow) side on the inside, chances are you won't need any inside rein because he won't try to look to the outside when you close your outside hand. 

2. To move the bit - Encourage him to chew so he flexes in the jaw.

Remember, you're riding your dressage horse from front to back if you wiggle both sides of the bit. Never do with two hands what you can do with one hand (i.e., move the bit). You have the other hand left over for the more important job of recycling power back to the hind legs.

Stay on the Bit

First, you need to know that there is a specific aid to put your horse on the bit just like there is a specific aid to ask for a canter or for a leg yield. That aid is a half halt. (Don't groan...I can hear you!)

Some information on the half halt:

• The reason we give a half halt is to bring the horse to a more perfect state of balance.

• The half halt is the most important yet most misunderstood concept in riding. It is important not only because it is the aid to put your horse on the bit, but also because it is the doorway through which you do every change of gait, balance, movement, or exercise.

• There is no stopping in a half halt. Think of it as a "half-go." Every half halt contains the power, the surge, or the thrust from behind that you'd have if you asked for a medium gait.

• There is one generic, over-the-counter half halt. It consists of the momentary closure of seat, legs, and hands.

• The confusion about half halts stems from the fact that there are many possible variations of that generic half halt because you can use your seat, legs, and hands in different ways. To add to the many options available, you can also vary the duration and the intensity of the half halt.

• Different variations of the generic half halt create different results such as connection, collection, or preparation for something new.

To put your horse on the bit, use the version of the half halt that connects your horse's back end to his front end. For the sake of clarity, I will call this version of the generic half halt the "connecting half halt." The "connecting half halt" consists of the marriage of three sets of aids:

o Driving aids (seat and two legs)

o Bending aids (inside rein and both legs)

o The rein of opposition (outside rein)

These three sets of aids are applied for about three seconds. To the naked eye, the aids are given at the same time. However, if you had freeze-frame photography, you would see this process:

o First, close both calves as if you're squeezing toothpaste out of a tube. This creates that surge of power from behind. You'll only be using your legs as your driving aids at this point; I'm purposely leaving the seat out for now to keep things simple.

o Next, close your outside hand (rein of opposition) in a fist to capture, contain, and recycle the energy back to the hind legs.

o Finally, give three little squeezes and releases on the inside rein to keep the neck straight. If you don't use your inside hand, your horse will bend his neck to the outside because your outside hand is closed in a fist for so long.

o After three seconds, soften everything. Go back to the light maintenance pressure of legs and hands you had in the beginning before you gave the half halt.

Putting your horse on the bit is as simple as giving any other aid. Don't make it complicated by searching for exercises to connect your horse. Don't get me wrong, exercises like leg yields are helpful--they give the novice horse or rider the feel of connection. But at the end of the day, you need to train your horse to come on the bit from an invisible aid that you can use any time...like in the show ring!

Dressage Horse Warm-ups

Successful schooling begins with a proper warm-up
by Jane Savoie

Many riders are confused about how to warm up their dressage horses so they can have a productive schooling session. As a rider and trainer, your goal in the warm-up is to take the restrictions away from your dressage horse's body. Depending on the day, your warm-up could be as short as ten minutes, or it could end up making up your entire ride.

Here are 9 tips to help you with your warm-ups:

1. Since your horse has probably been standing in the stall, spend the first five to ten minutes walking around on a loose rein.

2. After walking around "on the buckle" for several minutes, pick up a contact so you can begin your warm-up.

3. Focus on the first three ingredients in the Dressage Training Scale: rhythm, suppleness, and connection. I always start my work with those first three ingredients on a large circle. Then, if all goes well, I'll go large around the arena.

4. Rhythm: As you walk, trot, and canter, check that the rhythm is always regular and the tempo is neither too fast nor too slow.

5. Suppleness: Spend as little or as much time as you need to supple and relax your horse both mentally and physically. Work done in tension is a waste of time. When you supple your horse, you'll relax him physically. Once he's physically relaxed, he'll relax mentally.

In a nutshell, to supple your horse, bend his neck seven inches to the inside of a neutral position (neutral is when his nose is in line with the crease in the middle of his chest) while you close your leg on the same side.

Do a set of "three supples," meaning you'll bend and straighten him three times quickly but smoothly. Then do nothing for seven or eight strides, followed by another set of three supples. (This "suppling" technique is described in detail in Cross-Train Your Horse, Train with Jane Volume 1, and A Happy Horse Home Study Course.)

6. Connection: Use the connecting half halt to put your horse on the bit. The connecting half halt is the version of the basic half halt (a momentary closure of seat, legs, and hands) that puts your horse on the bit.

Close your legs steadily for three seconds as if asking for a lengthening; close your outside hand in a fist to capture and recycle the energy back to the hind legs. Keep the neck straight by giving three to four little squeezes or vibrations on the inside rein. The connecting half halt lasts approximately three seconds. During those three seconds you add, add, add hind legs through your closed outside hand while maintaining flexion at the poll to the inside.

In warm-up, I connect my horse and ride him long and low; or, if he tends to be heavy on the forehand, I ride in a horizontal balance with his topline parallel to the ground.

7. When things fall apart, always go back to the beginning of the training scale. First, reestablish regular rhythm. Then, supple your horse. Finally, ask for connection.

8. While focusing on rhythm, suppleness and connection, it's appropriate to ask the training level horse to do school figures like circles, serpentines, and shallow loops.

The first and second level horse can do school figures as well as leg-yields and rubber band exercises like gentle lengthenings. From these maneuvers, come back to the working gait.

9. Many riders do a lot of transitions from gait to gait with their dressage horses in the warm-up. Personally, I think your horse needs to be warmed up sufficiently before you can expect him to do good transitions. I save schooling the transitions until the second phase of my work, after the warm-up is complete.

This article originally appeared online at EzineArticles.com, reprinted with author's permission.

Dressage Basics: Straight and True

Sit straight and feel when each of your horse's hind legs hit the ground
by Jane Savoie

Even if you're not a dressage rider, it's still important to sit straight and square in the saddle. Can you tell if you're collapsing at your waist and sitting crookedly?

Are You Sitting Straight?
Ask a ground person to stand behind you and have them answer the following questions:

1. Are your shoulders level (i.e., the same height)?

2. Is your seat in the center of the saddle so that each seatbone (the bottom of the pelvic bone; in technical terms, ischial tuberosity) is the same distance from the middle of the saddle?

If one shoulder is lower than the other, then you're collapsed at your waist and your seat isn't in the middle of the saddle. Let's say you've collapsed the left side of your waist; in this case, your left shoulder is lower and your seat is off to the right.

1. Bring your right seat bone over and place it on top of an imaginary line that runs down the center of the saddle from the pommel to the cantle. You won't really be on top of that line. You'll just end up sitting in squarely.

2. Stretch your left arm straight up so it passes by your ear and your fingers are pointed straight toward the sky. Feel how that elongates your left side.

3. To keep yourself straight and stretching tall as you ride, pretend you have two sticks of equal length between your last rib and your waistband. If you collapse again, you'll get jabbed in the ribs by the stick on the left side, and the stick on the right side will end up on the ground.

Once you're sitting straight, get a feel for your horse's footfalls with the following tips.

Influence the Hind Legs
Can you feel when your horse's hind legs are on the ground? This is an important skill to develop because you want to time your leg aids so that you give them when your horse's hind leg is on the ground, specifically just as it's getting ready to push off. That's the only time you can influence a hind leg.

I feel where the hind feet are by feeling my horse's hips. When a particular hind foot is on the ground, my horse's hip is higher on that side. It feels like my corresponding seatbone is being pushed forward.

Here are some tips to help you learn to feel when a hind leg is on the ground:

1. As you ride your horse at a walk, close your eyes. Focus on, let's say, your inside seatbone. Some people describe the feeling as their seatbone being higher. Others describe it as feeling like it's being pushed forward. Each time you feel your seatbone being pushed forward or higher, say the word "Now." Your walk should be a series of "Now, now, now...." That way you can get into the timing of when that hind leg is on the ground.

2. Ask a friend to call out "Now" each time a certain hind foot is on the ground. Coordinate what your friend says with the feeling under your seat.

3. If you're working alone, sneak a peek at your horse's shadow or a mirror if you have one. Check that you're feeling the right thing by calling out the footfall and looking at the shadow or mirror to see if you're right.

4. Watch other horses and riders and notice where both the horse's hip and the rider's hip are when a particular hind leg is on the ground.

5. Teach yourself how to feel when the inside hind leg is on the ground in the canter by watching your horse's mane. It flips up during the second beat of the canter when the inside hind leg is on the ground. Say "Now" each time you see it flip up. Then you can coordinate what you're seeing and the word "Now" with what you're feeling under your seat.