A Busy July

A Busy July

The horses worked hard at shows in July, we started by taking Toro, Anthony and Hugo to Sparsholt Festival of Dressage to compete in the Freestyles. Hugo was second in the Elementary music, his first attempt at that level, on over 70%. The judge was very taken with him, and liked the music which was a compilation from Herb Alpert. He qualified for the Winter Regionals at this competition.
Toro went very well in the Advanced Medium freestyle, winning on over 70%, and was third in the PSG freestyle. This has qualified him at both levels for the Winter Regionals.
Anthony, quite uncharacteristically, exploded in the Medium freestyle, and we had to make several improvisations. It resulted in a very disappointing mark, so we will have another go as there are still a few qualifiers before the year end.
Armed with these good results, we went on to Hickstead, to the DressageMasters Championships. We had to travel in two lorries, so my friend Sue, whose filly we have just backed, came along as co-driver and cook. After the four days, she could add driving a lorry and finally being able to make a decent cup of tea to her list of skills. Toro’s test was rather underpowered, my fault as I was a little phased by the occasion and the surroundings. By the time I got round to Hugo, I had given myself a good kick in the backside and we did a great test, to be placed third!!! The next day, Anthony went really well, but had a few tense moments, which cost valuable marks, but I was delighted how he coped with the big International arena, the tents and flags and grandstand.
With only a few days to rest and do our washing, we were off again to the Summer BD South West Summer Regionals. Here all the horses went well, although none were placed. We had a lovely time as each horse was competing on separate days, so it felt a bit like a holiday really, and apart from the last day, the weather was good. On the last day the heavens opened and it really was torrential, however fortunately the warmup was in the indoor school and for my Advanced Medium test it let up for a short while so we did not get as wet as some of the other competitors.
Following such a hectic schedule, the horses have had a bit of a break but are now, mid August, getting into their work patterns again. Sadly for me, Hugo has gone home for his owner to ride, we will miss him and his huge character! Anthony will work this winter on establishing his flying changes and developing the lift and cadence in his half passes by improving the collection and engagement. Toro will work on the PSG work, he is green at the moment but by improving the engagement and thoroughness, he will be ready next year I hope to compete at Premier Leagues.

Article 3 : The Canter

The Paces

NO 3 : THE CANTER


Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle,
Thats the way the money goes,
POP goes the weasel.

Concluding my series of articles on the paces, this time we are going to look at the CANTER. In this series of articles, I have concentrated on the individual paces of the horse, the correct sequence and the basic requirements from a judge’s and a rider/trainer’s point of view. Dressage training is about the athletic development of the horse and the freedom and regularity of the paces is a fundamental necessity.

So what’s with the nursery rhyme, I hear you ask? The canter is a pace with a three beat rhythm, within one stride three clear beats can be heard with a moment of suspension between. A well known showing judge used to recite the nursery rhyme as a horse cantered in front of him as it matches the required rhythm exactly with each emphasis on a word in time with the leading leg.

The sequence of footfalls is such that the feet touch the ground in the following pattern, outside hind, followed by inside hind and outside fore together, followed by inside (leading) fore, then a period of suspension, then the sequence begins again.

WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF A GOOD CANTER?

The correct three beat rhythm is vital, and any loss or weakness of rhythm would be severely penalised at any level. The canter must be light, cadenced and regular. The moment of suspension is important to the regularity and the cadence. The horse must be well balanced with hocks placed correctly to support and elevate the forehand. The canter is often the best pace in a young Iberian, as they have such natural balance, and an uphill tendency from the start. Sometimes, the suspension is too great for the young horse’s balance, a far cry from the usual problems in other breeds of the canter being too downhill. However, this exuberance brings its own problems, not least that many riders find it difficult to ride, and may lack the experience or confidence to ride it forward.

THE FOUR TYPES OF CANTER

In competition, there are four distinct types of canter required, depending on the level.

Working Canter
The basic canter required at prelim and novice levels. Must be three time, balanced and active. The energy must come from the hindquarters, the horse using his back and accepting the contact. At the lower levels, one expects the horse to maintain a horizontal equilibrium.

Collected Canter
In this canter, the horse moves shorter(ie covers less ground) but also quicker (ie lighter and more mobile). The hindquarters are more engaged, and the forehand is considerably lighter. The hindlegs move quicker as the frontlegs move slower and more elevated.

Medium Canter
A pace between working and extended, the horse covers more ground with free, balanced strides, without falling onto the forehand.

Extended Canter
The horse covers the maximum ground possible, but without losing balance or rhythm, and remains on the correct contact, reaching for the bit.


COMMON PROBLEMS IN THE CANTER


The Strike Off: A persistent problem with canter strike off can be due to a physical weakness, so the first question to ask is whether there is any pain, discomfort or weakness in the back, or the hindlegs, or perhaps even in the contact. So the usual checks apply - teeth and the fit of the bit/noseband etc, back and the fit of the saddle, legs fore and hind, any stiffness or unlevelness etc. Once you have eliminated any physical reason, the next stage is the training.
Young horses frequently favour a particular strike off, this is due to lack of training/suppleness and general lack of strength. This improves with correct training and exercises.
It is important that the rider is correctly balanced and aligned, so check your own position and weight distribution - do you sit to one side, or are you weaker in one leg? Observe yourself and your horse on a video and see if the reason is to do with posture, balance or alignment.
In the moment of strike off, all the horse's weight, and the rider, is taken on the outside hind. If that hindleg is weak, or lazy, the horse will favour the other hindleg and the result is an incorrect strike off.
It is therefore important to ensure that the horse has the correct balance, and the rider aids correctly to get the desired strike off. It comes down to how you ask and where you ask.
First of all, make sure that you have a good trot rhythm, and that the horse is straight, not crooked. He should be nicely forward, not rushing and feel even in both reins. He should have the correct flexion at the poll, and have no more bend in the neck than in the body. To prepare for the transition, you must sit and then place your inside leg on the girth, your outside leg behind the girth, and you ask by using both legs lightly combined with an upward swing from your inside hip. It may help to raise the inside hand slightly, if necessary a tap with your schooling whip behind your outside leg may encourage him to step down with the outside hind.
Asking in a corner is helpful, especially the corner before a long side, or on a circle as then the horse has the correct bend and flexion. Other useful exercises are to turn off the centre line and ask for the transition, alternatively leg yield in trot from centre line to the track, and on reaching the track ask for canter or riding a small circle in trot before asking for canter. All of these exercises help to establish correct bend and flexion. It may also help to place a pole in a corner, pointing in to the school, and ask for the canter as you reach the pole or to practice canter from walk, these exercises help the horse to focus on where he is placing his legs and make the transition more precise.

Crookedness: All horses are born crooked, and it is our job as trainer to straighten them to make them stronger and remain sounder. In canter, the young horse often “hugs” the wall or fence in canter with his shoulders for security and balance. As the haunches are wider than the shoulders this results in him carrying the haunches in, so the hindfeet do not follow in the tracks of the forefeet. The older horse will have learnt that to carry the haunches in results in a loss of engagement and will do so as an evasion. Either way, it is the rider’s job to straighten his body. It is a mistake to try to move the haunches, you must always put the shoulders in front of the haunches. So ride a shoulder-fore position on the fenceline, ie move the shoulders over one hoof to the inside, the outside fore placing down between the track of the hindfeet in order to bring the shoulders in alignment with the haunches and thus straighten the horse. When you have successfully straightened him, the canter will feel stronger and more powerful, but also more controllable.
If this is too difficult, riding counter canter on the long sides is also a valuable straightening tool. As the inside hind is now on the outside, so to speak, next to the fence, he cannot carry his haunches to the inside, so the fence straightens him for you. However in the young unbalanced horse it is often only possible to do this on the long sides, as he is too unbalanced to manage the short sides and the turns. However a useful exercise is to ride counter canter one long side, true canter the other to establish the idea of straightness in his mind.

Loss of Rhythm: This usually is connected with a flat canter, at its worst the rhythm becomes four time. The loss of rhythm is really the loss of the moment of suspension. In both cases the reason is a lack of impulsion, the canter is not forward enough. In order to put back the cadence, spring, suspension and rhythm, the horse needs to be ridden forwards, but not fast (which will flatten it even more). The hindlegs need to be more active, the inside hind being driven further under the horse’s body, nearer to the centre of gravity under your seat. This will enable him to take more weight behind, support his shoulders better and improve the suspension.

Lack of balance/on forehand: The young horse often finds the balance in canter a challenge until he has learnt to bring his hindlegs far enough under his body to support the rider and his shoulders. Not enough impulsion and engagement will mean that he falls onto the shoulders because the hindlegs are not taking enough weight. However, too much impulsion will also drive the horse onto the forehand. The skill is in coordinating the driving and containing aids, ie riding the horse forward and combining that with effective half halts to enable him to find the self carriage and balance.

Disunited: This occurs when the sequence of legs fails to follow the correct pattern, often occurring when schooling the flying changes, but also common with young horses who are still weak in the hindlegs and try to evade engagement of the inside hindleg by changing behind. The solution with the young horse is not to try and change back again, but to come back to trot, rebalance and then proceed to canter again. If he is losing straightness as a result, you will need to straighten him as well. With the problem in the changes, this is because the horse has changed in front and not behind, and this is usually because the canter does not have enough jump in order for the hindlegs to change in the air.

Problems in the Contact (above bit, behind bit, against the hand etc): the first thing to check with any problems in the contact are whether this is the result of pain or discomfort. As with the strike off, first check the bit, mouth, teeth, back etc and look for any unlevelness or stiffness. If there is no physical reason, look at yourself next – do you ride with a quiet still hand offering the horse a steady contact? Do you have an independent seat, or do you rely on the reins for balance? If the problem truly is a training issue for the horse then if he is above the bit, ride him forwards with a soft asking hand to encourage him to work in a rounder outline. A horse that is above the bit will also be hollow in the back, so encourage him to work over the back rather than ride the front end in. A more common problem with Spanish horses is the tendency to drop behind the vertical, be overbent, behind the bit etc. In this case, keep a steady and light contact and ride him more forward into the rein. Encourage him to fill the rein. If he drops his poll, use light soft upward half halts to raise the head and then ride forward into the new frame. If he comes against the hand, use a series of half halts to put him into better self carriage. If the half halt is not successful, make transitions from canter to trot and back again.

Bucking/kicking out at the leg: Again a common problem with young horses, often caused by tightness in the back, anticipation, high spirits, or evasion to the leg. All forms of nappiness – bucking, rearing, napping, and sometimes spooking, are the result of not going forward. The answer must always be to ride strongly forward, use a neckstrap if necessary. Make sure that you are not making the situation worse by gripping or tipping forwards. The worst kind of bucking is where the horse bucks from a standstill or by getting his head down low at zero impulsion, this method of intimidating the rider is often embellished with the corkscrew of the back, twisting as he pushes up behind. The type of bucking associated with going forward is much easier to sit to, as he catches you on the way down. If he kicks out at the leg, again do not be intimidated, provided your aid was polite, ie you did not catch him with the spur or overuse the whip, then repeat the aid and CONTINUE TO DO SO until he stops kicking out.


EXERCISES TO IMPROVE THE CANTER

To improve the rhythm: On a circle ride transitions from working canter to medium canter and back again. As the training progresses, ride collected canter to medium or extended canter and back again. Riding the transitions on a circle helps to engage the inside hindleg, but then continue to ride these transitions with in the pace on the long sides to check for straightness.

Use correctly spaced canter poles to help the horse to add spring or jump to the strides, these can be slightly raised at one end for even more gymnastic effect.

To improve the suppleness: Ride a circle of 20m diameter in working canter. Gradually reduce the size of the circle, depending on the level of training of your horse. A novice horse will cope with a circle of about 12m, an advanced horse will spiral down to 6m in preparation for pirouettes. As the size of the circle reduces, the canter needs to become more collected. It is imperative for the horse’s confidence, balance and joints that you do not decrease the circle to a size beyond which he is capable for his age, training and fitness.

To improve the balance, contact and suppleness of the back: Ride transitions from one pace to another, and within the paces. Ride canter – trot – canter on a circle, also canter – walk – canter, and for the more advanced horse, canter – halt – canter. Ride from the track in canter, onto a 10m circle and on returning to the track ride transitions to trot or walk. The fence helps to engage the horse and assists in bringing him back, so this is a very useful exercise with the horse who goes against the hand in the transitions. Walk to canter is always helpful for the horse who is on the forehand, helping to raise the shoulders and encourage him to step more under and take more weight behind.

To improve the straightness: As suggested before the best exercises are to ride in shoulder fore , and to work on the counter canter. Start counter canter by riding shallow loops off the long side, gradually progressing to 10m loops that go to the centre line. To ride a long side in counter canter, start at the quarter marker in trot, turning as if you were about to go across the long diagonal. As soon as you have left the track, turn back towards the track and immediately ask for a canter transition, so the horse has the correct bend and flexion for the counter canter, the leading leg will be the one closest to the fence.
Once the counter canter is better established, you can start to ride a turn onto the centre line, returning to the track in counter canter and when the horse accepts this, you can progress around the short side. Always keep the bend and flexion to the leading leg, keep your weight down through the inside leg (which will be on the outside of the school), and look to the outside. If you allow your eyes to stray to the inside, your balance and weight will shift and the horse will break or change, often only in front which would be a serious training error.

As training progresses up the levels, the canter becomes more important, the movements more complex. The ultimate canter exercise, showing the greatest collection, is the canter pirouette and in order to achieve this, the canter needs to have all the elements in place, the rhythm, the jump or spring, the elevation of the forehand, the strength in the haunches to support it, the suppleness to turn in balance, the acceptance of the contact, and the total submission to the aids in order to execute a perfectly balanced and poised pirouette without tension. All the hard work through the training scale will be worth it to enable the horse to have the strength and confidence to master this exercise, and any faults or gaps in the training will be all too obvious.

Article 2 : The Trot

The Paces



No 2 The Trot

In this series of articles, I have decided to concentrate on the individual paces of the horse, the correct sequence and the basic requirements from a judge’s and a rider/trainer’s point of view. Dressage training is about the athletic development of the horse and the freedom and regularity of the paces is a fundamental necessity.
In this second part of the three part series on paces, we take a look at the TROT.

The trot is a pace with a two beat rhythm, that means that within one stride, two clear hoofbeats can be heard at regularly spaced intervals, with a moment of suspension in between. The sequence of footfalls is such that the feet touch the ground in diagonal pairs, ie left hind and right fore together, followed by right hind and left fore together, separated by a period where no feet are on the ground, known as the moment of suspension.

WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF A GOOD TROT?

Clearly, the correct two beat rhythm is the first and most important element. The trot should be free, active and regular. Because of the element of suspension, the ability to maintain regularity is important, a hovering trot with disengaged hindlegs and a variable rhythm is not good. There needs to be an impression of elasticity and this requires the horse to move from behind over a supple back.
Many Iberians struggle with rhythm and this can result in choppy trots, or false elevation through tight backs rather than a supple back and good engagement. The high knee action may also result in a trot where the hindlegs and front legs do not match, this needs to be addressed through correct training.

THE FOUR TYPES OF TROT

In competition, there are four types of trot required, at the various levels.

WORKING TROT
At the basic levels, prelim and novice this is the main required trot. It should reflect the natural trot, it should be free, balanced, the horse should work from behind with active engaged hindquarters, through a supple back and into a steady contact. It should look natural, rhythmic, energetic without being hurried, and the back should swing.

COLLECTED TROT
This is first required at elementary level, although at that point only sufficient collection to carry out the movement is required. In a collected trot, the hindquarters become more active, there is increased engagement and impulsion. The ground cover of the steps is less, resulting in shorter steps, but not slower or less activity. The single, biggest mistake in the trot that we see at elementary level is the rider slowing the trot, mistaking this for collection. This results in a loss of impulsion and engagement. More collection means more activity/energy in the same rhythm, with a shorter ground cover. The French word for collection is rassembler , it means to gather together, and I prefer to think of collection as a gathering together of the horse, his energy and power, this implies that one keeps what one has, but in a more concentrated manner.

MEDIUM TROT
At novice level, you are required to show a few steps of medium trot, at elementary and above it should be established sufficiently to show from a given marker to another marker. This pace is between the working and extended trot (see below) and we see a clear lengthening of the steps, there is more ground cover, the hindquarters are engaged and the horse shows the ability to push from behind, as well as the strength to carry more weight on the hindlegs in the preparation for that push. There is still the same rhythm and balance.
When teaching this I like to explain to my pupils that whilst the horse may go from, say, M to K faster than in the working trot, that is because he covers more ground with every stride, NOT that he actually trots faster. Each stride covers more ground, so in a given time, the horse in medium trot will reach his destination sooner. This is the single, biggest mistake we see in the medium trot – the rider hurries the horse in an attempt to achieve the medium trot, when the emphasis should be on maintaining the rhythm, and increasing the stride length.

EXTENDED TROT
First required at Medium level, extended trot requires the horse to cover as much ground as possible. He must still maintain the rhythm, and the cadence, but due to the maximum thrust and weight carrying action of the hocks, he works through his whole body to appear to fly from one diagonal pair of legs to the other. It should look powerful and the whole frame of the horse lengthens. The biggest mistake that riders make is to hurry as in the medium trot, or to attempt to create a trot which looks big but isn’t, by artificially raising the forelegs, but if the movement is not matched by the hindlegs, it will result in a stiff back and a loss of connection to the contact.

COMMON PROBLEMS IN THE TROT

As usual, faulty rhythm is the culprit for so many of the problems we encounter. This is why it is the first stage in the scales of training. Failure to address faults in the rhythm in the early stages of training will haunt you throughout all future work. It is vital to maintain rhythm in changes of pace within a pace, eg from collected to medium trot, and in moving from one movement to another, eg from collected trot into shoulder-in. In a test, it is in these two areas that a judge can clearly see whether you have trained your horse along the correct lines, or just trained movements.

Stiffness in the back will prevent a good connection being made from the hindlegs to the bit. Horses who have not developed the ability to swing over the back are difficult to sit to once you begin to try to develop impulsion which is why suppleness is the second phase on the training scales. Conversely though, a stiff back is quite easy to sit on if there is no impulsion, and that is why riders who fail to understand the concepts of correct training end up with shuffling sewing machines !

Problems in the contact will often be the result of poor rhythm, and a steady contact can only be achieved if the horse is working in a correct rhythm, with energy from the hindlegs working over a supple back.

Impulsion is often misunderstood for speed, which is in fact the enemy of impulsion. Correct impulsion is developed over a period of time as the horse through systematic training gains strength in the hindlegs, and develops the ability to carry more weight behind. Smooth transitions from working paces into medium and extended paces show good development of impulsion. A clear indication in trot that there is insufficient impulsion is when the feet do not track up, ie the hind feet do not step in the prints of the forefeet. This is commonly seen at elementary level when riders shorten the steps and lose impulsion in an attempt to show collected trot.

All young horses are basically crooked, and it is our job as trainers to straighten them. Only a straight horse can correctly develop impulsion and collection. There are three types of straightness- when the horse is on a straight line, on a curve, and on more than one track, ie in lateral work. In each case, the hindfeet must follow the track of the forefeet and his body must be correctly aligned, straight on a straight line, showing the same bend as the circle, or maintaining the bend on a straight line, as in shoulder-in.

Readers who follow my articles will have spotted that I have listed the faults in the order of the scales of training – rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and I have not yet added the final stage, which is collection. The scales are the basis for my systematic training, and whenever I encounter a problem I look to the scales for the solution. Collection is then achievable, and we see this in correctly executed piaffe and passage.

EXERCISES TO IMPROVE THE TROT

Starting with the rhythm, the exercises that help develop and maintain rhythm, are work on circles, figures of eight, serpentines, shallow loops, frequent changes of rein, increasing and decreasing circle size, lateral work, leg yielding, shoulder in etc.

I advocate using rising trot, especially with young horses until the back is strong enough to carry the rider. Many riders of Iberian horses seem to think that it is “de rigeur” to sit, but I do not allow pupils to sit until I can see that the horse is ready, and that the rider has the suppleness and core strength necessary to sit well enough to benefit the horse.

Exercises that develop the suppleness and straightness include those for rhythm, also the lateral work, the leg yield, shoulder-in, travers, renvers, half pass.

Exercises that help to develop connection/contact are transitions, eg trot- walk- trot, trot-halt-trot, trot-canter-trot etc. Work on lengthening and shortening the stride length are also helpful. The principles established in the work on suppleness/straightness/rhythm are required in order to develop the connection.

Exercises that help develop impulsion are transitions between the paces, trot-walk-trot, trot-canter-trot, and also within the paces, moving smoothly from working trot to medium and extended trot. Working the horse on and back will help develop the smoothness and the power. On and back means alternating between a more forward trot and a more collected trot. As long as the horse maintains his balance he will develop his strength, as soon as he drops the poll, loses rhythm or cadence etc, he needs to be brought back with a half halt, rebalanced and sent forward again.

As well as the conventional patterns in the school, it is beneficial to any horse in training to incorporate hill work, to develop the haunches, encourage him to work through the back and stay forward. Equally, work on the lunge is invaluable to establish bend, suppleness, straightness. Polework/gridwork helps to develop rhythm, suppleness, impulsion, straightness etc.

Of all the paces, the trot is the easiest to improve. Working on the trot following the principles of the scales of training will systematically improve the way of going. Ultimately we are looking for a trot that is adjustable, from the greatest and most elastic extensions, to the ultimate collection, the piaffe.

Next time we will look at the canter, the exercises and movements, what the judges want to see and how to improve it.

Article : The Walk

I regularly publish articles on training in various publications, and have decided to reproduce them in my blog for all to read and enjoy. I hope you find them helpful.

THE PACES

No 1 The Walk

In this series of articles, I have decided to concentrate on the individual paces of the horse, the correct sequence and the basic requirements of each from a judge’s and a rider/trainer’s point of view. Dressage training is about the athletic development of the horse and the freedom and regularity of the paces is a fundamental necessity.

The walk is a pace with a four beat rhythm, that means that within one stride, four clear hoofbeats can be heard at regularly spaced intervals. The sequence of the steps is left hind(LH), left fore(LF), right hind(RH), right fore(RF).

When the hindleg is just about to step down, the corresponding foreleg on the same side is about to pick up. In a good walk, a clear “V” shape can be seen.

Because there are always at least two legs on the ground in walk, the pace is not considered to have impulsion, this is only present where there is an element of suspension , however it must have activity. The FEI rules define it as a “marching pace”, so a lazy or inactive walk, even if it is regular, will be marked down. So if on your dressage sheets you get the comment “lacking purpose” or “needs to march more” that would mean that the steps are correct but that the walk itself needs to be more active.
More commonly with Iberian horses however is the over active walk, or the short steps associated with a tight back or shoulder. Many Iberians tend to hurry and this, paradoxically, makes the steps shorter and quicker, covering less ground and leads to incorrect sequencing, pacing(see below) or jogging.

First of all, let us understand what is required in a good walk, then we will look at some of the possible problems and in finding the solutions we shall add to our repertoire of exercises those that specifically improve the walk.


WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF A GOOD WALK?
There are four important requirements, the degree of which depends on the type of walk.
Rhythm
As already stated, the walk is a four beat pace, the rhythm must be regular , clear and maintained throughout.

Purpose
The walk is a marching pace, it must show a positive forward inclination.

Overtrack
The amount that the hindfeet touch the ground in front of the imprint of the forefeet is called the overtrack. The degree of overtrack depends on the type of walk. One observation however is that a horse with a large overtrack ( many warmbloods) may be difficult to collect, and may find work such as piaffe rather taxing. Horses with naturally shorter walks (many Iberians) find the collection easier, but may not ever be able to show the degree of overtrack of a technically “good” walk. The degree of overtrack depends on the horse and his natural reach.
In collected walk, there may be no overprinting, or there may be some, or in big warmbloods with huge walks, even in collected walk there is some overtrack. In collected walk it is more important that the steps remain active, and higher than in medium walk because of the greater degree of activity.

Overtrack in free or extended walk is expected to be clearly seen. Again it depends on the type of horse, a long backed horse will have a bigger overtrack than a short backed horse, which works against the Iberian. A "good" walk would show an overtrack of 12 to 18 inches, possibly more.



Stretch
This relates to the extended and free walks and demonstrates the relaxation and lengthening of the frame.


THE FOUR TYPES OF WALK

For the purposes of this article, I have concentrated my attention on the four recognised walks within the FEI definitions. In addition there is of course the suspended or Spanish walk, and I have included reference to this later in the article.

MEDIUM WALK
There should be the clear 4 beat rhythm, and the steps are free, regular and unconstrained. On the bit, purposeful steps, with a moderate overtrack.

COLLECTED WALK
In the collected walk, the horse stays in the correct rhythm, he remains active and forward, the neck will be more raised and arched, the poll the highest point, on the bit. The frame of the horse is shorter than in the medium walk and the steps are a little higher, the joints bend more, and there is normally no overtrack. It is important to remember that it is a collected walk, not a slow walk, the activity is greater than that of the other walks. This is the walk where the most irregularities are seen, and so it is vital to maintain the rhythm at all times.

EXTENDED WALK
The horse stretches his frame to its fullest, but retains a contact with the hand. Clear overtrack, head and neck lowers. The lengthening of the neck and freedom of the shoulder allows the opening of the frame and the stretch. It is a mistake to hurry the horse in order to show more purpose as this always results in a shortening of the frame and steps.

FREE WALK
This is where full relaxation is shown, the horse is allowed complete freedom to lower and stretch the head and neck forward. Clear rhythm, good purpose, definite overtrack and maximum stretch. There is little difference between the free and extended walk except that the extended walk remains on the contact.

In the standard dressage tests, at prelim and novice level, only the medium and free walks are required to be shown. Collected and extended walk are shown at the higher levels because they require a greater degree of training to achieve without destroying the walk.



COMMON PROBLEMS IN THE WALK

Number one on the list has to be faults in the rhythm. This is almost always caused by the rider. I wish I had a penny for the number of times I have seen a faulty walk in a test, then as the horse exits the arena he demonstrates the loveliest of walks. As a judge, believe me, it is heartbreaking as the rider will have lost marks in the test and in the collectives under the paces mark. Or how many times have you had issues in the walk, only to watch your horse stride across the field after work in perfect rhythm and balance? Infuriating? Maybe, but more importantly a major training fault.

Faults in the rhythm range from the odd irregular step, to jogging, or worst of all pacing or ambling. This is where the fore and hind limb on the same side move forward at the same time. There is no “V” and the walk becomes almost two time in the rhythm, in extreme cases it IS two time. Almost always caused by tension in the back, or the rider pushing the horse out of his rhythm or using too much rein contact.

Other problems are usually to do with the contact, the horse doesn’t stay on the bit, he nods his head too much, comes against the rider’s hand, or is resistant, curls down in the free walk instead of stretching forward to the contact, snatching at the rein are all examples of contact issues.

Finally even if the rhythm and contact are acceptable, he may still lack purpose, take too short or hurried steps, show no overtrack in all the walks, appear stiff in the shoulders, fail to stretch down in free walk.


EXERCISES TO IMPROVE THE RHYTHM

With a young or very green horse, working on small circles will help, or stepping over correctly spaced ground poles, working to classical music etc.

Walk-halt-walk transitions will help the idle horse to step under a little quicker, and will encourage lightness.

With the horse that takes short hurried steps, slow your body down to encourage him to follow your rhythm. Lengthen the rein and push hands forward to give more freedom in the neck.

With the older horse, lateral work is the most effective way to re establish rhythm. The best advice I was ever given with regard to a poor walk was “never walk in a straight line”.
Shoulder-in, travers, renvers, half pass, walk pirouettes all require the horse to concentrate and place the feet more carefully.
Walk slowly, focus on the correct walk sequence and think of slowing the front legs down.
Start with shoulder-in.
The horse should be on three tracks, with the bend around the inside leg.

Go from a shoulder-in to a half pass to encourage the shoulder to open.
In the half pass the horse retains the bend around the inside leg and looking in the direction he is going, the outside legs cross over in front of the inside legs.


Go from a shoulder-in to a walk pirouette to encourage more activity.

Alternate shoulder-in with travers or renvers to encourage more suppleness in the shoulders and hips.

Alternate the half pass with the leg yield to encourage more suppleness through the shoulders and hips.

Ride a half pass zigzag (counter change of hand) to encourage more suppleness through the ribcage.


EXERCISES TO IMPROVE THE CONTACT

Be sure that you are keeping the bit STILL in the mouth, and allow where appropriate with the hands forward. Always have a “forward thinking” hand, allow the horse to draw your hand forward and down.
In walk, there is always a degree of nodding of the head, the hand must allow for this and not try to restrict it. I try to think of it as the same feeling as when a child takes your hand and leads you to something, you follow and go with the leading hand, not pulling back, but also not losing the connection.
Keep your back swinging and do not restrict the neck.
Make sure the horse has accepted the contact before asking for stretching. When you allow the horse to stretch , as in free walk, or when you give with the rein, it is always a forward movement. You “give” forward, then “take” back to where you were in the first place, not take back and then give to where you were in the first place, which is a common mistake and results in the often seen fiddling or see sawing action of the less sensitive or educated rider’s hand.
Allow the horse to move naturally under you and do not lock your hips or lower back.
Walk – turn on forehand- walk will help to lighten the contact. Alternatively, walk-turn on the haunches- walk for the more advanced horse will not only lighten the contact but also elevate the forehand.


EXERCISES TO IMPROVE THE PURPOSE/STRETCH

Work the horse a little deeper than usual.
Go hacking and encourage him to stretch forward up hills and through muddy tracks.
Follow another horse with a good purposeful walk.
Use your leg aids alternately, to encourage a swing in the back and more forward thrust from hind leg.
Ride on the diagonal across the school, at each wall ride a half walk pirouette, then encourage him to extend the walk to the opposite wall.


The walk is the hardest pace to improve, and the easiest to ruin. A poor walk can always be improved, but a naturally good walk is a gift from God and must be carefully nurtured.

Spanish Walk

I cannot leave this subject without saying a few words about the Spanish walk. It is of course a gait that is very natural to the Iberian horse and has many advantages in training – it frees the shoulders and elevates the forehand – even though it is not a movement required in modern day competitive dressage.

There are many ways to teach it, but most find it easier to start on the ground, encouraging the horse to lift one leg, then the other to a touch with a schooling whip, and progressing to work under the rider.

It is important that the sequence of the walk is maintained whist the foreleg on alternate sides is extended towards the horizontal. The hindleg must not become lazy or grounded, it must remain active and forward. Straightness is paramount, there should be no swaying of the haunches, and the rider must remain still, not showing over exaggerated aids. The horse must use his back, not become hollow, otherwise the exercise loses its benefit as a suppling and strengthening aid.

I have found it most beneficial to use with those horses that do not have a naturally good walk especially where this is due to tension and restriction through the shoulder.

Training diary April to June

The last three months have been busy. The aim was to qualify the horses if possible for the BD Summer Regionals. Also, Kingston Maurward was one of the regional qualifying venues for the Hickstead Dressage Masters, qualification was on a points league with a semi final to decide the horses to go to Hickstead. The opportunity to try for a place to ride in that hallowed International Arena was very tempting so I thought we ought to have a try for it.
I attended several of the Kingston Maurward qualifiers, with the result that we were well up on the points table, at one point we topped the leaderboard with three horses! All PREs. As a result, we went to Kingston Maurward on 20 and 21 June to contest the semi finals. It was a great weekend, we stabled at the venue, the weather was perfect, and we stayed in the lorry. The top four in each semi final got to go through. Hugo (Jugador XVIII) was second in his Novice class, on a score of over 71%. Anthony (Fulminante-Cen) won his Elementary class. Toro (Centauro II)was 4th in the Advanced Medium, but sadly just pipped into 5th in the Medium. So that meant that all three were qualified for Hickstead at three levels! It was just the most wonderful feeling to have got them all through, I only hoped to get one, possible two if I was lucky, so great celebrations all round.
Toro has come on in his work so much that we pulled forward our plans to try an Advanced by a month. His scores were so promising that we pulled forward his PSG debut as well, and he did his first PSG at the end of May, fittingly on Delia’s birthday. He scored 63% which was perfectly reasonable. He has done another two since, with the same score so is showing consistency. Each time we make little errors, nothing major and the foundation is sound.
All three have also secured their qualifications to the BD Summer Regionals, at four different levels – Novice, Elementary, Medium and Advanced Medium.
As a result we are now out of points for both Anthony and Hugo, but that is fine as both are well ready to move up a level. Hugo will do elementaries this autumn, and is working on the medium work. He is starting to work on his half passes in trot and canter, and this winter will start to learn his flying changes. With such a secure counter canter and simple change, it may take a while for him to realise what I want, but he has the advantage of a particularly good uphill canter to start with, with great suspension, so he will not find them hard. I have recently put him in a double bridle, he looks so grown up!
Anthony is now competing at Medium, and he is working towards secure Advanced Medium work this winter. His changes are good, very smooth and in the rhythm of the canter. However he does have a little issue with straightness, and this really has to be addressed this winter, particularly in the canter. I want to improve his suppleness especially in the half passes, and also his medium trot, which is now looking like a medium trot, but he is still more expressive in front than behind. More work from the ground I think is in store for him!
Anthony is the proud father of a gorgeous colt foal, Rey di Mundo, quite a name to live up to! He is just like his dad, black with a little white star, and quite adorable.
Toro, now competing at PSG will work towards the upper levels, he can already do the two time changes (seems like only yesterday he couldn’t even do a change! Less than a year ago!) and has a really good ability to sit for the pirouettes. He will do an Inter1 in the spring I hope. He already can do a few steps of piaffe, but is a little lazy for the passage. This means more strengthening work this winter, he is still nowhere near strong enough to sustain the collection.
And Chico (Orfebre) will reline his brakes! He has a few displays to do this summer/autumn, which will be fun as there is not the pressure of a competition, and he just loves his adoring public! This winter he will do some more Inter 1s, and hopefully will try an InterII, he is working hard on his piaffe and hope to be ready to attempt a Grand Prix maybe next year.
So, a busy July ahead of me, we start by going to Sparsholt Festival of Dressage (18 July)to contest the freestyles, all at their respective new levels, then straight on to Hickstead(20/21 July). We are there for three days, then home, time to clean the lorry and reload to travel again down to the Regionals for four days(27-29 July). Do come and cheer us on, or visit us in the stables, I think we are finally showing the dressage fraternity that the PRE is here to stay and is to be treated with respect!!
This year has really seen a sea change in my success with the horses, and that is due to many reasons, but the most important is FOCUS. I have concentrated on the horses and their training, and although the money ran out ages ago, the headstart I got with the training bursary from BAPSH really enabled me to set up a better structured training plan, with more visits to my trainer. I go three or four times a month, each time with two horses, the trip takes two hours there and two hours back and I reckon I ought to have my own pump at Severn View Services. But its worth it.
Competition success is not to everyone’s taste, but I need to have that buzz, I love it when the horses do well. But the horses have to be trained well and enjoy their work and I have to be happy that they are willing partners in the journey. This winter will be less competing and more training and I love to feel them develop under me, to experience those moments when they finally “get”something, like the first change or achieving the bend in a half pass. I never push them beyond their capabilities, but every now and then they offer that little bit more, and that makes all the hard work worthwhile. For all of you out there competing at whatever level, Good Luck and keep the flag flying for the PRE!!