Ride Your Horse Calm, Forward, and Make Him Straight

This article is the fifth in a series of articles that will serve to discuss in depth the various tiers of the USDF Training Pyramid. Every dressage rider should be very familiar with this Pyramid. The tiers are as follows: Rhythm, with Energy and Tempo; Relaxation, with Elasticity and Suppleness; Connection-Acceptance of the Bit through Acceptance of the Aids; Impulsion-Increased Energy and Thrust; Straightness with Improved Alignment and Balance; and Collection-Increased Engagement, Lightness of the Forehand, Self-Carriage. A pamphlet discussing it in depth may be found here: https://www.usdf.org/EduDocs/Training/Pyramid_of_Training.pdf

Since everything we do every day with our horses is interrelated, I will demonstrate with these articles specific connections between the various tiers, and how they can be used to facilitate the training of the horse at every level. The vast majority of riders and horses are at Training Level, but what the reader must understand is that this is the MOST IMPORTANT level, for horse and rider. A good education in the beginning secures the future of every dressage horse and every aspiring dressage rider. ~Stacy C. Williams

The USDF Training Pyramid defines Straightness(Improved Alignment and Balance) as follows: “A horse is said to be straight when the footfalls of the forehand and the hindquarters are appropriately aligned on straight and curved lines and when his longitudinal axis is in line with the straight or curved track on which he is ridden. By nature every horse is crooked, hollow on one side and stiff on his other side, thereby using one side of his body somewhat differently from the other. This also causes uneven contact in the reins. Appropriate gymnastic exercises develop the horse’s symmetry. This allows him to engage both hind legs evenly and prepares him for collection. This process improves the lateral as well as the longitudinal balance of the horse.”  Notice the term “longitudinal axis”-this means from poll to tail along the horse’s spine. Also notice the term “alignment”-it is exactly like the alignment in your vehicle. If the left front tire turns out and the left rear tire turns in, your tires are going to wear unevenly and your ride will be less than smooth. It is exactly the same for the horse’s alignment. All four legs must travel along the same axis, not deviating sideways. Now read the Purpose as stated at the top of all Second level tests: “To confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, and having achieved the thrust required in First Level, now accepts more weight on the hindquarters (collection); moves with an uphill tendency, especially in the medium gaits; and is reliably on the bit. A greater degree of straightness, bending, suppleness, throughness, balance and self-carriage is required than at First Level.”

It is important for the reader to realize that just because straightness is not mentioned in the Purpose of the tests at Training level and First level, does not mean that we should not already be looking for a degree of straightness right from the beginning. Read through the Directive Ideas for the movements in Training level test 1. Over the course of thirteen movements, “straightness” is mentioned seven times. Straightness is furthermore mentioned under the Submission section of the Collective marks at the end of each test. At its most basic level, straightness simply means that when travelling on a straight line, your horse must actually travel on a straight line. This is easier said than done! To further complicate matters, not only must your horse walk, trot, or canter on a straight line, but, his shoulders and hind legs must track straight. There should not be a bulge in the shoulder or a drift of the haunches. Now add to the equation the demand for turns onto and off of the centerline, twenty meter circles, transitions…all the while the horse has to stay exactly on the prescribed line of travel, and keep all his body parts on that track. This is very hard to do, mostly because horses are born crooked. But, here is where the rider comes into play as well. Humans are born crooked too. If the rider is unaware of her own crookedness, it is very likely she will be equally unaware of her horse’s crookedness. 

As a horse proceeds up the levels, his capacity for straightness must improve. But straightness begins at the beginning, from the first time he is lunged and the first time he is ridden. If the horse is unable to describe reasonably symmetrical circles around his lunger without a rider on his back, it is a sure bet that once mounted, the added weight and crookedness of the rider will only compound that lack of symmetry and alignment. As the horse progresses in his training, the rider has to assess from the first ride, and from the first minutes of every ride thereafter, whether the horse takes a symmetrical amount of contact on each side of the bit. This high degree of attentiveness to the early training rarely happens, and so we are frequently faced with having to address it once the horse has been under saddle for a period of time. This is the boat most of us are in. There aren’t that many Charlotte DuJardin’s out there, so even accomplished riders make mistakes or take shortcuts in the early training. Even at Training level, we have to start assessing whether or not we can ride our horses calmly forward with a level-appropriate degree of straightness.

I promised to link the layers of the Pyramid. While Straightness is near the top of the Pyramid, just before Collection, it can easily be assessed at the previous layers. If a horse is not travelling in a reasonable state of alignment right from the beginning, it will reveal itself in a variety of ways. The rhythm may be slightly marred, often noticeable at the canter when the stiff, crooked horse lands too soon with the leading front leg, causing the canter to appear lateral. The tempo will often vary, particularly from one track to the other. Some horses “run away” on their stiffer side, while others get “sticky” on their stiff side. The connection will be too strong on one rein and not secure enough on the other rein. Impulsion will suffer if one hind leg is habitually stepping to the outside of the center of mass, as will uphill balance-a hallmark of Collection. These issues can easily be categorized under the Relaxation with Elasticity and Suppleness portion of the Pyramid due to the fact that they are addressed by means of various suppling exercises, but think of Suppleness and Straightness as being two sides of the same coin. No part of the Pyramid can really be separated from the others or worked in exclusion of the others. It is just a matter of degrees. I personally feel that ALL layers of the Pyramid should be present in every horse at every level and that the only thing that changes is the degree of expectations for the quality that will be exhibited. This mindset plays homage to the often-heard debate of whether Straightness should in fact be placed ahead of Relaxation/Suppleness on the Pyramid. It isn’t, in my mind, a matter of one before the other, but rather, a matter of both developing together. Anyone with experience in Natural Horsemanship will tell you that if the horse’s body is comfortably aligned and able to move in a balanced way, that will go a long way toward improving his mental relaxation. I cannot tell you how many horses I have taken in as reschool projects who were so completely crooked within their bodies and in their way of going that they had become very nervous and difficult under saddle. Simply addressing the extreme lack of symmetry, balance and alignment did wonders for the Relaxation of these horses. Horses do not like to feel out of balance as it impedes their ability to protect themselves.

With all the above in mind, how do we set about developing straightness in our horses? I will remind the reader of the definition of Straightness, and reference the second half of it directly here: Appropriate gymnastic exercises develop the horse’s symmetry. This allows him to engage both hind legs evenly and prepares him for collection. This process improves the lateral as well as the longitudinal balance of the horse.”  Key to this is the word “appropriate”, meaning, appropriate to the horse’s level of training and the rider’s level of experience.  It all starts with the lowly twenty meter circle. Can you ride a perfectly round circle? The old masters would hand rake the ménage before riding in order to determine if their circles were accurate. I recommend doing this sometime. Riding a correctly shaped circle, versus an oval, an egg, or even a potato chip as one former student described her attempts at a circle, is not easy. There will be many potato chips on the road to the perfect circle. I teach students how to do it by first teaching them the geometry of the arena, and then, setting up guide cones. Cones are a rider’s best friend. I use them when training young horses too, not just for the new riders. They are not expensive, and are incredibly useful all the way up the levels. I have used them for developing turns on the haunches, turns on the forehand, and even the pirouette canter. Besides the twenty meter circle, the other critical figures for developing a horse’s straightness at Training level are changing rein across the diagonal, riding the centerline, and staying the same distance from the rail the entire length of the rail. If a horse is not reasonably straight, staying the same distance from the rail for a full sixty meters is nearly impossible. As riders become more skilled and horses more educated to the aids, the leg yield becomes a very valuable tool. While a leg yield technically falls under the heading of a suppling exercise, I would like to point out a critical piece of the straightness equation here. How many leg yields have you witnessed that drift sideways with the horse’s shoulders dragging the rest of the train lazily behind? When riders get back their score sheets and they read “haunches trail” with the commensurate low score, they generally then proceed to use more leg in a vain attempt to get the hind legs to cross, and then wonder why their horses just run faster instead of crossing more. Been there, done that. But think about the leg yield this way. Your horse’s body might be two or three feet wide in total. If you start your  leg yield with the shoulders already bulging a foot in distance to the outside, now suddenly the diagonal hind leg has to go a third to twice the distance as the front leg in order for your horse’s body to remain parallel to the long side. If the rider instead pays attention to where the shoulders are before starting the leg yield, the hind leg will not have to travel nearly as far in order to connect to the outside rein, which is the whole purpose of a leg yield: to develop inside leg to outside rein connection. This one small attention to the detail of Straightness appropriate to the level on the part of the rider will make the horse’s job infinitely easier and leg yields will require little to no leg. A simple shift in the rider’s weight will make it happen. To continue with the concept of level-appropriate gymnastic exercises, shoulder in becomes the mother of gymnastic exercises. It’s younger cousin, shoulder fore, should be a state of daily ridden existence for horses as soon as they are able to understand the concept of inside leg to outside rein. Ultimately the haunches have to be controlled as well, and this is where the more difficult gymnastic exercises of travers, renvers, turns on the haunches and half pass come into play. The more correctly the rider can bend her horse and connect her horse, the easier it becomes to straighten her horse in the truest sense of the concept. Once the shoulders can be correctly placed in front of the inside hind leg, a horse is well on its way to being sufficiently strengthened, engaged, and balanced for more advanced collected work.

Straight Rider, Straight Horse, Photo Credit Blesk Photography

What Does Impulsion Look Like?

This article is the fourth in a series of articles that will serve to discuss in depth the various tiers of the USDF Training Pyramid. Every dressage rider should be very familiar with this Pyramid. The tiers are as follows: Rhythm, with Energy and Tempo; Relaxation, with Elasticity and Suppleness; Connection-Acceptance of the Bit through Acceptance of the Aids; Impulsion-Increased Energy and Thrust; Straightness with Improved Alignment and Balance; and Collection-Increased Engagement, Lightness of the Forehand, Self-Carriage. A pamphlet discussing it in depth may be found here: https://www.usdf.org/EduDocs/Training/Pyramid_of_Training.pdf

Since everything we do every day with our horses is interrelated, I will demonstrate with these articles specific connections between the various tiers, and how they can be used to facilitate the training of the horse at every level. The vast majority of riders and horses are at Training Level, but what the reader must understand is that this is the MOST IMPORTANT level, for horse and rider. A good education in the beginning secures the future of every dressage horse and every aspiring dressage rider. ~Stacy C. Williams

The USDF Training Pyramid defines Impulsion(Increased Energy and Thrust) as follows: “Impulsion is the term used to describe the transmission of an eager and energetic, yet controlled, propulsive thrust generated from the hindquarters into the athletic movement of the horse. Impulsion is associated with a phase of suspension such as exists in trot and canter, but not in walk. It is measured by the horse’s desire to carry himself forward, the elasticity of his steps, suppleness of his back, and engagement of his hindquarters. Impulsion is necessary to develop medium paces, and later on, with the added ingredient of collection, extended paces.”

If you think you should stop reading now because that description included a discussion of the medium, collected and extended paces, and you are “only” working at Training level, then you will be missing out on the big picture and ultimately slowing your progress. Here’s why: Like Rhythm, Impulsion is included as one of the Collective Marks in the General Impressions section of all Dressage tests. Rhythm is addressed directly in the Gaits score with the term “Regularity”, and Impulsion itself is a coefficient. All the other tiers of the Training Pyramid are addressed in a more holistic manner throughout the tests in the Directive Ideas. With the above description of Impulsion in mind, here is what the USEF Tests say with regard to Impulsion in the Collective Marks: “IMPULSION (Desire to move forward, elasticity of the steps, suppleness of the back, engagement of the hindquarters)”

Even at Training level, we must think of the future. Besides, if you are showing Training level, you should ideally be schooling First level at home, and even dipping your toes into the shallow end of Second level with such helpful lateral work as shoulder in. With that in mind, now read the Purpose as stated at the top of the First Level tests: “To confirm that the horse demonstrates correct basics, and in addition to the requirements of Training Level, has developed the thrust to achieve improved balance and throughness and maintains a more consistent contact with the bit.” The word “thrust” is the key here. First level is the first time the horse is expected to demonstrate the thrust necessary to produce lengthenings of stride, a consistently level balance, and, more consistent contact. Since thrust is a key component of Impulsion, it is therefore a desirable quality at every level. However, in my experience, terms such as Impulsion and Engagement are widely misunderstood by most riders until they have achieved a number of years of experience developing horses up the levels. I will attempt to clarify it in a written format, with the caveat that I feel the only way to really understand is to first be able to identify it visually in the ridden horse, and, then, to feel it under saddle.

Let us first say what Impulsion is NOT. Impulsion is not speed. Impulsion is not explosiveness. Impulsion is not slow, either. It is a well-known Dressage cliché: Speed is the enemy of impulsion. Impulsion is that happy place of a horse that is very easy to ride forward or sideways with minimal driving aids. The horse remains focused on his rider, staying active with the hind legs which work towards the center of the horse’s mass, so as to maintain enough balance to demonstrate the requirements of the level at which horse and rider are working. In other words, the horse is using his propulsive power in such a way as to produce a harmonious performance. It is often said that the more impulsion one has, the more submission one needs. I love this statement, and, do agree with it. However, we as riders have to respect who our horses are. Every horse comes with his own degree of innate power. On a certain level, too much submission will inhibit the impulsion, and riders who are over-horsed will have no choice but to become guilty of inhibiting that impulsion just because they want to feel safe. There is NO shame in this whatsoever, but it is a reality that must be respected by all involved in the team and we as riders have to be fair in our expectations of our horses. We can’t kick and hold, it just isn’t fair. The kind horse will shut down and tune out, and the challenging horse will become naughty and unpredictable. We can only ask for what we can tolerate.

When I think of impulsion, I think of it in all caps: IMPULSION. The degree of impulsion needed as one proceeds up the levels increases dramatically, and it is very hard to add it back once it has been taken away. It is therefore very important, if the rider and/or the horse have plans to work at higher levels later on, that the horse be ridden by someone early in its career who will not be afraid to feel “THE POWER”. A Grand Prix horse really needs to have a great deal of desire to go forward that is not generated by the rider. This kind of self-going power can be intimidating to ride, so it is understandable that a greener, less “broke” horse might be ridden well under power in the interest of safety. That said, the DESIRE to go forward should never be blocked by the rider, if the advanced levels are a goal for the horse. There will eventually come a time when the rider must trust(allow), and, the horse must….GO.

When watching horses work, one can look for physical signs of a high degree of impulsion by looking for the following characteristics. First, a horse with good to excellent impulsion will appear to work mostly on his own, with the rider playing the role of guide. Second, the horse’s hind legs will take the same length of stride forward underneath the center of mass, which will allow the horse to reach evenly into both reins with no twist in the neck or tilt in the poll. Third, in the stance phase, the hind leg will work more from the point of the hip forward, rather than coming too far behind the vertical before pushing off. It will also flex well in the hock and stifle during this stance phase, vs. stiffening(this is what we mean by “engagement”). It is this engagement that gives the horse the ability to work in a better balance, less and less on the forehand as the training progresses. Fourth, there will be a more marked moment of suspension, producing what we call “cadence”. Lastly, the back will appear to lift the entire front end(“relative elevation”), and the muscles will appear filled and swinging.

When riding your horse, you can look for the feeling created by improved impulsion. If your horse feels as though he is taking you around the arena and is more or less maintaining the tempo and pace without much direction from you, you are well on your way. This is not as easy a feeling to produce as one may think. Horses will fail to maintain the tempo and pace for a number of reasons: lack of balance on the part of the rider who will therefore block the horse with her hands and/or gripping legs; lack of symmetry in the ability to bend left vs. right(if your horse speeds up on one track and slows down on the other, that is a sure sign he is not yet symmetrical in his bending); lack of evenness in the rein contact(this is a chicken and egg situation-is the uneven contact due to a mouth/hand/rein issue, or, is it due to an uneven hind leg? The rider, with help from a more experienced trainer, must determine this early and often.); laziness on the part of the horse; and last but not least, timidity on the part of the rider.

This is a theory article and not a training article but I will diverge for a moment to address a common issue. Rider fear is one of the biggest inhibitions horses face when developing the impulsion necessary to advance through the levels. It can be very intimidating to ride a big warmblood at his full power. It is important to assess realistically your tolerance for impulsion as a rider, and then learn to be consistent and fair in your expectations of your horse, based on your tolerance. You can most definitely improve your tolerance for that impulsion with careful “guts-building” work. This is done in a safe and familiar atmosphere, by establishing your baseline impulsion for the ride. Then, if only for a few strides at a time, push your hands a little bit forward, sit a little more up, tick your horse a couple times with the lower leg and just “let” him go on his own. It is a little bit like learning to ride a bicycle without holding onto the handle bars. Just try for a few strides at a time. You will find that this will not only improve your tolerance for impulsion, but it will also improve your horse’s forward desire, your balance as a rider, and the overall connection. There are other ways to improve your tolerance for the power needed to improve your horse’s impulsion. Make sure you are as safe as possible, and, work with your trainer to come up with a plan to develop your boldness as a rider in a systematic way. I like to ride out on the trail and school there, but, not everyone has access to trails or a trail-safe horse. Other ways to achieve similar results might be to do more canter work early on in the ride so as to free up your horse’s back; to do more canter work in general; to use cavaletti work(Jan Lawrence wrote a fantastic series of articles for the Newsletter last year); and to view bad weather days or barn distractions as opportunities to learn to ride your horse in more exciting situations that naturally help to improve their energy level. Again, safety is paramount, so it is important for you to work with your team to create a systematic plan to develop your confidence that works for you and your horse. Honor your place in the journey.

Even though impulsion is scored individually in the Collective Marks at the end of your test, it is nevertheless an integral part of the Directive Ideas for each individual movement within the tests. A high degree of impulsion will just make everything that much better. It is that little something extra which gives all the movements sparkle. A technically correct, three track shoulder in with insufficient impulsion will result in a 6 or 6.5 at best. But if the horse “powers down” with the hind leg causing him to lift the back and shoulders, takes springy steps that reach well forward, and reaches boldly toward the bridle with the neck, that same technically correct shoulder in now becomes an 8.5 or more. Even though elasticity is often thought of as more of an innate trait in a horse, it can absolutely be developed and improved. It is developed when the horse learns to carry himself boldly forward day in and day out, every stride, every ride. Even if your horse was born a small mover, you can absolutely develop the impulsion and elasticity with good riding and training. One of the best ways I know to improve a horse’s impulsion in a positive way is to take your training to the trail. I frequently school higher collection while on the trail, because then my horses want to go, and I can just sit in and half halt to produce more elasticity in the steps while the horse keeps the pedal to the metal-so to speak-all on his own. Below is a photo by Robert Schmidt of utahlens.com, demonstrating this. This horse came to me with a very well developed piaffe, but the passage lacked cadence, lift and scope. By working it on the trail, I was able to take her added freedom into the work, developing the passage into something to really write home about and make it match her beautiful piaffe. It is the classic example of that cliché that we need to feel collection in the extension, and, extension in the collection. She wanted to extend here(you can see it in the coiled haunches!), and all I had to do then was sit in more and hold her on my seat.