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.
