15

Further Schooling

AFTER YOUR HORSE HAS LEARNED BALANCE AND CONTROL at all gaits, there are many other lessons the two of you can seek to master. You can help him learn to make a smooth stop from a walk, trot, or gallop, and to make a well-balanced turn on his hindquarters, center, or forehand. You can also teach him to back up smoothly, and to move sideways on cue, which will make it easier if you want to open and close a gate while mounted. The more versatile and flexible your horse becomes, the more he will be able to accomplish. Further schooling will also make him more pleasant to ride.

Fine-Tuning Your Communication

Every time you ride your horse, you are training him: Your goal is to continue improving communication with him as you strive to refine your cues and his responses. Whether out on the trail, in the show ring, heading over a jump, or chasing a cow, good communication between rider and horse is essential.

Work as a Team

The well-trained horse gives readily to the bit and to leg cues and is able to move left and right, to flex, and to extend. You and your horse have spent countless hours perfecting your teamwork. Your lessons and exercises have trained your horse to be more responsive to leg, rein, and weight-shift cues; at this point you can signal him with the lightest possible prompts to get the desired result. Everything after first mounted lessons is geared toward achieving that goal.

Teaching a Smooth Stop

Your horse must stop immediately and smoothly when asked. This is something you work at all along — teaching him to respond to Whoa from the time he is a youngster and then under saddle. Stopping quickly and smoothly from fast gaits takes practice. Your horse learns to stop through repetition and reward; you learn to cue at the proper phase of his stride.

How the Horse Stops

When he is asked to stop, the momentum of the horse’s body is still moving him forward. He uses his front heels as brakes while he straightens his front legs. He shifts his weight to the rear, placing his hind feet on the ground in front of the normal standing position. He does this by raising his head and flexing his hocks and stifles, that is, by crouching in the rear to shift his weight to his hind feet.

When forced to stop unexpectedly or pulling up from a gallop, your horse must shift his weight to his hind feet before he can regain the use of his front feet. If he doesn’t put his hind legs well under to shift back the weight, he’ll bounce to a stiff-legged stop on his locked front legs — uncomfortable for both the horse and the rider.

To come to a sudden stop, the horse shifts his weight to his hind feet. To do this, he raises his head, crouches down on his hindquarters, and slides his legs under him.

From a Walk

To ask your horse to stop, lean back slightly, tell him Whoa, and give a light touch of the bit. If he stops, immediately release the tension on the reins and the feel on his mouth. This release of pressure is his reward. If he doesn’t stop, increase checking with the bit until he does. Vibrate the bit with a series of give-and-take actions rather than a steady pull; your horse will pay more attention to it. Practice until he responds instantly and without resistance.

A horse who doesn’t stop well usually has a rider who never gives him slack. Because the reins are always tight and the rider is pulling all the time, the horse pays no attention to the signal. Don’t be that kind of rider!

TIP FOR

STOPPING LESSONS

If at any time your horse refuses to stop smoothly, work on the stop at a slower gait until he once again performs it well. Try to avoid stopping on rocky or uneven ground. This can hurt his feet, and he’ll probably be reluctant to try this again. Be sure the footing is soft and smooth if you are practicing stops from a fast gait.

From a Trot

Once you are satisfied with the stop you get from a walk, try stopping your horse from a slow trot. When he stops well from a slow trot, try a faster one. Lean back a little as you check with the reins. Your shifting weight helps him change his forward motion to a stop because of the balance, and it also becomes a cue.

From a Canter

The timing of your signal is important when you want your horse to stop from a canter or a gallop. If you ask him to stop during the wrong phase of his stride, his hind legs won’t be in position to stop properly; the result will be a series of jarring hops on his front legs, with all his weight on the front. You must ask him to stop as his hind legs are coming forward under him, not when they are extended backward completing their drive.

To get the proper timing, canter the horse slowly. Feel his rhythm, and watch the movement of his shoulders to determine when the lead foot strikes the ground. Time yourself to this rhythm. Ask your horse to stop when his lead foot hits the ground; this is when the hind legs are starting to come forward.

To cue him to stop at this moment, sit up straighter and deeper in the saddle (with more weight in and pushing down on your stirrups) as you check him slightly with the reins, raising his head a little without pulling. By raising his head in this way, you are helping him raise his forehand and clear the ground with his front feet as he makes the stop.

Sometimes it helps to squeeze your legs a little as you lean back, encouraging your horse to drive his hind legs underneath himself. But if you do this, check him adequately at the same time, so he will stop instead of increasing speed.

From Canter to Walk to Halt

Going from a canter to a walk in one stride can be included in lessons for teaching your horse a collected canter (see page 325). As you alternate the canter and the walk, always keep your horse on a loose rein so he stays relaxed and learns to canter slowly. The first transitions from canter to walk will be gradual; never force him to slow down quickly. As lessons progress, however, your horse will begin to understand that you want him to drop to the lower gait, and soon he will require fewer trotting strides to accomplish this. He’ll eventually be able to go directly from the canter to a walk.

There is one phase of his cantering stride during which he can change directly from a canter to a walk, and that is the moment when he has both front feet and one hind foot on the ground. This part of his stride corresponds roughly with the stage in his walk at which he also has three feet on the ground. At this moment of the canter, he can shift gears and go directly into the walk.

Give the signal to your horse with enough time for him to make the transition at the correct part of his stride. At the instant he’s ready to make the transition — when his leading front leg comes to the ground and one hind leg is still on the ground — cease your checking signal with the reins and use your cues for walking, yielding slightly on the reins and squeezing with your legs as your horse lengthens and begins his first walking stride.

Transitions from canter to halt are not difficult once your horse can do a smooth change from the canter to the walk. Making a correct halt with your horse standing squarely is more of a challenge. He must be checked from the canter but allowed to round off his stride so he stands squarely on all four legs; use a half-halt to put him into the first walking stride, then check him more fully to bring him to a smooth, square stop. (A half-halt involves briefly checking the horse with the bit but allowing him to continue on. It is generally used to signal the horse to slow down or to prepare for a transition, such as a change of gait or to change leads.)

SIGNALING STOP FROM A CANTER

A. The rider has asked the horse to stop. He is sitting back farther and has checked the horse with the reins as the horse’s leading front leg hit the ground. The leading leg has just left the ground, and the hind legs are coming forward to make the stop.

B. As the hind legs are coming forward for the stop, the front legs are in the air; the horse is raising his front end for a well-balanced stop.

C. The horse brings his hind legs more forward than usual in order to take the weight as he stops and raises his front end to clear the ground with his front legs as he comes to the halt.

From a Hard Gallop

After your horse can do a good stop from an easy canter, gradually increase his speed so that he learns to do a smooth stop from a fast gallop. To stop well balanced, your horse must use his hind legs to stop, taking the weight on them under his body but not too far underneath. He should use his hocks, stifles, and hips to cushion the stop, keeping his front legs off the ground until he has come to a halt.

The Fast Stop

The purpose of a fast stop is for the horse to stop as quickly as possible without causing himself or the rider discomfort. He must stop in a balanced position so that if you ask for a quick turn afterward, he can execute it immediately. He should always stop on his hind feet, rather than bouncing to a jarring stop on his front legs. A well-trained horse, if properly balanced, can stop from racing speed in a relatively short distance, compared to a sliding stop.

Teaching the Horse to Neck-Rein

As soon as you start putting your horse into a curb or Pelham bit (see pages 183–87 and 188–89, respectively), you will teach him to neck-rein. Because the action of any curb is to the rear, direction cannot be given adequately by direct-reining to the side. With neck-reining, you hold the reins in one hand. To turn, use a loose, indirect rein applied across the horse’s neck to encourage him to move away from rein pressure (the indirect rein is the rein opposite the direction you are turning).

SLIDING STOPS

A stop in which the horse locks his hind legs and slides on them is a requirement in a reining class in the show ring but is impractical anywhere else, especially if the horse must follow the stop with a fast turn. If his hind legs are locked underneath him in a slide, he must regain his balance before he can turn. And a sliding stop is hard on the horse’s legs, especially on rough ground.

The First Lessons

Start teaching the neck-rein while your horse is still in the snaffle so he will understand what you want him to do by the time you put him into a curb. Though you are still using both hands on the reins, begin using the indirect rein across his neck, following up this cue with the direct rein to guide his head around and reinforce the turn. This helps him make the connection, and as lessons progress, it gives your horse a chance to respond to the neck-rein without needing the follow-up cue.

When first starting to neck-rein, change directions only slightly. As your horse begins to understand the signals for turning, rein him at a more acute angle, until you can readily turn him 90 degrees.

Start neck-reining the green horse while he’s still in the snaffle. Use the neck-rein, then follow up with a little help from the direct-rein.

Practice neck-reining from a walk at first, then from the trot, and finally from the canter. If at any time your horse refuses to turn well, drop back to a slower gait. If he has trouble figuring out the turn, use two hands again while using a snaffle or a Pelham with snaffle reins and curb reins, and help him with the direct-rein until he catches on.

Use Your Legs

Always use your legs and body when turning; your horse will get the idea more quickly. His natural tendency is to move away from leg pressure and in the direction in which you lean. Turning right, shift your weight slightly to the right and press with your left leg. Usually gentle pressure is enough, but you may need more if for some reason your horse doesn’t respond to the soft cue.

You’ll get a better response using your legs as an aid for turning rather than turning him with reins alone. Leg pressure encourages your horse to turn with his whole body. Horses who are just reined around on a turn may get “rubbernecked”; that is, they turn their heads while continuing straight ahead. Proper leg pressure will prevent this. It also helps the horse bend his body correctly on the turn.

Turning on the Center

Turning on his center is what a horse does naturally, but he often has to be taught to do it under saddle, as his balance is altered when he is carrying a rider. This is a good movement to learn: it’s the fastest way a horse can turn, in the least amount of space. When doing fast work later, in a sport like polo or for cow cutting, for example, this skill will come in handy. The turn on his center requires less effort and motion than a pivot on his hind legs.

Perfecting a Natural Movement

When a horse turns on his own, without human interference, he moves his forehand in one direction and swings his hindquarters the other way. The pivot point is the center of his body. He is moving his front and hind legs simultaneously in a circle around his center. To teach your horse to do this under saddle, use your legs and body language, with rein cues, to indicate the direction you want him to turn. Teach this lesson while he is moving rather than standing still; this way, he’ll see the purpose in the change of direction.

It is easier to teach a horse to turn on his center if he already knows how to collect. While doing a collected walk, you have precise control of the horse’s total movement. You can direct his front end one way while, with a bit of leg pressure, you swing his hindquarters the other way. You are spinning his body with your legs, which are situated right behind the girth, as the pivot point.

Turn on the center; this is how the horse naturally turns.

While your horse is gathered and collected, moving with impulsion, signal for a tight, controlled turn with your reins, simultaneously using your legs to spin him on his center. Much of your directional cue comes from your legs. Rather than squeezing just with the outside leg, as you’d normally do in a turn, to hold hindquarters in place, use both legs, squeezing steadily, to direct the hindquarters to rotate in the opposite direction from the front end. Your legs are turning the horse in place. Once he gets the idea, this becomes natural for him and greatly increases his maneuverability when you need a quick and precise change of direction.

Turning on the Forehand

Turning on the forehand teaches a horse to move away from leg pressure, preparing him for advanced movements such as lateral work. It is handy if you need your horse to be more maneuverable for opening and closing a gate from horseback, for example, or to reposition him for other movements. Maneuverability is always an asset.

In its most basic form, the turn on the forehand is a lesson in which your horse learns to obey your leg and move his hindquarters around to the side. Ideally, this movement is a small circle on two tracks. Your horse’s hind legs make a large circle around his front legs, which make a very small circle, with the inside front leg almost marking time in place. He learns this movement easily, even though it is not a natural movement; remember, when turning on his own, he turns on his center.

In the turn on the forehand, the horse’s hind legs make a circle around his front legs.

Cueing for the Forehand Turn

The turn on the forehand is an excellent exercise for developing the muscles of the loins, because the hind legs take large sideways steps. Developing and maintaining the elasticity of the loins enhances the athleticism of the horse.

If you have already taught your horse to turn on his forehand during ground work (see page 172), it will be very easy to accomplish this while mounted.

Stop your horse squarely. To move his hindquarters to the right, use pressure with your left leg. With a rein in each hand, pull back the left rein slightly, toward the withers (that is, pulling toward the horse’s right hip). His head and neck should be bent slightly to the left. When the movement is executed properly, it produces good flexion of the neck and jaw, and his jaw is relaxed, not stiff. Your hands hold the front of your horse relatively still while your left leg pushes the hindquarters over to the right. Your horse retains the feeling of forward movement.

If he tries to move forward, your hands check him lightly to keep him in place. If he tries to move backward, your legs keep him thinking “forward,” so he can round his back and free up his hindquarters for movement. He can’t make sideways steps properly with his hind legs if impulsion is to the rear rather than forward.

Ask for one step at a time. Your leg and rein cues keep his body in position — increase pressure to prevent improper direction; release pressure when your horse yields or takes the step with his hind legs in the proper direction. The left hind leg should step forward and across. The leg in motion should always cross over in front of the stationary leg. After your horse completes a 180-degree turn, walk him forward.

Reining and Pivoting

The turn on the hindquarters (the pivot) involves moving the front legs in a circle around the hind legs. Your hands control the forehand, and your legs control the haunches. Your legs aid in turning the whole horse, not just the neck. They help keep the horse collected so you can teach him to shift his weight back and turn on his hind legs. You want your horse to turn smoothly, and he can do this only if he is balanced and collected. Otherwise, he’ll turn awkwardly on his front legs instead of easily on his hind legs. You may want him to pivot on his hind legs to spin around and change directions — a task necessary for reining, cow cutting, and any sport that requires quick maneuverability.

From a Halt

For your horse to pivot on his hind legs, his front end must swing around while his hindquarters stay in place. If you taught the turn on the haunches during ground work, now it’s time for the lesson under saddle. Use your legs to hold your horse’s hindquarters in place while you rein his front end around. If the horse is in a snaffle, you will use your direct-rein. If he’s in a curb, you will be neck-reining.

For many horses it will be easier to put them back in a snaffle (to allow for direct reining) in order to teach this without confusion. Don’t expect him to turn on a large angle at first; ask for one step at a time. It helps to halt parallel to a fence; with a fence on one side, your horse will more readily turn away from it. He’ll understand your signal to turn and will see that he can’t turn into the fence.

When he is standing still, the horse carries most of his weight on his front legs. He must learn collection and how to shift weight to the hind legs to lighten the forehand so he can move his front legs more freely and easily (see page 316).

In the turn on the hindquarters, the horse pivots on his hind legs.

Use your legs to urge him to make a step and your hands to rein him to the left, for example, instead of forward. Check just enough with the bit so your horse will move his front legs but not his back legs. He may want to move his hindquarters to the side instead of his front legs; this is easier for him to do, especially if you taught him to turn on the forehand. To prevent hindquarter movement, press with your outside leg. This will keep your horse from moving into your leg.

Use your inside leg very gently, just to steady the hindquarters, and press harder with your outside leg behind the girth to keep your horse’s hindquarters from swinging out as he turns. He also must learn to position his inside front leg properly, leaving room for his outside front leg to cross over it. The horse will catch on faster if you taught him to pivot on his haunches in earlier training from the ground.

When your horse has learned to turn correctly, he should be able to pivot 180 degrees in four distinct steps. Throughout the turn he will keep his body perfectly straight from poll to croup, with no bend to his head and neck. (Your hands keep his head, neck, and shoulders straight.) It helps, however, to tip his nose slightly into the turn to help give him direction. If he tries to pivot on his front legs instead of his hind legs, move your outside leg back farther and give a good squeeze or tap him with it to keep his hindquarters from swinging out.

From a Walk

After your horse has learned to pivot well, you can turn him this way from a walk, then from a trot, and, finally, from a canter. As always, do it gradually. If you try to progress too quickly, your horse will become confused, you’ll end up giving cues more harshly than you should, and he will react by fighting the bit or resisting. Always work step by step, and never rush your horse.

USE SLIGHT PRESSURE FIRST

When applying leg pressure for any purpose — to signal the horse to move, for example, or to move away from that leg — first use the slightest pressure from your upper calf. If your horse doesn’t respond, follow up with pressure from your middle calf. If he needs more persuasion, use a heavier squeeze with the lower calf. If he doesn’t respond to that, it’s time to tap him with the leg or touch him with a spur (see pages 64–65 for more on using spurs). When you give him several chances to do the right thing before he has to feel the tap or the spur, he soon learns that a quicker response saves him from greater pressure.

From a Trot, Canter, or Gallop

Progress to faster gaits only when your horse is ready — after he performs the pivot very well from a walk and can work in collection. Work him along a fence so he’ll catch on more quickly. Always halt him before you give the signal to turn, and gather him back onto his hind feet before you turn him. If he doesn’t have his hind feet well under his body, he can’t pick up his front end and won’t be able to pivot. Stay centered, without leaning, which could put the horse off balance. But also sit more deeply in the saddle, with more weight on that side of your pelvis and a little more weight on your inside stirrup, to help indicate the direction of the turn. The more sudden and the faster the desired turn, the more you should weight the inside stirrup and be decisive with your hand and leg action.

It will take time for your horse to learn to pivot quickly and well. Never rush him or jerk on his mouth. Before he can master the pivot from a fast gait, he must be able to shift his weight back and come to a smooth stop. Because he has to be able to stop before he can turn, he can’t pivot if he is traveling heavy in front. He must first be collected.

Teaching the Backup

Save the backup under saddle until your horse is well started in training, rather than teaching it during early mounted lessons. When a horse is asked to do a new exercise that’s difficult for him to grasp, he’ll often try to do something he has already learned, often the backup.

You want your horse to develop good forward responses first. If you save backing lessons until he has learned other maneuvers and has good response to cues, he won’t be so apt to back up while being introduced to things he doesn’t understand.

Some young horses use the backup when confused or as an evasive tactic when they are reluctant to do what the rider asks. You don’t want an argument with a green horse out on the trail or the road, only to have him rush backward blindly over a steep bank or into an oncoming car. By saving the backup until later in training, you won’t have this problem.

The Proper Backup

Backing a horse looks simple enough when it’s done well, but it can be a little tricky for the green horse. When a horse backs calmly and well, his legs work together in diagonal pairs. Watching it, it looks like the horse is trotting backward slowly. His head and neck are somewhat extended and his mouth is closed. His movement is smooth, relaxed, and straight.

In a proper backup, the horse’s diagonal legs move in unison. Position the reluctant horse near a fence to help teach him to back up.

Many horses back poorly because they have not been taught the movement properly. They move one leg at a time instead of in pairs, or have their jaw set or their mouth open. They may back crookedly instead of straight or may tuck in the chin, drop the bit, and rush backward.

The horse uses mainly his front legs to propel himself backward, not his hind legs. Many trainers use the same cues for backing as they do for stopping, but this isn’t correct. In the stop, most of the horse’s weight is on the hindquarters, whereas in backing up most is on the front legs. The propulsion is coming from the front legs.

Use of Reins and Legs

To teach your horse to back, halt him from a walk and wait until he is relaxed. Sit in a balanced position, then put weight in your stirrups. Collect him, and flex him slightly, getting his attention through the light use of your legs and from your fingers on the reins. His head should be up a little and vertical, neither overflexed nor lowered. Now squeeze with the calves of your legs and lean back slightly to indicate the direction he should go. Most of your weight is on your knees and thighs, and your back is somewhat braced.

SMOOTH BACKING

As your horse learns what is expected of him in backing, he’ll soon be able to back up several steps and then step forward again without halting. If you apply leg pressure and release the rein pressure, he can go backward and forward in smooth transitions.

Your horse will be compelled to move by the leg pressure and your braced back, but his movement will be backward because your hands are checking forward movement. Don’t pull on the reins. Keep your hands fixed to resist any forward impulse, perhaps vibrating the bit a little in his mouth by opening and closing your fingers. As he begins the first step backward, slacken the reins immediately and relax the pressure of your legs — these are his rewards for the proper response. Remember always to reward by relaxing the cues so your horse knows he did the right thing and can relax.

As soon as he completes the step backward, ask your horse for another, repeating the process. Your hand is fixed in place, and your legs push him into the bit. Because he can’t go forward, he goes backward. After he has done three or four steps backward (asked for one at a time), walk him quietly forward. Do not prolong the first lessons. If your horse responds properly, it’s time to stop and do something else.

Backup Mistakes to Avoid

In planning your lessons on the backup, consider some of the don’ts.

Don’t halt a cue before your horse responds. If you stop squeezing before he begins to take a backward step, you lose the benefit of the leg cue pushing him into the bit. Instead of coming into the bit, he may try to go forward; you have to synchronize bit and leg cues so he is impelled to move, finds that the bit is halting forward movement, and thus goes backward instead.

Don’t allow incorrect movements to continue. If your horse backs crookedly or swings his hindquarters to one side, use your leg behind the girth on the side that is “bulging out” to move his hindquarters back into line. Slightly increase the tension of the rein on that side, too.

Don’t let your horse get out of your control. If he starts to rush backward, stop him between each step with leg pressure and release of rein tension. Don’t overdo this, however, or he’ll think it’s a signal to go forward. You must carefully synchronize your hands and legs.

Don’t try to back your horse by jerking on his mouth, pulling steadily, or pulling on reins without the leg aids. This confuses him. Instead of being pushed into the bit, he will fight it by throwing his head in the air or bracing his neck. To teach him to back up smoothly and willingly, you must reward him by relaxing the cues as he obeys.

The Horse Who Refuses

The green horse is usually easy to teach, especially if you taught him to back at halter and he knows the voice command, but sometimes you encounter a horse who has had bad experiences with the backup and just won’t do it. He doesn’t pay attention to your cues because he has been hurt in the mouth or is so confused that he is “locking up” and avoiding all movement. You must show him what to do by making it easy for him to choose the proper response.

For this lesson, use a fence or a wall to block all forward motion. With light contact on the reins (have one in each hand), ride your horse toward the barrier, using your legs if necessary to keep him headed straight. When his head reaches the barrier, stop him and let him stand and relax for a few seconds, with no leg or bit contact. He realizes he cannot go any farther forward.

Once he’s relaxed, with his head at normal level, squeeze with your legs to push him forward and take up any slack in the reins. He can see he can’t go forward and may try to duck his head left or right. Use your legs and hands to keep him pointed straight at the barrier while continuing to push him forward. Your horse knows he must move, to get away from leg and rein pressure, and will take a backward step.

The instant he responds by going backward, release rein and leg pressure. Then ask for another step, with fixed hands to keep the bit steady and leg pressure to drive him into the bit again. If he doesn’t respond well, it helps to vibrate the bit using a quick give and take with your fingers so there’s no solid pull against which he can brace his jaw. As soon as he takes another step back, release all pressure and praise him. He’ll realize he did the right thing, and now the lesson is over.

Repeat the lesson later, still using the barrier. If your horse resists your cues and locks up his body or braces his jaw, you can always push him forward to the barrier to reinforce the cues. Each time he responds properly, release all pressure. Do a backup lesson each time you ride. After several sessions of the correct response when asking him for only one or two steps, start asking for a few more steps, still one at a time. Soon your horse will realize how he can be rewarded with instant release of pressure and won’t need the barrier in front of him as a crutch.

Help for a Spoiled Horse

If you are working with a spoiled horse, go back to ground work and teach him to back up at halter (see page 135). Do several sessions if needed, until he moves back willingly at halter. Do some ground work with the bit as well, after the horse responds to the cues at halter. Then repeat the procedure while mounted. Enlist a helper, if necessary, to give the signals you gave at halter as you cue your horse from the saddle.

Lateral Work

Training your horse to move to the side in either direction with light rein and leg cues increases his maneuverability and makes it easier to handle difficult obstacles out on the trail, to open and close a gate from horseback, and to control a dodging cow without having to turn away from her.

Being able to move your horse to the side and on “two tracks” — in these movements, his hind feet follow a different path from that of his front — gives control over his actions. It also strengthens his muscles and makes them more supple. When done correctly, the horse’s front legs cross over each other and the hind legs cross over each other. This stretches the loin muscles and aids his ability to collect himself. Turns on the forehand, turns on the hindquarters, and lateral work are some of the basic early stages of dressage training and generally make a horse more maneuverable for all kinds of athletic work (see pages 370–74 for more information about dressage training).

TYPES OF LATERAL WORK

There are several forms of lateral work. In a two track, the horse is going sideways and forward at the same time. In the sidepass, the horse travels sideways with little forward movement. In the leg yield, his body is relatively straight with only a slight bend in the head and neck, curved away from the direction in which he is going. The shoulder-in is more demanding and requires his whole body to be flexed as he moves sideways. The half-pass is more difficult; it requires the horse to move ahead as well as to the side and to arc his body in the direction in which he is traveling.

INCREASE YOUR HORSE’S FITNESS

All of your training in these lessons is aimed at teaching your horse to shift more of his weight to his hindquarters, which makes him not only more pleasant to ride but also less prone to leg injuries because there is less jarring and pounding. And while he’s at it, your horse is also improving his athletic ability.

Moving Sideways

When you begin teaching your horse to sidestep and to move on two tracks, he will be clumsy at first. Moving his legs forward and sideways at the same time is not natural for him. Once he has learned the turn on the forehand, however, he has an idea about bending his hindquarters away from leg pressure, and then it’s a simple matter to move into lateral work. Teach him to two-track forward and sideways first — it’s less confining. Once he’s mastered those skills, teach the sidepass.

For the sidepass, you use the same leg and rein cues for sideways movement as for the two-track or any other lateral move, except that you check the horse’s forward motion more completely. Thus, he travels sideways only, rather than moving forward and sideways.

Leg Yields

When he performs the leg-yield maneuver, your horse’s head is bent slightly away from the direction in which he is traveling, but his body is relatively straight. He is moving sideways at a 45-degree angle to the alignment of his body. This maneuver teaches collection, because he reaches well underneath his body with his outside hind leg and begins to round his back, and this helps him lighten in front.

In the leg-yield position, your horse’s head and neck are bent away from the direction in which he’s traveling, just enough that you can glimpse his eye. You are pressing his hindquarters slightly to the side with your outside leg; his outside hind leg and the inside foreleg are in line with each other when viewed from directly behind the horse. In a sense, he is actually walking on “three tracks.” The outer hind leg takes more of the weight.

Leg yields can be done at a walk, a trot, or a canter, but start your horse at the walk. At the walk, he’ll be going sideways more than forward; at the trot and the canter, he’ll be going forward as much as sideways.

To teach leg yields at the walk, ride a little way out from the arena fence, traveling parallel to the fence. (Your horse’s natural inclination is to go down the fence line if you have been schooling him along it, so he wants to return to it.) Now, as he walks, use your inside leg strongly. The horse will tend to bend around your leg and curve his body away from the direction of travel. Use a little pressure on the inside rein, if needed, to curve his head. He will bend in a gentle arc as he moves sideways and forward toward the fence. Return to the fence gradually, letting him travel sideways several steps.

If his hind legs lag behind the rest of his body, your horse is traveling on four tracks instead of three, and he’s not getting the gymnastic benefit of having the outside hind leg reaching underneath himself. (When the hind leg reaches under, taking more of the weight, it can be a foundation for more collected work.) If his haunches drift too far to the side, use your leg with more pressure on that side or tap behind your leg with a whip until he learns to respond to lighter pressure in order to avoid the stronger cue.

You can also work your horse along the fence, a few feet away from it. Apply the outside rein to get the proper bend; at the same time, press your outside leg slightly back of the girth to move the haunches. This makes him face the fence a little. If he has already learned to move his hindquarters over in response to leg pressure with turns on the forehand, he should soon figure out what he should do.

Leg yield: To teach the horse to move on “three tracks,” use the right leg strongly behind the girth to move the horse to the left. The horse’s right legs cross over his left legs.

After moving sideways a few steps, let him travel straight for a while, then try again. Practice in the open as well as along a fence. Go side to side from one wheel track to the other while traveling along a jeep road in back country, or practice out on a trail, sidestepping a tree or a badger hole. Practice at the walk in a relaxed manner. Eventually, you’ll be able to position your horse for any movement.

Maintaining forward impulsion is crucial. If your horse slows down, get him moving forward again and start over. If he breaks gait when you ask him to move sideways, slow down and begin again. He should soon learn that pressure from one leg means to move sideways and equal pressure from both legs means go forward and straight. If you are consistent, your horse will understand the difference.

Shoulder-In

From doing the leg yield, it’s an easy step to the shoulder-in, a movement that demands more bending and leg engagement. It brings his hind legs under him more, which develops more carrying power in the hindquarters and leaves the front quarters free and better balanced for more athletic movements.

One way to accomplish the shoulder-in is to ride your horse in a circle, bending his neck and body to conform to the circle. At some point begin pushing him sideways, still keeping him bent in the position in which he was traveling on the circle. Keep his body bent at a 30-degree angle with the line of his progression.

Shoulder-in on a circle

While doing the shoulder-in, his inner hind leg will carry more load as it moves sideways under his body. This requires hock flexion. If your horse is clumsy and his hock action is poor, and thus he loses impulsion and rhythm, continue forward in another circle. When hock action and impulsion are good, again try the shoulder-in.

After he accomplishes the maneuver while traveling in straight lines, have him do it while circling. When first starting this lesson, use a large circle for your departure, with the shoulder-in on just a slight angle; it will be easier for your horse. For the shoulder-in on a circle, his hind legs must take longer strides than the front, more so as the circle becomes smaller. The smallest circle is the turn on the forehand.

Half-Pass

In the half-pass, the horse’s body is not flexed; he moves sideways and forward. In contrast to the leg yield, in which his neck is bent slightly away from the direction of travel, in the half-pass his head is bent slightly toward the direction of travel. This means he has to reach farther underneath himself to bring his outside front and hind legs toward his center.

This movement gives you precise control over your horse’s hindquarters and shoulders, paving the way for easier flying lead changes, which are lead changes made midstride (see page 342). Use leg and rein cues as needed to keep your horse’s body straight as you cue him sideways. To help keep him straight and balanced, concentrate on staying balanced and centered yourself, with your weight evenly distributed on your seat bones and in the stirrups.

The half-pass can be done at the trot; in this gait the horse has the energy, impulsion, and diagonal leg movement that makes it possible. Trot him energetically in a circle. Use light outside-leg pressure, applied slightly behind the girth, to move his hip inward and maintain impulsion, and exert inside-leg pressure at the girth to keep his body following the circle. Use inside-rein pressure as needed to keep your horse looking in the direction of travel.

As you start the half-pass, increase outside-leg pressure, and use rein contact to keep his head bent. If you see more than the corner of his eye, you’ve tipped his head too far. Keep forward movement as your horse starts to go sideways. As he moves away from your outside leg, you should feel his back rise beneath your seat as his body compresses and collects. His hindquarters should lower; his shoulders and poll should rise. Ask for at least three lateral/forward steps, then reward him by letting him continue trotting straight.

Repeat the exercise several times, going right as well as left, and gradually ask for more half-pass steps as your horse becomes better at it. After he can consistently perform this in both directions at the trot, graduate to a slow canter.

Opening a Gate from Horseback

Being able to open and close a gate from horseback is handy, and once your horse has learned to move away from leg pressure and to back up, he can be positioned wherever you need him for working a gate.

First Lessons

Walk your horse along a fence, and halt next to a post. Don’t worry about a gate at first. If you try to make him stand next to a gate, all he may think about is moving away. Let him stand parallel to the fence, relaxed and on a loose rein. Ride along the fence in the other direction and halt again, next to another post (the fence is now on his opposite side). Again, let him stand. This accustoms him to positioning himself as he would next to a gate. If he doesn’t want to stand still, don’t force him. Make a circle, and come back to the fence. Do this as many times as is necessary. If he has to walk quickly in the circles, he’ll soon realize that standing still along the fence is a lot less strenuous.

Another exercise is to ride your horse up to a fence head-on, with his nose almost touching it, then ask him to move his hindquarters one step to the right (or left), then his front legs one step to the right (or left). Let him stand, and praise him. Repeat the maneuver, walking him sideways down the fence a few paces, stepping first with the hindquarters, then with the front. Practice it the other way, too, then travel along the fence a few steps in a true sidepass.

LEAD BEFORE YOU RIDE

Before you try to open gates mounted, accustom your horse to leading through a gate. Never hurry through a gate: lead him slowly through it. Have him stop occasionally in the opening; get him relaxed about it. Let him come around and stand next to the gate when you close it, so he gets used to that, too. You want him to remain calm as you lead him through a gate; it will then be easier to teach him to work a gate with you on his back.

The Gate

Ride your horse up to a gate, then stop alongside it as you did along the fence. Allow him to stand on a loose rein, relaxed, then move away. Ride him to the gate several times without trying to open it, until he is comfortable standing alongside it. Then reach down and unlatch the gate. Keep a hand on the gate and the reins in your other hand to make any adjustments in your horse’s position. If he moves out of position, correct it, even if you must let go of the gate. When he is relaxed, ask him to move his body properly to allow you to open the gate, walk through it, swing around, and move properly for closing it again. Position him alongside it so you can reach down and latch it.

After you latch the gate, pause briefly. Turn your horse toward the gate for a moment, then ride away. This way, he won’t develop the habit of rushing off before you’re ready. Likewise, practice doing gates from both directions and from both sides of your horse so he pays attention to your cues. He should not anticipate what you will ask. You want him to know how to respond to whatever you ask and to move his body whichever way you direct him.

Again, always strive to create a situation in which your horse can succeed. Take your time in early sessions, making sure he is comfortable about every movement. If he gets out of position, take time to work on that. It doesn’t matter if you get the gate opened (or closed) properly at first. The main thing is to keep your horse calm and thinking and responding to your cues.

If you worry too much about unlatching or closing the gate, and your horse moves the wrong way and you struggle with him, he’ll associate gates with conflict. If he doesn’t understand, forget the gate; ride away from it and do something else, then work on early lessons again until you feel he’s ready to try again. Soon your horse will put it all together.

ACQUAINT HIM WITH THE GATE

Make sure your horse is comfortable with a gate before you open it while mounted. Some horses do fine the first time, especially those who were prepared with preliminary lessons. Others need more sessions. If yours needs more lessons to be at ease with the gate, open it halfway, and spend time walking through it. Go about 50 feet, turn around, and walk through it again. When he can do this quietly, ask him to stop in the gateway. Pet and praise him, then walk on through.

NEGOTIATING A GATE

A. Ride alongside the gate and halt, then lean over and open the gate.

B. Push the gate open and ride through, still holding on to it.

C. Turn the horse around, push the gate closed, and latch it.

Using a Helper

If your horse is skittish about a gate moving toward him, have someone swing it for you. Concentrate on training the horse for proper movements without having to hang on to the gate. Station your helper on the other side of the gate and ride parallel to it so that the gate opens toward your horse. Halt by the gate, and let him stand and relax. Have your assistant open it toward you while you sidepass away from it, keeping your horse’s body parallel to it. Walk him slowly through and around the gate, as if you were hanging on to it yourself, and halt when you are again parallel with it.

Your assistant should then move around to the other side of the gate and hold it open. Sidepass again as he pushes the gate closed. Back the horse along the closed gate until you are even with the latch, so you can reach down to fasten it. Let the horse stand quietly, then walk away. Your horse will get used to the gate being opened and shut while moving his body in proper relationship to it, and you can soon do the maneuver without a helper.

When teaching any new maneuver, be patient, and take things one step at a time. This keeps your horse from anticipating your cues. He needs to wait for your signal. Never get into a battle at the gate. If you have a problem, take him somewhere else, and practice basic movements until he gets them right.

Work on gate lessons only a few times during a ride, but not just when going through a gate to an arena or back to the barn, or your horse will associate the gate with going back to the barn. He’ll be in a hurry going through when he thinks he’s returning to the barn. If you are ending your ride, come back through the gate, away from the barn; dismount in the arena or training area; then lead him back to the barn. This way, he won’t start anticipating and rushing gate lessons.

Beginning Dressage

Although you may never intend to compete in formal tests, dressage can still be of value. Any schooling you give your horse that makes him more agile, more responsive to cues, and more maneuverable under saddle is beneficial to his role in any task you have planned for him.

Rather than using gimmicks and quick fixes, dressage training is a progressive method of strengthening and suppling a horse to enable him to perform certain tasks. Circles, leads, reining spins, and other maneuvers become much easier for him to perform properly; not only has he been taught the cues, but his body has also been strengthened and made more supple so he can accomplish them easily.

THE GOALS OF DRESSAGE

The horse must be willing and able to move forward freely in all gaits and throughout all movements. He must also be able to remain straight through the body when moving on straight lines and be evenly bent from poll to tail along curved lines. He must have equal flexibility and development on both sides. He must also be relaxed, submissive, and attentive in both body and mind to what the rider is asking. Dressage principles are a logical progression from easy to difficult movements; more is asked of the horse as he becomes mentally and physically ready and able to respond.

What Is Dressage?

The concept of dressage means different things to different people: it can encompass basic training, harmony between horse and rider, perfection of the gaits, development of a horse’s physical and mental ability, and horse ballet. This term is often misunderstood to mean a type of riding that can be performed only in a certain way and one that is just for English riders.

The term comes from the French word dresser, “to train,” and dressage is the kind of training that goes beyond simply breaking a horse and making him willing to carry a person on his back. Dressage is the art of improving a horse beyond this stage, making him more agile, willing, easier to control, more pleasant to ride, more graceful, and better balanced. It involves a type of consistent horsemanship that is necessary for developing perfect obedience and perfect lightness and agility.

Dressage teaches a horse to understand your aids more fully and to become more responsive. Dressage is therefore beneficial for any horse — it will help him become well rounded in his education and less apt to become spoiled or one-sided. A little dressage makes for a better-trained horse. A broader experience of dressage not only trains a horse but also develops him physically and mentally so he is truly “one” with his rider, able to understand whatever the rider asks of him and physically competent to perform it.

Teaching Suppleness and Control

A good trainer keeps a horse continually improving athletically and mentally, developing the horse gradually, correcting any problems as they arise. In dressage, each new exercise can be done correctly only when the foundation has been laid properly by previous lessons. For instance, you cannot collect a horse until he first has impulsion. Gymnastic exercises are designed to develop muscles, poise, dexterity, and balance and are the basis of dressage training.

One of the goals of training a horse is to strengthen his muscles, especially the back and neck, so he can perform easily while carrying the weight of a rider. This is accomplished while the horse is learning to obey signals, stop, turn, and handle himself at various gaits. He should be developed gradually, first at the walk with exercises and traveling across country. He is encouraged to extend his head and neck and push his hindquarters well under himself, reaching confidently with his hind feet. The next step is to develop a strong trot with a slow cadence and long strides.

After strengthening the horse and developing strong impulsion, the next goal is to make him more agile and flexible. This requires exercises to help him bend his spine (shoulder-in, for example; see page 365). Suppleness and good balance are demonstrated by a horse who can canter a small circle smoothly and easily. He bends from poll to croup, the bend in his spine matching the bend of the circle. When he is bending properly, his hind feet follow exactly the path of his forefeet. Horses do not travel this way naturally; they must be taught these exercises to develop greater agility and dexterity.

Lessons in making the horse more supple: The horse’s neck and body are bending to fit the circle.

For best athletic performance, the horse must be taught to follow his head and to bend his body around curves. When running at liberty in a pasture, a horse seldom follows his head; he inclines his body slightly away from the direction he is traveling. While cantering in a circle to the left, for example, his body is slightly to the right. He keeps his balance fairly well — until he gets into an unusual situation, such as slippery ground. When ridden, he must learn new balance while carrying a rider, and also learn to quickly balance himself to accomplish an unexpected change of direction demanded by the rider, or a rider’s request to canter in a small circle. Good training teaches a horse to collect and handle himself with more balance and control than he has when running free.

Teaching Response to Subtle Cues

Training enables you to be in tune with your horse so you can ask him to respond to very refined cues. He has better lateral suppleness for circles and better longitudinal flexibility for work in straight lines. Dressage exercises enable him to respond immediately to a subtle request such as to halt from a trot or canter in just one stride or to make a smooth change of gait. Speeding up, slowing, and stopping all require perfect balance. He comes to a square stop with no resistance or head tossing.

Your horse must be able to shift his center of gravity forward or backward as you request. One purpose of dressage is to make him willing and completely obedient. It teaches him to move in any direction, at any gait, at any speed, laterally or on a diagonal, with his forehand active and his hindquarters passive or vice versa. He is taught pivots and the half-pass and can also change easily from an extended gait to a collected one and back.

Three Stages

Dressage training is categorized into light or basic, intermediate, and heavy.

Basic dressage consists of teaching the horse to be obedient at all gaits on straight lines and in circles.

Intermediate dressage takes the horse through schooling exercises that include shoulder-in, pivots, and half-pass; flying change of leads; and the beginning of the passage. This is a trot with high action, in which the horse seems to travel in slow motion: he moves very slowly forward in perfectly cadenced steps, with each diagonal pair of legs suspended in the air.

Heavy dressage includes highly collected movements such as the piaffe (a trot in place), more work on the passage, flying change of lead at every stride, and the pirouette (a turn on the haunches at the canter, the horse cantering in place as he turns). When executed properly, these movements represent the highest degree of collection, flexibility, and suppleness.

Classical Dressage

Classical dressage included “airs above the ground,” such as the levade, cour-bette, and capriole — specialized military maneuvers that were used in the 1500s when well-trained horses were ridden in battle against foot soldiers. Modern dressage is quite different from its classical roots. Horses of the old school were smaller, with high knee action. Traditional movements had the greatest degree of collection, and the highlights of these displays were movements on two tracks, in which the horse was presented with head and neck bent. Today, the horses used in dressage are larger, faster, and more powerful and move with a lower, longer stride. Extended gaits are emphasized as much as highly collected movements, with continuous transitions being made from one to the other.

Beginning Jumping

Not all horses have natural jumping ability (some cannot jump at all!), but most horses can be taught to handle low to medium jumps. Many exercises used in teaching a horse to jump — working over rails on the ground, cavalletti, and low jumps, for example — teach better control, coordination, dexterity, and obedience. They help a horse become more flexible and relaxed, and develop his muscles for jumping.

CAVALLETTI TRAINING

Cavalletti consist of six or eight poles laid on the ground about 4½ feet apart (space them appropriately for your horse’s stride length), with a pair of jump standards (uprights to hold the poles) at each end of the last pole. The horse is trotted over the poles, putting one foot down between each pole. The last pole can be raised onto standards to make a low jump. As the pole is raised to make the jump higher, the distance between the last ground pole and the jump is increased accordingly, thus providing the horse with enough distance to make the jump successfully.

Work on the Flat

Before your horse can learn to jump, he must learn how to space his strides and prepare his approach. This is easily accomplished by riding over rails, or cavalletti, on the ground. Practice walking and trotting him over the poles in both directions. With a green horse, walk over a single pole first until he is confident, keeping him in a straight line before and after the pole, and progress to the trot after he does well at the walk.

Then use multiple rails 4 to 5 feet apart, depending on your horse’s stride. The average distance for most horses when trotting is to have them 4½ feet apart. Three poles is enough to start with, then add more to help your horse regulate and adjust his stride. Post the trot (see pages 303–6) when riding over them, or stand in the stirrups so that you are not bouncing on his back. He needs complete freedom of movement to figure out his stride. At the sitting trot, you are more apt to interfere with his mouth and alter his rhythm.

After your horse is comfortable about trotting over several evenly spaced poles, return to single poles, and canter him over those. This helps both of you judge the distance and takeoff position. Once he canters nicely over single poles, space them so he takes a certain number of strides between each one.

Work over Small Jumps

When your horse can trot and canter over poles on the ground, raise them to make small jumps, about a foot high. Trot him over those, then raise the poles after he is at ease with the small jumps. Stay well forward, in jumping position, as he goes over the jump, taking care not to hinder his mouth with the bit or bang down in the saddle. Your horse needs complete freedom of head and neck. If you don’t interfere with his mouth or land hard in the saddle, he will learn to use his head and neck for proper balance and keep his back rounded for smoother jumping.

If your horse has trouble regulating his strides while trotting over small jumps, put three poles on the ground ahead of each small jump, spacing them about 4½ feet apart, with about 9 feet between the last pole and the jump. You can also use just one pole in front of the jump (again, 9 feet ahead of it), if that works better for your horse. If he is nervous or overeager and tends to anticipate the jump too much, one pole is better than three; multiple poles may make him want to rush even more.

PROPER JUMPING POSITION

Your position while jumping should be similar to the position for the gallop — seat out of the saddle, leaning forward over the neck, with proper leg position to give grip and balance. If your legs go back too far, your body will come too far forward when the horse lands, and you may fall off. If your legs go too far forward, your upper body will go too far back, and you’ll be “behind” the horse on the jump, likely to catch him in the mouth as well as bang down on his back. This will discourage him from jumping. Keep your weight in your stirrups, relaxing your knees and ankles. Use the strength in your lower legs for part of your grip and balance.

Good jump position

Trotting over poles to help regulate the horse’s stride, with the last pole 9 feet from a small jump

If you are cantering over the jumps and using a pole in front, space the pole 10 to 12 feet ahead of the jump. Placing poles ahead of the jump encourages your horse to get there at the right speed and with the proper spacing of his stride to make a smooth jump. As he gains confidence, set up a miniature jump course so he can go from doing single jumps to doing several.

Avoid Souring the Horse

As you train your horse, you’ll make the best progress by going at his speed and not drilling excessively during lessons. Repetition is important in training, but keep him fresh and eager to learn; always give him some timeouts. If every time you ride you are doing training exercises, your horse will begin to resent the lessons. Be creative, and vary the lesson plan enough to make your rides pleasant and interesting for your partner.

Constructive Loafing

Every now and then go for a ride during which your horse does more lollygagging than working. Go out several miles for a pleasant hike across country or make an occasional rest stop with some grazing — use these occasions just to enjoy each other’s company. An occasional do-nothing ride can help keep your horse from getting sour and burning out. This gives him a mental and physical break from intense training sessions and makes him feel happier about the whole program. And it’s a nice break for you, too.

When training a young horse, stay attuned to his frame of mind and gear lessons accordingly. Intersperse some “at ease” sessions whenever you feel your horse needs them. In order for him to give you his maximum effort and cooperation in his lessons and in future work, he needs to learn early on that being ridden is not just a constant grind of hard work.

As he progresses in training, he becomes more able to work for longer periods, with more demands on his span of attention and concentration. Even as your horse matures, still plan some restful sessions, or he may grow tired of the predictable routine.

Work and Play

One way to keep your horse’s attention is to integrate several short but intense lessons during a long and relaxed cross-country ride. Take advantage of a level open area along the trail for a quick practice of a figure eight and lead change or a couple of rollbacks (pivots on the hind legs from a gallop), circles, and gait transitions or whatever he needs work on; then continue on your ride. This way, your horse will come to realize that work can be a spur-of-the-moment thing, anywhere, anytime, not simply constant daily drilling in the same old place.

A long aimless ride can also calm an overeager, nervous, or keyed-up horse and help him relax. If you have been trying too hard to reach a certain goal in lessons and thus are drilling your horse too much, the intensity and tension will be counterproductive. Back off, and give your horse a break. He may just need time off to improve his attitude about his work.

Often he will come back to his sessions with more willingness and will progress more steadily because the vacation gave him the space and time he needed for some lessons to sink in. If you don’t give the horse a break now and then, you’ll probably end up in a confrontation: he will have mentally quit on you, while you keep making demands. This situation will only make him more resistant and resentful and will destroy all your progress. Don’t let things get to this point. Think about your horse; keep him happy, and he’ll be more willing to try to learn and give his best.

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT!

If you commit yourself to a goal, there’s practically no limit to what you and your horse can accomplish together. The key ingredients for success are time and patience. A good horseman always has time for whatever the horse needs, never rushing him, and recognizes the value of a strong foundation built on mutual understanding.

If a certain goal is worth pursuing, it is worth your time and commitment. Recognize the importance of keeping the horse’s future progress and well-being as your highest priority. Put the welfare of the horse first, above your own feelings or any perceived schedule demands. A good trainer remains alert to his pupil’s attitude, willingness, and abilities, progressing at the horse’s pace and no faster.

Like a good teacher, a good trainer makes his pupil strive for more and stimulates him to advance today beyond what he learned yesterday or last week but never gives him more than he can assimilate. You want to keep the horse willing and eager to learn, challenging his mind as well as developing his physical capabilities and stamina for athletic accomplishment. But if you ask too much or if the work becomes too hard, he will lose interest in trying.

The secret to creating a top performer, a perfect teammate in your chosen riding discipline or sport, therefore, is knowing when to push and when to be patient, interspersing work with relaxation. A happy, interested horse will go a lot further in his schooling, both mentally and physically, than a horse who is rarely challenged or one who is confused or pushed too hard.