"Ride your horse forward and make him straight." Steinbrecht's admonishment to riders has come down through generations as a founding principal of dressage. The essence of training a horse for dressage is the development of the musculature such that he can easily comply with our request. This makes him happy in his work and a pleasure to ride. This is contingent on the horse being developed as equally as possible on both sides. The inherent crookedness of the horse and the rider makes this an arduous task.
There is much written about the use of exercises bilaterally to promote the equal development of the horse. That is spending equal time in both directions when riding. The crux of the problem stems from the fact that the horse and rider do not use them selves the same on both sides. So doing the exercise in both directions in equal amounts does not necessarily address the development of the horses' symmetry. In fact the use of the same exercise for both sides of the horse may well be detrimental to the goal.
It is important that the rider understand the shape and strengths of the horse in his tutelage. This in itself can seem an insurmountable task, as there is so much contradictory information written about the crookedness of the horse and how to straighten him. For example these two contemporary masters disclose: "Rider induced invitations to evade (straightening) include over positioning, manipulative hands that squeeze backwards on the horse's mouth to produce the illusion of softness and suppleness--also hands that steer the horse as if he were a bicycle." P. 75 Athletic Development, DeKunffy. Then we read on to: "We must be careful when making the horse straight not to bend it in front of the withers…We must be able to ride the horse rather like a bicycle." P. 52 Basic Training of the Young Horse, Klimke. Even when these two honored masters speak of the inherent crookedness of the horse they present opposite pictures. "As most people are right-handed, so are most horses bent to the left." P. 52 Basic Training of the Young Horse, Klimke. "To the other side (usually the left) the horse will be reluctant to offer any bending…." P. 72-73, Athletic Development, De Kunffy. With this depth of controversy apparent among the masters, what chance have we in deciphering the information correctly? Once deciphered how should it effect our training of the horse? These are the important questions, which I will attempt to address.
Many riders go along for years schooling their horses without distinguishing the stiff from the hollow side. Riding in this fashion, like putting Band-Aids on an infection, is treating symptoms without seeking a cure. Even if, training in this fashion, a rider is able to advance the horse through the levels and receive winning scores in competition; the horse will never realize its full potential. Typically, such a rider, feeling that the horse doesn't bend to the left, pulls on the left rein. Now the horse turns his neck to the left, but his right shoulder is now out of alignment to the right. The rider now increases contact on the right rein to control the right shoulder. The right hind leg, now unable to travel correctly forward because of the rein blockage, travels sideways and forces the left hind leg to travel further to the left. The rider has put on three Band-Aids and still has no left bend.
The names attached to certain aspects found in the horse of are no consequence. What is necessary is that the rider grasps the understanding that the two differently muscled sides of the horse must be addressed sympathetically to their needs. The horse has one side that is comprised of longer, less compressible muscles (usually the left) and shorter, more compressible but less stretchable muscles on the other (usually the right). The hind leg on the more compressible side tends to be carried closer to the mid line of the horse, while the hind leg on the less compressible side tends to be carried out away from the mid line. The scenario most often seen is that when the horse is led away one would notice that the left hind leg strikes to some degree to the left of the left fore foot and the right hind foot strikes to some degree to the left of the right fore foot. The degree to which this is apparent is effected by the horses conformation, i.e. 1) how broad his haunches are as compared to his shoulders, 2) if the horse is based wide or based narrow, 3) his inherent crookedness, as well as to the degree of asymmetrical development that has occurred. The findings of this analysis play an important role in implementing as effective training routine.
The horse whose hind legs like to drift toward the left has two complimentary aspects that need to be addressed. Obviously in order to straighten the horse the left hind leg needs to be encouraged to step more towards the mid line of the horse, in the same moment the right hind leg needs to be encouraged to step less towards the mid line and more towards the right. The abduction and adduction of each leg needs to become as even as possible. Thus it is only logical that exercises that stress adduction of the left leg and the abduction of the right leg will be the most valuable, while the reverse will not be as productive. This is not to say that exercise would be limited to those criteria, but should be applied with these concepts in mind.
For the horse that is crooked as is above. Leg yield to the left would be the easiest, but the leg yield to the right would be the most beneficial in counter acting the horse's normal posture, thus building more symmetrical musculature. The Leg yield to the right will not only address the adduction problem of the left leg but also the abduction of the right leg. The Shoulder in to the right would be the easiest, but the shoulder in left would be the more profitable as it will again address the adduction problem of the left hind leg and again the abduction problem of the right hind leg. The haunches in left will increase the articulation of the left hind leg while it stretches the muscles of the right side of the horse. The haunches in right will be easier for the horse and it will address the abduction of the right hind leg and the adduction of the left. So with these few exercises we can see that the normally crooked horse will benefit the most by riding more Leg Yield to the Right instead of equal time on each. Shoulder In to the Left will be more beneficial than the Shoulder In Right. Haunches in to the left for the articulation of the less flexible left leg will be of value and Haunches In Right for the abduction of the Right leg and Adduction of the left will also be important in our overall plan. Of course all of this is only of value when ridden correctly within the limitations of the horses' present physique.
The attentive rider will recognize loss of relaxation, rhythm, tempo, and or suppleness as the limitations of the horse. When the horse losses the proper alignment in his spine he will become tense because his balance has been forced into a precarious position. When this is the case the exercise being ridden has lost its value. Each exercise must be viewed progressively by the rider. For example the horse that is unable, at this point, to proceed correctly in Leg Yield to the right will benefit from decreasing the angle to a level that will allow him to produce the exercise as atomically correct as possible. At a lesser angle the horse can cross his left hind leg in front of the right, move his right hind leg to the right in the next moment and maintain the correct alignment in his spine. With relaxation and regularity returned to the exercise we have made the first step in improving his physic. From this point we can now increase the demands of the exercise successively.
To increase the demands of the exercise is to increase one or more of its elements. Increase in Angle, Duration and or Gait will all greatly increase the level of difficulty of the exercise. The rider needs to be aware of which entity he is increasing and its effect. In most exercises an increase in the angle or bend reflects primarily on the suppleness of the horse and secondarily on the strength. The duration increase is a reflection of strength issues primarily and can secondarily reflect conditioning. Increase in gait or pace within a specified gait is usually reflective of strength issues also. Problems arising with gait or pace increase also may be related to flexibility and mobility, both of which are suppleness issues relating to balance. Remember to think about the requirements of each gait to determine the effect on the horse. Some exercises will be easier in the trot, for instance, than in the walk because the horse can utilize the moment of suspension to his benefit. Don't be fooled by the fact that he can perform the task in one gait he should automatically be able to perform it in another.
As the trainer progresses the horse it is easy to identify those exercises that are troublesome. What is not easy is to be very critical about the training and listen to what the horse and his reflective physic is telling you. Assessing the muscular development from the ground is a very helpful tool. Watching for the sweat patters can also provide insight. Not only the location of the sweat, but also the order of emergence can be important. The horse is a mirror of your training mind, body and spirit. Look carefully at each of these aspects in analyzing what is the next appropriate step for the horse. It is imperative that the horse feels good about himself, as should his trainer. This must be considered when selecting appropriate exercises. The exercises that will help him the most often are not the easiest ones for him. Make sure that you lead up appropriately to these as well as compliment them with exercises that induce the horse to use his strengths. Otherwise he will be shortly soured of his work. Push him to the edge and invite him over, but NEVER push him off!