Self-Carriage at the Jog
3A. Wrong. Here, Sweetie's back is so hollowed it's even evident in the way the saddle is sitting on him. It's higher at the withers but is angled downward on his back. His neck is unacceptably low and his nose is past the vertical.
3B. Lifting at the jog. I'm applying both spurs in a bumping rhythm to create lift and drive while holding the reins enough to prevent too much forward motion. To make my cues clear, I'm raising the reins in my left hand while allowing them to slide through my right hand. Applying bit pressure from a lower point encourages Sweetie to give at his poll and allows me to reposition his body. As soon as he responds by rounding his back, I release the spur pressure. Ideally, when I release the rein and spur pressure he'll stay lifted and rounded. If he flattens out again and falls forward, I'll put the pressure back on until he learns to maintain self-carriage.
3C. Correct at the jog. Here, Sharon is demonstrating a collected jog with self-carriage. Sweetie's neck, shoulders and back are up, producing a level topline; the tips of his ears should not fall below his withers. Also, notice how the saddle is sitting parallel to the ground instead of tipped downward as it was in Photo 3A.
Self-Carriage at the Lope
4A. Wrong. Our goal at the lope is to create a flowing, natural three-beat rhythm that makes show-ring speed look effortless. To lope without collection and self-carriage creates an unnatural gait and sets your horse up for failure. If your horse is unbalanced, it's magnified at the lope and as Sweetie is here, many horses compensate for this by pulling themselves along and elevating their necks instead of driving from behind. The lope becomes strained and uncomfortable for the rider, and the rhythm is closer to a four beat with more of a trotting stride behind.
4B. Lifting at the lope. Following the same guidelines at the lope as we did at the walk and jog, I'm creating lift in Sweetie's shoulders with the reins while keeping his back rounded with drive from behind. I'm using more of my outside spur (whichever spur is opposite to the lead you're on) to get more drive from behind. If necessary, I would use both my spurs to get more lift in his back end, and then balance by lifting the reins.
4C. Correct at the lope. After I've worked on positioning Sweetie correctly, it'll be easier for Sharon to achieve that same self-carriage when she gets on. As a novice, it's difficult to make a correction before you have a clear understanding of what "correct" feels like--so it's often helpful for a trainer to fix the problem first, and then let the student get the "feel." In this photo, Sharon is able to round Sweetie's back and lift his shoulders to make him drive deeper from behind with the proper cadence and rhythm.
Final Thoughts
Just because your horse is carrying himself properly doesn't mean your job is done. Maintaining self-carriage is a continual process and needs to be reinforced throughout your horse's career. While schooling, riders often drill their horses too much on show-ring riding. Horses are naturally inclined to take the easy way out, so it's your responsibility to encourage self-carriage without burning him out. This process takes time, so be patient with your horse and yourself.
This article originally appeared in the August 2006 issue of Horse & Rider. For further advice on teaching your horse to achieve self-carriage, see our February 2010 Team H&R Problem Solvers article with Robin. To order a copy of either of these issues or other back issues, call 877-717-8928.
Why do judges place the horses that carry their head almost to the ground higher than the horses with a level top line? I see this everywhere from breed shows to open shows. It is very frustrating when your horse is carrying himself and the judges place the “peanut rowers” over you.