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A key to success is to gain control over the elements that are within your reach regardless of the type of horse you ride or at what level you are competing. One paramount element that you can focus on is the accuracy with which you ride. Riding accurately can win the class and prove your talent as a rider. Many people feel that the quality of horse is the most important element, but that is not always the case. Up to and including Prix St. Georges, the marks are weighted to the technical side. This need for technical precision affects your coefficients and resulting score. Therefore, accuracy is an element in your control for a competitive edge. Here are three tactics within your control to help you grasp that competitive advantage.

Learn from Showing Last Year
Your coach helped to get you to the ring last summer, and the judges have evaluated your performance. The judges' job was to determine why the movement was not a 10. But, it's not over. Now it is your job to gather up your test sheets and sit down at your desk. You and your coach already know where your trouble areas are, however, you now need to be looking for marks that you have given away. For example, the Prix St. Georges test has a total of 400 possible marks and 27 movements. Therefore, each mark represents one-fourth of a percentage point; in other words, four marks equals one percent. Thereby, you could win or lose the class with just the size of your voltes alone! Try to develop the skill of reviewing your test in this light at your desk, and then you will see how you should ride fighting to hold on to marks instead of throwing them away. This is a winner's strategy.

Ride Daily with a Show Training-Purpose in Mind
At home, after warm-up, your riding should have a show-training purpose, working toward technical correctness in all shapes, movements and transitions. This means, for instance, square halts, hitting four points of a circle, setting a predetermined point of transitions, correct number of steps in the rein back, simple changes or pirouettes. Pay close attention to these details. This is not about repeating tricks or mistakes until you get them right, but rather it's the same methodical mindset that is required when reviewing your tests. As you run through tiny portions of your test, as soon as you lose any qualities, circle and reestablish the correct way of going, then from that same circle resume the same line that you were working on. Repeat this method to avoid tension and anticipation.

Know and Strategize Your Test
A further aspect of the test-riding situation that you have complete control over is the memorization of the test itself and the resulting strategy. Even if you are able to have the test read to you, the movements should just happen. It has been proven that active involvement in the learning process leads to better retention of the material at hand. So try walking out the test and diagramming it on paper. Strategizing the test involves anticipating what to expect from the judges by knowing the directives for the level. It may also involve being systematically assertive or conservative during your test.

Thus plan ahead; if you know your horse falls on his forehand while going for too much medium trot, it could cause you to lose marks on your next movement trying to get the horse back. For example, if you go for a 7 in the medium trot and fall on the forehand, ending up with a 5, then you probably get, at best, a 5 on the next movement while trying to get your horse back. Ridden with a plan, such as a more conservative medium trot and perhaps a stronger next movement, you could get at least three more marks resulting in more than 0.5 percent on your final score. Consider the entire test in this light, and your final score will be higher.

The ability to create this accurate test will not only raise the individual marks of the test, but also the overall collective marks will be affected in your favor.

Submission and rider's position both will be positively correlated because of an improved level of technical riding that has been quietly perfected at home under the discipline of accuracy. Just like the training stages give your horse a foundation, this type of control will give you confidence that you can start building on to ask more of your horse, such as position and engagement. This then becomes your personal competitive edge.

Madison Harris is a senior at Berry College in Rome, Georgia, studying Business Management. As team member of the Berry Hunt Seat team, Madison has held the captain's position of Historian for 3 years as well. On top of team, riding her Appendix Quarter Horse mare, Sassie, and participating in the IHSA Media Internship, she also started and manages her own photography business called MHarris Photography. Photography and horses are two of her passions and she is incredibly excited to be helping out with the Practical Horseman coverage this year in Harrisburg.

Nicole Mandracchia has been riding for over 10 years and is a working student at James and Robin Fairclough’s Top Brass Farm in Newton, New Jersey. She helps tend to the farm's 25 driving and jumping horses. She grooms and shows at major horse shows on the East Coast, such as HITS Saugerties and Ocala, Garden State, the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show, the Pennsylvania National and Lake Placid. She attends Centenary College and is the senior captain of the IHSA team where she has been competing in the Open level for four years. Nicole is planning to graduate in May 2013 with an Equine Studies degree with a concentration in Communications.

For the latest results and information about the 2013 IHSA Nationals, click HERE. Watch live streaming of all the action HERE.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Nicole Mandracchia's Blog: Final Hunt Seat Day at IHSA Nationals: I heard one of my favorite songs, “Titanium” by Sia, come over the loudspeaker this morning while all our horses were out schooling. I sang along with it for a few bars and then turned to one of my teammates with a smile. “It’s going to be a good day—this is a good song.” He looked at me like I was crazy, but I was getting good vibes.

As the saying goes, it ain’t over until it’s over. It seemed as though Centenary’s luck finally turned around today. Senior Cori Reich won the coveted USEF/Cacchione Cup title, something she has been working very hard for. This is the third time in five years that a Centenary rider has claimed this title; graduate Lindsay Clark won it in 2009 and graduate Marissa Cohen won in 2011.

It was so stressful listening to the announcer list the riders’ names in reverse order of placing during the awards presentation. Our entire team was there to cheer for her when her name was called in first place—we were all in tears. After all the ribbon pictures were taken, we stormed into the arena and enveloped her in a group hug. There are so many of us that I’m sure it looked like a stampede! Cori is amazing and we are so proud of her.

Our Open Flat rider, junior Kathryn Haley, scored a win for us in Team Open Flat. The judges did not call the riders back for further testing like they did last year. Instead, they asked the riders to drop their stirrups to the right and perform flatwork without them, including a lengthening of stride at the canter. Katie rode beautifully and with the same grace and poise that she always has. I wish I could flat as well as she can!

That win brought us to a tie with Goucher College for 5^th overall in the team placings, which was the same placing we received last year. Being one of the top five teams in the country is pretty good and we’ll definitely take it! Skidmore and St. Lawrence deserved the win—their riders were exceptional all week. Stanford University jumped to the Reserve Championship, which was great for them! The Savannah College of Art and Design was third and Mount Holyoke was fourth.

The show always does three sportsmanship awards to recognize three individuals who have worked hard all week to make Nationals possible. Rebecca Folk of Lafayette College won the Rider Award, Erin Githens of Lafayette College won the Coach Award and Centenary’s very own Amy Gregonis won the Volunteer Award. Congratulations to them—all were very deserving!

There’s also a Horse of the Show award given to the horse that has been the most consistent all week and has been a favorite among riders and coaches. Centenary’s King won this award, and he proudly posed in the winner’s circle. He will receive free SmartPaks for a year and won a beautiful bridle, which we want him to wear in his lessons every day. Centenary has had King for 7 years, and he has been such a great addition to our program. He has taught countless riders how to ride and always comes to Nationals with us. He also does ANRC Nationals, IDA shows at Centenary, IHSA shows at Centenary and Hunter/Jumper team shows. He a professional and knows his job well.

After the award presentations, we packed up our equipment and horses to go home. This was the last IHSA show of my college career—I graduate from Centenary in two weeks. It’s so surreal and I do not know where the past four years have gone. IHSA has been a part of my college career from day 1; I have always been committed to our team. I have learned so many essential riding skills competing in IHSA shows in Zone 3, Region 3. As a captain, I’ve learned the value of teamwork and how to run horse shows successfully and efficiently. I have learned how to get the best out of my team and encourage them to work hard and never give up. I’ve made so many life-long friends that I will never forget and will always keep in touch with. And most importantly, I’ve learned horsemanship skills that will last a lifetime.

Ultimately, we had a great year and that’s all that really matters. We were undefeated, winning every show all semester and we claimed the Zone 3 Finals Championship. None of Centenary’s success would have been possible without the help of all 60 people on our team, and I thank each and every one of them for one of the best years our team has ever had. I can’t thank our coaches Michael Dowling and Heather Clark enough for all their support and dedication to the team. All those no-stirrup lessons and practices ultimately made us stronger riders. It has been an honor to work with each member of this team, and I hope that they will learn as much from IHSA as I did.

2013 IHSA Nationals ended in a tie this year between Skidmore and St. Lawrence. Both coaches had wonderful things to say about the other team. Mary Drueding (St. Lawrence): "I'd rather share than lose the title. I'm incredibly proud of Zone 2 in itself. We have strong riders, strong coaches, and we all fight until the 8th class on the last day." Belinda (Asst. Coach of Skidmore): "This was a really special camaraderie and we're both thrilled to share the title within Zone 2."

© Madison Harris

I have to share this photo of my own team, Berry College, who claimed 6th place today. On a personal note, we have fought the past three years of my college career to reach Nationals and haven't made it as a team past Zones. This year, after an undefeated season, my team made it to Nationals. I have never been a part of such a hard-working and supportive group of people before and I was proud to watch them accomplish this goal. This was probably the greatest present I could've received at the end of my senior year. Go Vikings!

© Madison Harris

King, the Dutch Warmblood from Centenary College, won Champion Hunt Seat Horse of 2013 Nationals. What a beautiful guy!

© Madison Harris

I had the chance for a quick word with Peter Leone after the Cacchione Cup final. He stated: "The Cacchione final testing was Maclay caliber of skill. All the coaches and teams should be incredibly proud of their riders. I was impressed."

© Madison Harris

We have some fantastic video footage provided from a number of sources this week!

© Madison Harris

Running the in-gate at a horse show, especially Nationals, takes a large amount of skill and multitasking. I caught our manager, Chris Mitchell, in the middle of a vary precarious situation involving the balance of coffee and calling riders.

© Madison Harris

Everyone has a tendency to stop and check out the coveted Hunt Seat National Champion trophy, I know I have a couple of times.

© Madison Harris

Meet Lucy! Lucy is a 12 year old, Dutch Warmblood, who is owned by the United States Military Academy. After speaking to her owners, Lucy was found by a friend of the family and shared with them her remarkable talent as a jumper. Lucy has been a show-favorite this week due to her floppy ears as she listens to her riders. As her owner said: "She's known for it, and sometimes you can't really help how big your head is!"

© Madison Harris

While we're here with our teammates cheering us on, we have a tendency to forget how proud our parents are of us. As our number one fans since we start our careers, countless hours are spent watching ringside. They stick with us through the highs and lows, the falls, the smiles, and most of all, the moments that matter most. I had the pleasure of capturing Flavia D'urso's father watching from the gate as Flavia received her Champion ribbon in Collegiate Open Equitation Over Fences for Skidmore College. Not a single person could help but smile as he pointed her out in excitement and pride.

© Madison Harris

The final 10 riders from the Cacchione Cup line up for the awards ceremony.

© Madison Harris

Peter Leone is present today at Nationals. Winning riders have been awarded his "Show Jumping Clinic" book as a prize here. All 10 of the Cacchione riders received a book as a token of competition. Peter is a Member of the United States Equestrian Team and has represented the United States on numerous occasions including in 1982 when he helped the U.S. finish fourth in the World Championships in Dublin, Ireland, and in 1996 when he and Crown Royal Legato were part of the USET's Silver Medal team at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta.

© Madison Harris

Cori Reich, of Centenary College, becomes emotional as she is left standing in the lineup as the winner of the 2013 Cacchione Cup. After finishing 15th last year in the Cacchione Cup, Reich was ecstatic with this accomplishment. Speaking to her after the awards, she "thanked Heather and Michael for pushing her incredibly hard and expecting a lot out of her and her teammates. That's how accomplishments are made."

© Madison Harris

The Cacchione Cup is a wrap! Final standings were: Cori Reich, from Centenary (Champion), Flavia D'Urso, from Skidmore (Reserve Champion) and Blake Roberts from Virginia Intermont (Third).

© Madison Harris

Here's the mounting arena where the riders meet their horses. Afterward they make the walk through the tunnel to the competition arena.

© Madison Harris

How do you feel and behave when you get out of bed in the morning with tight or painful back muscles? Chances are you move stiffly or tentatively and your range of motion is restricted. Until you get relief, you don’t have your usual enthusiasm for normal tasks.

It’s much the same for your horse when his back muscles are stiff or hurting. He may

• flinch or sink away when you’re saddling him;
• travel with his head elevated and/or his back hollowed;
• canter less freely than usual;
• experience a decrease in coordinated power;
• trail his hind end rather than stepping under himself;
• jump flat rather than with a rounded bascule;
• drift sideways, either on the flat or over jumps;
• resist lateral work.

One thing your horse will not do as a response to back pain or tightness, by the way, is buck. He needs to round or flex his back to buck, whereas his normal reaction to pain and tightness in his back is to move away from the discomfort by hollowing.

What’s Hurting

The longissimus costarum, just below the longissimus dorsi, extends across the horse’s ribs. This muscle assists in extending the spine and in flexing it laterally.

© Jim Leiby

The muscles whose tightness is frequently a cause of these signs are the longissimus dorsi—the longest and largest muscles in your horse’s body and a powerful extensor of his spine—and the longissimus costarum, which lie below the longissimus dorsi across the ribs on each side and are important in lateral flexion of the spine and in breathing (see photos page 66 for the location of these muscles).

As part of understanding how tightness develops in these and other muscles, let’s take a quick look at how muscles work. Every muscle has two ends, each connected to bone by a tendon. One end is the anchor and the bone to which it is connected doesn’t move. The other end is connected to a bone that moves when the muscle is used. The middle part of the muscle, which does the work of moving the bone, is called the belly. It’s composed of hundreds of tiny fibers, each of which has its own blood supply. When a muscle is working normally, it tightens, then immediately relaxes or ­releases. Muscle tightness occurs when the muscle doesn’t release as it should. When a muscle becomes chronically tight, the fibers lie closer together. This constricts the flow of blood through the muscle belly, somewhat like stepping on a garden hose reduces the flow of water. The muscle ­operates less effectively when it’s tight, and it may be painful.

All muscles work in pairs of opposites: As one muscle contracts, its opposite ­releases. When a muscle is tight, the ­release process of the muscle is affected. The back muscles extend the horse’s spine, and tight back muscles can’t release to allow for the spinal flexion your horse needs to, for instance, round himself for a bascule over a fence or a nice collected canter. Tightness in the longissimus ­costarum will also affect your horse’s ability to bend around your inside leg.

What Causes It
Back muscle tightness can result from a number of factors. Some of the most common are

• the strain and exertion of repetitive schooling, such as working much more on one canter lead than the other;
• footing that is very deep or too hard;
• an ill-fitting or out-of-balance saddle;
• a very imbalanced rider (whose horse will attempt to compensate for her ­one-sidedness);
• poor saddle placement (for instance, too far up on the withers, which drives the cantle into the back muscles);
• too many pads under a correctly fitted saddle. Contrary to some riders’ belief, this does not reduce pressure on the horse’s back but is more like cramming two pairs of socks inside your shoes.

Tight back muscles can also signal a deeper problem such as hock or ankle issues, weak stifles or ligament problems. How can you know whether you’re dealing with simple muscle tightness or with something more serious? If your horse’s discomfort is not relieved after you have done the massage and exercise sequence I’ll describe on the next two pages a couple of times, you need to involve your veterinarian. (As a general rule of thumb, in my 20 years of practice as a massage therapist, if I find persistent tightness in the forward area of a horse’s back, it may indicate a deeper problem in his front end; if the muscles remain tight in the area near his haunches even after massage, there may be a bigger problem in his hind end.)

And that’s too bad, because the quality of gaits is so important in our sport that Gaits is the first Collective Mark on every dressage test. There is an emphasis on “freedom,” which is manifested by the reach and scope of your horse’s limbs, and “regularity.” This involves his ability to maintain an even rhythm—the recurring sequence and timing of his footfalls at a suitable and consistent tempo.

What We’ll Do
In this article, I’ll explain the differences between the types of gaits, and when and why, in the course of your horse’s training and competing, they appear.

I’ll also demonstrate the types of gaits in photos, so you can contrast, compare and, I hope, sharpen your eye. As you do, please note: The difference between an extended and collected gait isn’t merely about the length of a horse’s steps. I always tell my students, “Don’t only follow your horse with a ruler and measure the distance between his footprints. The lengthening or shortening of his step is important, but only as it relates to his overall outline, the elevation of his steps, the raising of his forehand and neck relative to the lowering of his croup and even the lengthening or shortening of his neck.”

Another point to remember is that dressage training is a slow, logical, step-by-step progression. It builds the strength, muscle, balance, animation, activity and ­cadence (the sum of rhythm plus impulsion, which is expressed by an ­energetic lifting of the feet from the ground and gives any gait an extra quality).

The test levels at which the different types of gaits appear mirror the “building blocks” of the Training Scale: rhythm, relaxation, connection, impulsion, straightness and collection. (In fact, the tests are sometimes referred to as a “blueprint” for your training.) I’m sure that if you pushed your green 4-year-old, you probably could get a nice extended canter, no problem! But when you got to the severe down transition, he wouldn’t be physically strong or balanced enough to carry it off.

That’s why, at Introductory Level, you simply want to show that your horse can be ridden on a light but steady contact (or allowed complete freedom to lower and stretch out his head and neck in the free walk).

At Training Level you want to ­additionally confirm that his muscles are supple and loose and that he moves freely forward in a clear and steady rhythm, ­accepting contact with the bit.

At First Level, he has additionally developed thrust (pushing power) and achieved a degree of balance and throughness (the state in which your aids/influence go freely through all parts of him, from back to front and front to back).

At Second Level, he accepts more weight on his hindquarters, has an uphill tendency and stays reliably on the bit. He does this with a greater degree of straightness, bending, suppleness, throughness, balance and self-carriage.

At Third Level he shows increased engagement with rhythm, suppleness, ­acceptance of the bit, throughness, balance, impulsion, straightness and collection.

At Fourth Level and above, he has a high degree of suppleness, impulsion and throughness, plus a clear uphill balance and lightness. He remains reliably on the bit. His movements are straight, energetic and cadenced, and his transitions are precise and smooth.

Now, how do these requirements ­determine when and where the various types of gaits appear? Keep them in mind as you read on.

You may think that you control your horse with the bridle and bit, but that assumption is actually only partially true. After all, your horse’s “engine” and turning apparatus are in his hindquarters. Control the hindquarters and you control your horse.

Bit-and-bridle pressure simply cues your horse to go forward, whoa, turn, back, etc. It’s a way of communicating to your horse what you’d like for him to do. However, your seat and legs, when fine-tuned, also provide excellent cues. When your horse understands your seat and leg cues, he doesn’t necessarily need a bridle to be under your control.

Here, world champion trainer Lynn Palm, along with her husband, horseman Cyril Pittion-Rossillon demonstrate how you can begin teaching your horse to respond to your seat and leg cues only, so you can ride bridleless.

You’ll need: An experienced helper (to longe your horse while you ride and to provide feedback); a halter and longe line; a longe whip; a riding helmet; and your usual tack (including your bridle).

Before you begin: Outfit your horse in a saddle and bridle. Then apply a halter over the bridle. Attach the longe line to the halter’s side ring. Lead your horse to an enclosed arena with good footing. Put on your riding helmet, mount up, and ask your helper to move you and your horse out onto a wide circle on the longe line. Warm up for about 20 minutes, then follow the video tutorial.

Ride Without Reins
To learn to ride bridleless, you’ll first learn how to ride without the reins. This will teach you to “ride from the waist down,” says Palm. It’ll also refine your balance in the saddle.

On the longe line, you’ll drop your reins, and learn to use your seat and legs to cue and control your horse. You’ll do this as you perform upper-body balancing exercises at the walk, trot, posting trot, and lope or canter.

You’ll change direction so you’ll develop both sides evenly. (Change of direction also helps your horse develop both sides evenly, which helps to prevent muscle and joint soreness.)

After you’re comfortable dropping your reins on the longe line, your helper will detach the line, and you’ll perform the same steps. You’ll ask your helper to stay in the arena with you to provide feedback

and in case you need assistance.

At this stage, you’ll pick up the reins when needed to cue your horse.

Neck-Rope Cues
Next, you’ll learn how to use a neck rope and leg aids, along with the bridle, to teach your horse to respond to neck-rope cues. (Your horse will need to know how to neck rein with a bridle.) You’ll teach him to turn in both directions, stop, and back.

You’ll work the rein and the neck rope at the same time. You’ll start at the walk, then stop and back. (The stop-and-back cue will help you put on the brakes as you move on to the faster gaits without a bridle.)

You’ll then ask your horse for a turn on the forehand, a turn on the haunches, and a leg yield (a lateral move with some forward motion) in both directions. Finally, you’ll progress to an extended trot and the canter.

When your horse does well executing these maneuvers with both the bridle and neck rope, you’ll remove the bridle and repeat the maneuvers with just the neck rope. You’ll ask a helper to stay in the arena with you in case you need assistance.

For more on riding bridleless, visit www.lynnpalm.com, and order the "Bridleless Training" DVD.

Lynn Palm is the founder of Palm Partnership Training. She’s shown more than 34 Quarter Horse world and reserve world champions, competing in both English and Western disciplines. She’s won a record four American Quarter Horse Association Superhorse titles and was the first rider to win the prestigious Superhorse title twice on the same horse, Rugged Lark.

1) With your stirrups, go at the posting trot, then cease posting at the top of the "up" phase of the motion and stay poised above your horse’s withers, taking the shock of your horse’s movement in your knees and ankles. You can do this exercise at all three gaits. Maintain a soft, consistent connection with your horse’s mouth by carrying your hands just above the withers with supple elbows. Do not straighten your knees or rest your weight against your horse’s neck. (While this is more comfortable for you, an incorrect position avoids the difficulty of this exercise and, even worse, drives your weight straight down into your horse’s withers with every step or stride.)

2) Posting the trot without stirrups is an excellent exercise to strengthen your lower leg position. It has additional advantages: it's an exercise that you can do without any special facilities, and is something you should do before attempting my next exercise.  Before you start, place your knees a little high in the saddle so that you have sufficient leverage to produce your posting motion. This exercise is surprisingly difficult to do, and you will find your knees slip down after a few minutes. When this happens, practice lifting your knee up in the saddle. This is the same motion you need to make when attempting to regain your stirrup after it becomes dislodged, so you are practicing something that will make you safer and more effective, as well as fitter. While posting, remember to relax your elbows as you rise, so that your hands do not move up and down with your posting motion.

Build a similar gymnastic in an enclosed area to form your “jumping chute.” Make sure your horse is calm, and understands the exercise, before you start jumping without reins or stirrups.

© Jim Wofford

3) For this third exercise, you need three things: a neck-strap, a jumping chute and a suitable horse. By “suitable,” I mean you need a horse that will trot and canter quietly over gymnastics such as you see illustrated here. The neck-strap is easy; use a spare stirrup leather, adjusted one-third of the way up your horse’s neck. The jumping chute is a little more complicated. Using an indoor arena, or an enclosed outdoor arena, place a gymnastic line of jumps down one long side.  Start with a placing pole 9 feet in front of a small vertical, then build a second vertical 18 feet away, followed 19 feet later by an oxer. Put wings on the inside standard of each jump. (The wall serves as the wing on the other side of the jump.)

Once you have measured the distances and made sure the jumps are perpendicular to the wall, remove all the rails except two poles on the ground 9 feet apart on the end of the gymnastic where you will build the first vertical, leaving all three wings in place.

When you first start to build the gymnastic, keep your reins and stirrups. Rehearse your horse through the gymnastic as you gradually add one more jump. If your horse shows any signs of over-exuberance, teach him that you expect him to trot quietly into the placing rail and the following gymnastic, then canter away from the gymnastic and pull up to a halt in the corner at the end of the line of jumps. I have my students perform a turn on the forehand or a turn on the haunches, depending on the level of training of the horse, and walk out of the corner before attempting the gymnastic again. This helps prevent your horse from bolting through the corner while he attempts to launch you into the rafters.

Once your horse is settled, take a short break while you tie a knot in your reins. This is just to shorten the reins, and place a knot in your reins you can easily locate and pick up again … after you have jumped the gymnastic without your reins.

Bill Steinkraus, who combined form and function to win a show jumping gold medal in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, still sets the standard for riders who want to ride well over fences. In this photo taken at the first fence of the 1967 Hickstead Derby, his lower leg position provides him with a stable platform for his aids, and Bold Minstrel is responding with an effortless jump. Horse and rider's nonchalant attitude belie the fact that this fence is well over 4 feet. Bill's foot has entered the stirrup correctly, with the ball of his foot on the tread of the stirrup, and his little toe against the outside branch of the stirrup. His leg is turned out at the same angle as that with which he walks. Although his heels are lower than his toes, they have not been forced completely down; there

I want you to trot into the gymnastic, keeping your stirrups (for now) and holding your reins—but this time, drop the reins on the neck just before the placing pole and cross your arms in front of you. Obviously, regain your reins after the gymnastic and pull up in the corner, as you taught your horse to do earlier. You can do this exercise with your arms crossed in front of you, crossed behind you or extended at shoulder height.

Take another break while you make sure your neck strap is adjusted correctly one-third of the way up your horse’s neck. (If it is too loose, you will find yourself pulling with your hands in your lap, which is ineffective.)  This time, I want you to cross your stirrups in front of the saddle, and hold the neck strap while you jump the gymnastic. Once you drop your stirrups, make sure that you keep your knees up against the knee roll of your saddle. If you allow your knees to slip down in the saddle, you will not be able to follow the jumping motion correctly. (You may need to remove the stirrups altogether if they cause too much interference with your thigh.)

Practice the gymnastic several times using the neck strap, to make sure that your position is secure. Once you are confident in the strength and security of your lower leg, you can do the same arm exercises as before, but this time do them without your stirrups. Continue to pull up to a walk at the end of the line, for safety reasons.

Unless you are a very experienced rider, you should not expect to complete all of these exercises in your first session. If you are just coming back to jumping after a break, it will take you several lessons, plus some serious gym-time, to develop the strength and fitness required. However, the added stability and security of your jumping position will be worth the effort.

If you happen to be one of the 20,000 people to visit the RRTP website during our recent Retired Racehorse Trainer Challenge, then you saw on video the process from day one to week five of four recently retired racehorses with three very competent professional trainers (retiredracehorsetraining.org). Many were surprised by how quickly these horses learned to shift their balance from that of a leaning racehorse to something closer to a Training Level dressage horse.

Applying the Training Scale
The feel of a 3- or 4-year-old horse who raced recently is different from that of a horse of the same age that is green-broke outside of racing. The sport horse is usually more reluctant to march forward into the bridle, but finds rhythm and looseness in his body more easily as long as no fear is present. The ex-racehorse tends to be eager to go forward at all three gaits but has difficulty with rhythm and looseness. Of course, there are exceptions on both sides.

It is the relationship between rhythm, looseness and contact that we must resolve early with a horse off the track, and the way we do it makes all
the difference.

For the observer on the ground, the progression up the training scale toward the ultimate goal of collection appears to be all about shifting the horse’s balance from his forehand to his hindquarters. When starting with a horse off the track, we have no choice but to address this balance from day one.

Racehorses lean into the bit and not only push from behind at speed but also pull at the ground from the front. Experts have found that a galloping horse carries 60 percent of his weight on his front legs, but that a balanced cantering sport horse carries 60 percent behind. The rider feels this leaning on the forehand with most ex-racehorses as soon as he picks up the reins and asks for a trot. With some horses it becomes even heavier at the canter. If the rider refuses to support the horse in the bridle with the reins, he will feel the horse rushing forward in a tempo so quick that he is forced to break the rhythm with inconsistent pulling on the reins. This punishes the horse for going forward.  Rhythm and looseness are difficult to achieve on a fit horse who has worked daily at the racetrack with 10 or more pounds of weight in the bridle.

As dressage riders, if we are at all sympathetic, we understand that our ex-racehorse is pulling not because he wants to run fast, but simply because he has not yet found the balance that is required to do basic work in a riding arena. We want to correct the balance problem and find the rhythm and looseness, but we sometimes fail to offer the quality of contact that these horses expect, thinking that it is premature. Here is where we can learn from our brothers and sisters at the racetracks.

I will never forget the first session of our 2009 Retired Racehorse Training Symposium. Retired jockey JK Adams rode Monster Chaser fresh from the track in an exercise saddle. All 350 jaws of the people watching dropped as he walked, trotted and cantered in balance and rhythm around the indoor arena with the horse in a frame that looked quite appropriate for a competitive Training Level dressage test. His secret was his balance, shock absorbers and hands.

The manner in which a dressage rider thinks about her problems influences how she goes about solving them. When you address the underlying problem, you ride differently from when you are riding the symptom. Even if you’re not riding perfectly, you automatically start to solve your problem. It’s all about your thinking process. Let’s look at a few situations in which the rider can fix the problem instead of the symptom.

Problem 1: A Running Horse that is Heavy in the Hand

Riding the symptom: The heavy, running horse is usually uncomfortable for the rider, so it would be easy to become fixated on the symptom and ride for an hour trying to stop the horse and make him light. In getting him off the rein, the rider can actually create another problem, because self-carriage doesn’t come by getting your horse off the bit. He needs to be on the bit but in a positive way, drawing rather than pulling on it. The horse’s heaviness—and the running—are both just symptoms of an underlying issue.

The underlying issue: The heavy, running horse is not accepting the rider’s aids in a positive manner. He’s running away from his hind legs because he doesn’t want to carry weight with them. Now, we don’t usually think of the running horse as being lazy, but he is. He’s behind the leg, and when I imagine him as being lazy, it helps me psychologically. I’m more inclined to use those tools that involve the use of my leg. My horse will get lighter in front when he’s in front of my leg and accepting my half halts.

Let’s look at the leg aids first. It’s difficult to use the leg when your horse is running, but you have to be able to activate the hind legs in a way that doesn’t dump the horse into your hand. When you fixate on your horse’s reaction to your leg, he will automatically start to improve, even if your aids aren’t perfect.

Do things that require the use of your leg, such as turn on the forehand, leg yield, shoulder-fore and lots of bending and turning lines. Sideways exercises require diagonal aids that give you leverage between the inside leg and outside rein. Your leg persistently asks your horse to draw positively on the bit. Your inside leg says, step under your center of gravity. Your outside rein says, wait for me. We can go more forward when you step positively to the bit—drawing on the rein, not pulling. You want to feel that you can drive and ride from back to front, even while slowing down.

Now let’s look at the half halt aids: If you only stop the horse in front, he will stop behind too. Just as you want your horse to respond to your leg aids in a positive way, the same is true of your half halts. When you sit against the rein for a half halt and the horse’s hind leg is engaged, he will transfer weight to the hindquarters. Your half halts, in this situation, close his frame from behind. Remember to release after the half halt so your horse has an opportunity to balance on your seat, and your hand is available for him to draw on but not lean on.

The importance of the rider’s position: The rider’s position should shape the horse, not the other way around. When the horse is running and trying to balance on the rider’s hand, it is common for the rider to fall behind the vertical and let her legs go forward. To prevent this, the rider needs to keep a strong core, with her legs underneath and her upper body tall so the stomach muscles engage. The rider’s leg, in this case, is not exactly a driving leg but a supportive one that makes the seat less at the whim of the horse and more belonging to the rider. In this situation, the horse will balance on the rider’s seat rather than on her hands. (See “Exercises for Problem 1,” right.)