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Sometimes dressage riders think it is enough to teach their horses the movements, but they don’t take into account that a young dressage horse needs more than just movements to excel in competition and move up the training scale. Respect and self-assurance are the indispensable preconditions for building a harmonious partnership.

There is no question that horses are stronger than we are. Because they are flight animals, trouble can happen in the daily handling and work as well as at the more intense atmosphere of a show. All too often we observe bad behavior: Horses pull their riders around, do not stand still while they are mounted and use the rider to scratch their itchy heads. While all this is tiresome, it more importantly shows that the horse has never learnt to respect the rider as the herd leader. This is the position in which the rider needs to be, and so respect needs to be established early on. This includes fairness, which is key to a horse’s contentment and happiness.

The harmonious partnership we aim for begins with groundwork even before we have the young dressage horse under saddle. Securing a form of general obedience from the ground allows us to work in a relaxed way with our equine partner and helps a lot when it comes to riding because the horse has learnt to trust and follow us as he would in nature, following the lead mare in a herd. In this article, we show how we establish respect from the ground and how this leads to strengthening a horse’s self-assurance, which is necessary preparation for his first shows.

Step 1: Establish Respect
There is no magic. Rather, systematic training and consequence are indispensable in gaining a horse’s respect. And it must be done in a way that lacks any force, violence and injustice. Your uppermost aim has to be to become the herd leader, because in doing that you give your horse the security he needs when being worked, thereby increasing his faith in you and in the environment in which you work. The horse learns that you are the one determining the speed and direction in which he moves.

You do this by using specific body language and repeating short voice commands. Horses are usually quick learners. After showing them something new, given the right timing and praise, you only need about three repetitions to secure the behavior you want. One general remark on the use of the voice: In nature, horses communicate soundlessly. Voice aids are still useful, but we are not allowed to completely rely on them because in stressful situations the horse will pay less attention to them than to our body language. So the latter is of greater importance.

The basic needs: Groundwork begins by teaching the horse to halt, go forward and back up. With a young, unbroken horse, we most often use the Dually Training Halter designed by Monty Roberts. It works with pressure on the nose that can be quickly applied or loosened as needed.

Attached to the halter is a heavy lead rope that lies comfortably in the hand. Gloves protect the rider’s palms in case the lead rope slips through them when the horse jumps. We prefer a length of three meters (9 feet, 9 inches) in contrast to the usual two, because we have a better chance of holding on to the horse if he tries to break away.

With some horses it is useful to additionally use a stick/dressage whip to give signals, but you must first teach him to accept the touch of it on his body without fear. If a horse is not well-behaved on the ground when you begin with him, take a whip along with you, as it can be useful whether he pulls and rushes ahead of you or wants to trundle behind.

We start with the first exercises in the security and reduced space of our round pen, but later it should be possible to do the basics in every environment. For us, it is important to establish a “relaxing zone” in the middle of the round pen, where we allow the horse to rest after an exercise. Here, he gets praised and stroked and soon knows that this is a place where he can relax.

Lead forward. Lightly pull at the rope and combine it with a voice command. I use a “kissing” noise. Usually horses understand this very quickly and soon the noise is all you need to ask them to step forward. There are several positions the leader can be in: We prefer, particularly with stallions, to have the horse’s head at shoulder height. We walk relaxed at that position while keeping a certain personal space between us. The horse is not allowed to touch us, let alone push.

If a horse tends to pull, the typical reaction is to pull back. To stop this cycle, put either the Dually halter on or attach a lead chain running from the right cheek down over the nose and into your hands. It is not about using force but about refining the signals you give. Each time the horse tries to pull forward, give a short but firm signal with the lead rope and put the end of the whip in front of his nose. Praise him when he reacts promptly.

If the horse trundles behind you, carry the whip in your left hand and point its end at the hindquarters of the horse. Usually this is already enough, and the horse will catch up with you. If not, you can slightly tap the hindquarters to get the desired effect. Repeat until the horse has learned you will not tolerate him staying too far behind you.

Halt. A much-needed basic the young horse has to learn is to react to pressure applied by the rope running over his nose. The horse should learn to give to the pressure. If we want the horse to halt, we give a short impulse with the rope and combine it with a short but clear voice command. I use “whoa.” As soon as the horse reacts to this combined command, the pressure applied by the halter has to stop and he has to be praised accordingly. Some horses—in particular, sensitive, “electric” ones—understand the signals promptly, and you soon can give very fine impulses. Others will only react to your voice command. But some more phlegmatic types don’t react immediately to the impulse given by the rope over the nose, and you have to give several small but firm impulses in succession. If he continues to ignore me, I increase the impulse by putting the end of a whip in front of his nose.

Go backward. Once the horse learns to halt obediently and reliably, start teaching him to go backward. For that you need a rail on one side of the horse so he cannot evade you. Stand in front of him and take the rope with your left hand about where the snap attaches to the halter. The shorter the rope is held, the more directly the impulses are transferred to the horse’s nose.

With your right hand, hold the rope in a loop. The horse already knows that the pressure on the nose means to yield. It is important that the impulses you give via the rope are short but repetitive. If the horse does not react, use the end of a whip or bamboo stick to apply short taps on the shoulder. Eventually, it should be sufficient to give slight impulses on the nose for the horse to walk backward in a quiet rhythm.

Directly after the last step backward, you must establish the forward impulse in your horse again and ask him to step forward. With some horses, you may need to pause and relax for a moment at the end of the rein-back, but the horse must always be willing to step forward out of the rein-back at any time.

Step 2: Increase Self-Assurance with Long Reins
Once the young horse becomes familiar with the voice commands to go forward and he can halt, we begin longeing him in a round pen. We start with a single longe line, then add a second line so he gets used to them running behind his hindquarters. This is good and necessary preparation for the work in long reins.

Cautionary note: Find someone to help you. Remember that we have a lot of experience longeing and using long reins, and you need to be experienced too if you are going to try it.

Longeing and long-rein work releases the horse from the immediate proximity of his herd leader and asks him to discover his environment almost on his own. Going out in long reins develops and strengthens a young horse’s self-assurance and consolidates his faith in his rider, who now walks behind him. With more advanced horses, this work is a way of keeping them entertained between training sessions in the dressage arena.

What you need: We use a snaffle bridle with an egg-butt or full-cheek snaffle bit in combination with a flash noseband. The cheekpieces and noseband help keep the bit quiet and straight in the horse’s mouth.

We prefer soft, round long lines to flat, webbed ones. We attach them to the bit rings and always wear gloves.

We use the same voice commands we’ve been using. In general, the long reins replace the rider’s calves and together with the voice commands take care that the horse moves in the direction and speed we intend to go.

We don’t use a surcingle when long-reining so the reins can have more freedom of movement. We can touch the horses where we need to and can work them in a more sensitive way than when the reins are fixed on a surcingle.

First exercises. The first time we use long lines on young horses, we stay in our longeing circle or round pen, but you can also use a normal arena or indoor. We use all the commands the horse already knows from his weeks of groundwork.

Day by day, we explore the yard a bit more. For example, we might go to a nearby field or to the edge of the forest. If you observe that the horse is more and more comfortable in his new position ahead of you, show him some new tasks to deal with, such as walking into puddles or over logs, walking, trotting or even jumping over poles on the ground. Never forget to promptly praise him after he has mastered a new task.

The more faith he develops in you and himself, the more you can look for new challenges. We may ask our youngsters to pass by a grazing herd or work in long reins next to others. Or we might ask them to go through the creek running through our property. After extensive rainfall, we sometimes have a kind of lake in our courtyard, and we like to ask the horses to walk and trot in there to get used to water splashing their legs and belly. Be sure to do everything slowly, never asking for a second step before the first one. Then your horse will develop positive self-assurance, helping him to deal with the same things more easily when being ridden.

Step 3: Desensitization—Prepare Your Horse for the Unknown
Sometimes there are dressage riders who think that working their horses in a focused manner is only possible by excluding them as much as possible from any outside influences. A horse might be oversensitive for whatever reason and so needs to be worked in quieter surroundings in the beginning. But, in general, we are strong believers that it is no good hiding horses behind the walls of an indoor arena with the atmosphere of a monastery. Dressage horses are destined to be competed at shows and there they will find a whole lot of stimulation and noises that could easily distract them if they have not already seen and heard as much as possible at home. This is particularly necessary for stallions.

So part of our dressage training at home is to desensitize the horses to a lot of different noises and visual impressions that could come at them when it counts the most—at the showgrounds. Of course, we will never be able to simulate the special atmosphere at a show, in particular the ones held in a big stadium. And we will never know for sure what we will find there. But the more we show the horses, the more we know how they might react, and that gives us, the riders, the chance for prompt reactions. For example, we accustom stallions to working in the presence of mares step by step.

Cautionary note: Get help to do this, and remember that beforehand the horse needs to have learned respect for and faith in his rider.

The easiest form of desensitization is to keep horses outside as much as possible where they can see and hear a lot more than they do just standing in stalls. It helps to include regular trail rides in your training program so that your horse is not panicking if a bird flies out from a bush. Training outside in all types of weather helps horses when they have to compete in rain or worse.

The most decisive factor is that you have a firm impact on your horse if he spooks. “Firm” doesn’t mean to bore spurs into his flanks and holler loudly for him to pass the frightening object. Such a reaction, often seen, only strengthens the horse’s flight instinct and lets the “monsters” appear even more dreadful. Horses think in pictures and next time will associate the monster with the pain of the spurs or whip. Instead, when your horse meets a frightening object, react in the following way:

• Take the reins a bit shorter and halt in front of it. Allow your horse time to look or sniff at it quietly while you talk calmly and pat or stroke him. This also calms you down as the spook of your horse usually also makes your heart beat faster.

• Then pass the object a few times on each lead in walk, preferably in the shoulder-fore position.

• Now divert your horse’s attention from the object that frightened him by starting to trot and going on with focused work. Very effective, for example, is riding lots of different transitions so that the horse soon puts his thoughts in another direction and forgets about the fear.

Often it is typical objects like flags rattling in the wind, umbrellas being opened, running and barkings dogs, loudly clapping crowds or music that frighten young, inexperienced dressage horses at shows. Luckily, these are things that can quite easily include in desensitization training at home. All you need are some helping hands confronting the horse while you sit in the saddle. The advantage is that, in this case, you are aware of the fact that your horse might spook, jump sideways or show a little rear as a first reaction. Go slowly, step by step.

Don’t confront your horse with more than one frightening object in a lesson. Switch to another one the next time. Then, on another day, go back to the first object to confirm the horse’s positive reaction. If he ignores the once-disturbing object, great, but try once more on another day until there’s no significant reaction to it anymore.

There are horses that have to repeat this training several times over a longer period and only a very few never become bombproofed. The decisive factor is that you and your horse have built faith in and respect for each other. Then the horse will not bolt away panic-stricken.

Desensitization is just a way to strengthen this respect and faith and see if it is already strong enough or has to be deepened even more. When your horse is familiar with several different objects and doesn’t panic or spook at them, you can try an obstacle parcours, or obstacle course, including several of the objects following one another. You can ride this parcours or lead the horse, however, the motto has to be “make it more difficult.” This kind of overstimulation will harden your horse and done step by step, it will help enormously at a show.

It is also useful to take the horse to a show just to work in that atmosphere. There, you can see how he reacts to different objects and determine whether he still needs training at home or if you can start him with a quiet conscience.

Knowing that the young horse’s future is destined to be in the dressage arena, we set a good foundation from the ground. This kind of work helps you and your horse master the first starts outside the secure surroundings of your home turf. The horse knows that whatever comes his way does not have to be frightening because you, as his herd leader, are at his side.

Stefan Schneider and Uta Gräf are headquartered at Gut Rothenkircher Hof in Germany. Schneider, a veterinarian specializing in equine dentistry, has competed in jumping, reining and working equitation at the highest levels. Gräf is one of Germany’s most successful competitive and classical dressage riders. Both are well known for combining top sport with natural horsekeeping. At home, Schneider works the horses from the ground while Gräf does the riding. Gräf’s DVD series, “Joy of Dressage,” comes out in English in April 2013. Schneider has co-authored the book Stallions Care and Management. Look for reviews of both in future issues (gutrothenkircherhof.de).

For more from Phillip, check out his book Modern Eventing available at HorseBooksEtc.com.

Horses come in many shapes and sizes, and while all can benefit from basic dressage training, not all are physically capable of performing at the higher levels. One of the factors that can limit performance potential is conformation—the geometry of the skeletal framework in terms of the lengths and angulations of the bones and joints.

Ideally, the pelvis of a dressage horse should be long to give a large area for attachment of the propulsive muscles, and it should have a moderate slope to facilitate tilting the pelvis, lowering the haunches and moving the hind legs forward under the horse’s body.

Given the relationship between form (conformation) and function (performance), it is definitely helpful for the dressage rider to develop an eye for conformational features that affect a horse’s potential for dressage. The purpose of this article is to describe key features of the anatomy and conformation of the hindquarters with the goal of helping readers to evaluate important conformational features in this area.

Figure 1: Difference in shape of the sacrum. The bones are positioned so that the head of the horse would be to the right and the tail to the left. The sacral spines are labeled S1 to S5 and the green line shows the croup angle. These specimens illustrate how the size and shape of the bones vary between horses. In the top sacrum, the first sacral spine (S1) is short and poorly developed and the croup angle is 24 degrees. In the bottom sacrum, there is a more marked difference in length between the second (S2) and last (S5) spines and the individual spines have more of a backward slope. The croup angle is 30 degrees. These are examples of the diversity seen among normal horses.

Identifying Conformation
One of the secrets to being a good evaluator of conformation is to develop the skill to see beyond the outer layers of skin, fat and muscle in order to visualize the lengths and angles of the bones that lie beneath. Visualization of the bone structure is easier in some parts of the body than others. For example, below the elbows and stifles it is easy to see the outlines of the bones and to assess their conformation. In the shoulder and hip regions, however, the bones are concealed beneath the large, powerful muscles that attach the limbs to the trunk, making the bone structure more difficult to evaluate.

With that in mind, let us focus on the horse’s hindquarters and the differences between the shape of the croup versus the dimensions of the pelvis. The external contours of the croup are easy to see, but they give little information about the underlying pelvic structure, which is more relevant in our conformational evaluation.

Let’s start by taking a look at the bones that underpin the structure of the hindquarters: the sacrum and the pelvis (see Figure 3). The sacrum is part of the vertebral column located between the lumbar region and the tail. Although there are five sacral vertebrae, they are fused together into a single bone, the sacrum, which means that there cannot be any movement between them. The joint between the front of the sacrum and the last lumbar vertebra—the lumbosacral joint—is quite mobile. Its movements can tilt the sacrum and pelvis forward (flexion or rounding), flatten the croup (extension or hollowing) or turn the haunches to the side (bending).

Figure 1 shows the anatomy of the sacrum from the side view. The underside is formed by the fused bodies of the five sacral vertebrae with their five spinous processes protruding upward. The spines on the sacrum get shorter from front to back. The tips of these spines form the topline in the middle of the horse’s croup.

Figure 2: Horse pelvis articulated with the lumbar vertebrae. The horse’s head would be to the right and the tail to the left. The three bony prominences have been labeled: point of croup, point of hip and point of buttock (see Figure 3, p. 52). The acetabulum is also labeled; it forms the articulation of the hip joint. A lower position of the acetabulum favors the ability to perform highly collected movements.

The orientation (slope) of the sacrum varies with the horse’s posture. Horses with good strength and tone in their core musculature hold the lumbosacral joint in a slightly flexed position and keep the croup slightly tucked. Loss of tone in the core musculature may be reflected in poor posture even to the extent that the pelvis slopes upward toward the tail head.

As you can see in Figure 1, the amount of shortening of the sacral spines varies between horses, and this also affects how much the croup slopes downward toward the tail head. Note that in the live horse, the gluteal muscles may bulge on either side of the sacral spines giving a rounded profile, so it is important to assess the slope of the croup (sacrum) on the midline between the gluteal muscles.

Immediately behind the sacrum are the vertebrae of the tail. The length and angulation of the sacrum affect the position and carriage of the tail. A flat (horizontal) croup is associated with a high tail set and a high tail carriage as shown by the Arabian in the top photo in Figure 5. A sloping croup gives a lower tail set and a lower tail carriage as shown by the Friesian in the top photo in Figure 6.

Figure 3: The position of the sacrum and pelvis relative to the contours of the hindquarters. The three prominences on the pelvis are marked by red circles: 1. point of croup; 2. point of hip; 3. point of buttock. The red line running from the point of hip to point of buttock indicates the slope of the pelvis. The green line indicates the slope of the croup. In this diagram the two slopes are approximately the same. This horse has a rather flat (horizontal) croup and pelvic angles, and the acetabulum is placed relatively high.

Courtesy Hilary Clayton

The pelvis connects the bones of the hind limb to the vertebral column via the hip joint and the sacroiliac joint. When seen from behind, the pelvis is somewhat U-shaped with a narrow separation in front where it curves around and above the sacrum (see Figure 2). The union between pelvis and sacrum at the left and right sacroiliac joints suspends the sacrum beneath the pelvis and anchors it in place with strong ligaments. The sacroiliac joints, which are located on either side between the high points of the croup, do not allow a significant amount of movement; their function is to transmit propulsive forces generated by the hind limbs.

The hip joints are on either side of the lower part of the pelvis, where the acetabulum forms a rounded socket that receives the head of the femur. The hip is a highly mobile joint that allows the entire hind limb to swing back and forth and to move sideways in abduction (swinging outward) and adduction (swinging inward). A low-set hip joint facilitates compression of the hip angle and is advantageous for allowing the horse to perform highly collected movements.

Figure 4: The Warmblood. The warmblood is often considered the standard for ideal dressage conformation. The photo below illustrates how the hindquarters of successful dressage horses often have pelvises that tend toward the longer end of the spectrum and have a moderate slope.

Photo by Arnd Bronkhorst

Pelvic Length & Angulation
The pelvis is surrounded by the large muscles of the hindquarters, making it difficult to distinguish the contours. But, fortunately, there are three bony prominences on each side that are easy to see and feel and that we can use as landmarks to assess pelvic conformation. These are the point of the hip (tuber coxae), the point of the buttock (tuber ischii) and the point of the croup (tuber sacrale). Pelvic length and slope are measured by drawing a line from the upper part of the point of the hip to the point of the buttock, which is a few inches below the tail head (Figures 2 and 3).

Both the length and angulation of the pelvis are key conformational measurements that affect the horse’s strength, power, speed and agility. A larger (longer and broader) pelvis has more room for attachment of the powerful gluteal and hamstring muscles that provide propulsion during locomotion.

Figure 5: The Arabian. These two Arabians are of very different types. The top horse is a successful halter horse and is posed with the hind limbs camped out and the lumbosacral joint extended to make the croup appear as flat as possible. In this horse the croup angle is horizontal and the pelvic angle is 10 degrees. The high tail set and high tail carriage are also exaggerated in this pose. If this horse were not standing camped out, both the croup and pelvic angles would be a little more sloped. Neither the excessively flat croup nor the tendency to stand and move with the lumbosacral joint extended are desirable characteristics in a dressage horse. The lower photo is of a successful Arabian Grand Prix competitor. The angles of the croup and pelvis are parallel and measure 20 degrees. Perhaps unusually for an Arabian, this horse has a good ability to tilt the pelvis forward and engage the hind limb.

Top photo by Arnd Bronkhorst, Bottom photo courtesy Hilary Clayton

Horses that race over short to middle distances, such as racing Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds, have the longest pelvises, measuring up to one third of the total body length. A short pelvis offers less area for attachment of the propulsive muscles, but this is compensated by greater agility. Dressage horses have pelvises that tend toward the longer end of the spectrum, though not as long as racehorses.

The angle of the pelvis is measured relative to the horizontal with the horse standing square. Using these landmarks, an average angle for a dressage horse’s pelvis would be around 20 degrees. In his doctoral research, Swedish equine biomechanics expert Dr. Mikael Holmström found that the average pelvic angle in elite Swedish Warmblood dressage horses was 30 degrees. However, it should be noted that Dr. Holmström measured pelvic angle from the upper part of the point of hip to the hip joint.

These landmarks will always give a steeper pelvic angle than if it had been measured from the point of the hip to the point of the buttock. It’s not a matter of one method being right or wrong; it’s just two slightly different measurement techniques. However, you need to know which landmarks were used in order to evaluate and compare the results.

When the lumbosacral joint is flexed, the rear part of the pelvis tilts forward, bringing the hip joint and hind leg farther forward under the horse’s body. Equine conformation analysis expert Dr. Deb Bennett refers to this as “coiling the loins,” which helps us to visualize the effect. With the pelvis tilted forward, the frame is compressed and the hind limbs act closer to the center of gravity, providing more upward (rather than forward) propulsion. A significant amount of pelvic tilting (and untilting) occurs during each stride of canter when the lumbosacral joint flexes as the hind limbs are pulled forward and extends as they are retracted.

In piaffe and canter pirouettes, the horse can maintain lumbosacral flexion and keep the pelvis tilted forward throughout the stride because in these movements the hind limbs are not retracted. In horses with a flat pelvic conformation, the sublumbar muscles that are responsible for lumbosacral flexion exert less leverage than in horses with a more sloping pelvic conformation. Thus, it requires greater force to flex the lumbosacral joint with a flatter pelvic angle, and lumbosacral flexion compresses the hip downward, rather than tilting it forward. On the other hand, an overly steep pelvis may restrict the rearward swing of the hind limb and interfere with the ability to extend the stride. As with many conformational variables, extreme pelvic angulations in either direction are not ideal; and an intermediate angle is preferred.

Figure 6: The Friesian. Friesians were originally bred for use in warfare and agriculture. The breed is still popular as a light carriage horse, and the top Friesian photo is an example of the Baroque type used for driving. Note the steeply sloped croup and pelvis (both 20 degrees) and the consequent low-set tail. The Friesian sport-horse bloodlines, as illustrated by the horse in the bottom photo, are becoming increasingly popular for dressage. This Friesian sport horse has greater length and less slope in the hindquarters compared with the horse above.

Photos by Arnd Bronkhorst

In recent years, selective breeding for specific performance criteria has produced horses that excel in dressage, though these superstars are out of the reach of most riders. It is possible, however, to find horses of a variety of breeds that have conformation favorable for dressage. The key is to learn how to distinguish between horses that have the physical attributes needed for dressage versus those that are better suited to another occupation.

The breed photographs in this article compare the conformation of the croup and pelvis of an outstanding warmblood dressage competitor (Figure 4) with two representatives each of the Arabian and Friesian breeds to show the diversity of croup conformation within these breeds (Figures 5 and 6). The photos show that there are horses in each of these nonwarmblood breeds that have suitable conformation to become good dressage performers.

This behind-the-scenes look at the successful strategies of a top-level eventer will arm you with the information you need to create your own success in the saddle. During the hour-long presentation, Phillip will discuss how to be a good learner, explain how to assess your equine partner based on your goals. He’ll review his basic horse-care program, which is the core of his own success, and touch on physical and mental fitness for both horse and rider. Finally, Phillip will delve into the training process and offer show-day advice for each eventing phase before spending about 20 minutes answering questions from attendees.

“We are thrilled to have Phillip share his wealth of knowledge with our readers,” said Sandy Oliynyk, editor of Practical Horseman. “His presentation, which is based on his new book Modern Eventing with Phillip Dutton, is helpful for all riders, no matter their level of experience or discipline.”

Australian-born Phillip Dutton has competed in five Olympic Games and five World Championships. Representing his native Australia, he helped earn two Olympic team gold medals in 1996 and 2000. After becoming a U.S. citizen in 2006, he won team gold and individual silver medals at the 2007 Pan American Games. He also has earned the U.S. Eventing Association’s Rider of the Year title 13 times. Phillip and his wife, Evie, own, manage and train out of True Prospect Farm in West Grove, Pennsylvania, and Red Oak Farm in Aiken, South Carolina.

A troubled youth steps into the pasture to meet a therapist, a horse specialist, and his equine partner. The teen has gotten in trouble with school, and he’s been sent to therapy for anger management. But here in the pasture—far away from the clinical office—he’s just a kid with a horse, forging a bond and learning to deal with his emotions as the horse responds in kind.

This is equine-facilitated psychotherapy, and while the method is unique, the results are decidedly positive in cases that involve mental issues. It can be used for psycho-social and mental-health needs that include anxiety, psychotic, and mood disorders; behavioral difficulties; mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and major life changes that include environmental changes, divorce, grief, and loss.

Although the horse’s value in physical therapy has long been acknowledged (see “Horse Therapy History,” page 2), the psychotherapy branch is relatively new. We’ll introduce you to it with explanations and insights from practicing therapists and counselors.

Equine Responses Hold the Key
The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH International, which also incorporates the group formerly known as NARHA) defines equine-facilitated psychotherapy as “an interactive process in which a licensed mental-health professional working with or as an appropriately credentialed equine professional, partners with suitable equine(s) to address psychotherapy goals set forth by the mental-health professional and the client.”

“Horses sense what’s going on underneath the surface with people,” says Jody Enget, PATH International’s president of the board of directors and executive director at Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “Someone might seem to be functioning on the outside, but if he or she has problems running deeper, the horse can unveil them.”

How so?

Enget explains that the act of working with a horse and walking around a therapy center releases energy, encouraging clients to open up to their treatment. When a client needs to learn about empathy and anger management, a horse’s physical responses can be a powerful motivator.

“People always say horses have unconditional love,” Enget remarks. “I disagree—they’re a fight-or-flight animal. If someone were working with an at-risk kid and said, ‘You have anger issues,’ the kid might not take any advice. But a horse will sense that client’s anger and shy away. The kid will see that and say, ‘What can I do, I don’t want to hurt the horse.’ This teaches a lesson about empathy and the effect anger can have.”

Programs designed for military veterans recovering from post traumatic stress disorder are seeing excellent results by incorporating equine therapy. Horses for Heroes is one such program.

Equine Therapists at Work
While an equine-facilitated psychotherapy session may vary, most include a certified therapist, a therapy horse, a horse specialist to monitor safety and the horse’s behavior, and the client.

Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Center, the oldest, largest, and only accredited PATH premier center in Colorado, provides therapeutic riding and hippotherapy (see “Equine Therapy Defined,” page 2). In 2008, the center implemented a Horses for Heroes program to provide equine-assisted therapy for local military.

Clients learn basic horse care and horsemanship skills while engaging in situations that encourage discussion about the problems they face. Enget says the center most often treats troubled at-risk youth and military veterans coping with PTSD.

“We’re teaching people the relationship skills needed to work with a horse,” Enget explains. “And those skills easily relate to their difficulty relating to people in their lives. You really just teach the clients horsemanship skills, and the issues will start to emerge.”

Rocky Top Therapy Center in Keller, Texas, has provided therapeutic riding and hippotherapy to clients for more than 20 years. The center has aided school-age children through a program called Right Trail since 2001. In 2010, the center received a government grant to create a branch of the Horses for Heroes program that cares for military personnel and veterans. Rocky Top’s executive director, Mike Hogg, says the program encompasses therapeutic riding, hippotherapy, and equine-facilitated psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and families of members of the military.

“It doesn’t take long after meeting for the counselees to bond with their horse partners,” Hogg says. “That helps the counselee relax and start talking about what his or her real problems are. The horse facilitates getting down into the areas where the hurt resides, and that’s where the counselor can help the client to start piecing things back together and get that person to where he or she is living a higher quality of life.”

A therapeutic riding session at Rocky Top Therapy Center typically takes place in one of the facility’s pastures, and the sessions focus on groundwork.

“It’s quiet in the pasture, the client is out there with the horse, and it makes for a conducive environment for counseling,” Hogg says. “People feel very relaxed out there and are more likely to share what’s disturbing them.”

Hogg says the center treats clients suffering from depression, schizophrenia, and other disorders. The program doesn’t include medication, but the counseling that’s included as part of its overall treatment often has excellent results.

“People come here because it’s different,” Hogg says. “I had one colonel tell me all he knows is when he sends his people out here, they come back better.”

Introducing In-Hand Equipment
No matter how advanced your horse is, the following steps will walk you through correct in-hand work. Begin by wrapping your horse’s tail so you will be able to touch his whole hindquarters with the whip during work. Put the saddle or bridle on in the same order you tack up for mounted work.

If you are beginning with the saddle, place a well-fitting surcingle around it after you have placed the pad and saddle on your horse’s back and attached the girth. You will know the surcingle is a good fit when you are able to tighten it enough that it does not slip during work. If you only use a saddle, the side reins you will be using might move during work or be incorrectly placed on the girth. The key to an appropriate surcingle is that there are enough rings for attaching side reins at varying and appropriate heights. The side reins can attach to the bit or the cavesson, depending on your preference and your horse’s reaction to the varying contact.

Use your horse’s snaffle bridle so you have use of the bit. Over that, put on a well-fitting longeing cavesson. Make sure to remove the noseband of the bridle so that it does not get in the way or pinch the horse on the chance that it comes into contact with the cavesson during work.

When I work in-hand, I carry two whips that are an appropriate length for this type of training—one is stiffer and the other is softer. Before you know which in-hand whip you will need, you have to test to see which the horse prefers.

As you progress in your in-hand work, if your horse has an overreaction and seems unsure about coming under with his hind, consider your whip aid. Some horses react better when you touch them with the whip over the croup or on the hock, but you have to figure out where they prefer to be touched. Always look for the point on your horse to touch that makes him think, forward and come under.

Introducing In-Hand Work
With a pocket of sugar, a pair of riding gloves and a longe line, you are ready to work in the arena. Begin by attaching the side reins from the surcingle to the bit rings. Make sure that their placement is parallel to the ground so they do not pull down on your horse. Instead, their height and length should encourage him to be on the bit. Remember that the goal is to build correct neck muscle, and we cannot do this without correct side-rein placement. Make sure the side reins are an even height and length on both sides before beginning so that when you hold your horse’s head with his poll at the highest point and his face on the vertical, your side reins offer a steady, unrestricting connection.

It is also worth pointing out that a more advanced horse will carry more weight behind, which will make him go up in the wither. We want to account for that by choosing a slightly higher surcingle ring to attach the side reins to.

The horse should not get excited when he is doing in-hand work. Our primary goal is that he is relaxed in his work. It is also our job to remember that we get to choose our horse. He does not get to choose his owner/trainer/discipline. As a result, we have the responsibility of checking in and confirming that we are making fair requests of our horses when pushing them to do something new. If, at any point, they get excited, reassure them with a pat or sugar.

Exercise One—Forward and Backward: The first thing I do when introducing in-hand work is to invite the horse to pick his legs up and achieve a square halt and rein-back correctly. As you are doing this exercise, make sure to watch your whole horse. If you stand too close, you are at risk of getting in his line of travel and you can’t see what he is doing with his body language. If you are too far away, you cannot use your aids effectively. Have the horse between your left hand and right whip on the left rein.
1. Touch your horse’s inside hind leg, just above the hock with your in-hand whip to ask that leg to come under. Cluck to reinforce the aid.
2. When he steps under with that leg, stop your whip aid and reward him.
3. Ask your horse to step forward and under with his legs until you have achieved a square halt.
4. With a soft half halt on the longe line, ask your horse to rein-back. Make sure he steps back in diagonal pairs. If your horse does not step back with
diagonal pairs, repeat the rein-back until it is correct.
5. If he needs a stronger aid for the rein-back, touch his shoulder with the whip to show him you want him to step away from the aid (as he did in steps one and two).
6. Touch his inside hind leg with the whip, asking him to step under again.
7. Touch his outside hind leg above the hock to ask that leg to step under.
8. Repeat the square halt and rein-back again.
This rein-back exercise is helpful in teaching your horse to move from his hindquarters, through his body and onto the bit.

Exercise Two—Turn On the Forehand: Now you can practice something a bit more advanced. The turn on the forehand is a great next step because
it teaches your horse to stretch by
asking him to step his hind legs in a semi-circle around his stationary inside fore while the outside fore moves forward only slightly. It encourages your horse to bend opposite his direction
of movement.
1. Off the rail, stand to the side of your horse near his head.
2. With your whip, touch your horse on his haunches to ask him to move away from the aid.

With this movement, you should achieve an easy turn on the forehand. This type of lateral stretching is helpful for warming up your horse as well as relaxing him and building his muscles. Remember that dressage exercises the whole body, so make sure to do the turn on the forehand on the other rein. Everything has to be done as if you are playing, and you must always check that your horse is relaxed and happy in his work, not nervously moving away from your every move.

Advancing the Work
As your horse develops in his training, you are ready to start half-steps.
Exercise Three—Half-Steps: Using the same equipment as you did in the previous exercises, follow these steps to introduce half-steps to your horse:
1. Confirm that you can move him forward with a cluck and whip tap.
2. Ask your horse to move straight and forward with diagonal pairs (the two-beat trot rhythm) as you continue next to him.
3. With your whip, ask your horse to step under with his inside hind as you asked before with a touch on the hind. When you have achieved a few half-steps, stop your whip cue.

Pay attention that he is trying to carry extra weight on his hindquarters. Once you have developed half-steps, you are ready to start thinking about piaffe with your horse. It is the most collected exercise in dressage, so sometimes introducing the work from the ground is easier than under saddle. This is an exciting time in your horse’s training, as he will completely change in balance and strength from this collection—from his withers to his hips to his hind legs.

Exercise Four—Piaffe: To prepare for piaffe, ask your horse to walk into a square halt, with his nose in front of the vertical. Remember that the side reins should not be pulling your horse down. When you first start this exercise, it is important to allow him to move forward when he is learning piaffe.

To begin, start from the halt and follow these steps:
1. Ask for walk on a straight line.
2. Shorten his steps by softly touching his croup with the whip (to cue his whole hindquarters) and adding a cluck.
3. Piaffe starts in diagonal steps and the hind should come up only one hoof in height. He should stay uphill.
4. If he is lazy, ask for more forward.
5. If he does not take weight back, insert your rein-back exercise and then move forward to piaffe again.
6. When he responds correctly, praise your horse for a job well done.

Just play when you are doing these exercises and don’t be afraid to combine your rein-back exercise with your forward and back exercise to take a break from the more collected work. What is important is that you remember to take a break, because a horse cannot concentrate for too long. This variety will keep him motivated in his work. As he develops skill and collection, only then can you work the piaffe without moving forward, so he performs the movement in place.

In-hand work builds the muscles because it is like bodybuilding, so repeat the exercises on the other rein.

The Double Longe
When you and your horse are comfortable with in-hand work, you can have two people work together with the double longe. The first person’s entire job is to watch and control the amount of forward movement with a lead line attached to the cavesson. She stays at the horse’s head during in-hand work.

The second person’s job is to continue with the other elements described in this article’s in-hand exercises, but with two lines connected to the cavesson and running through the surcingle instead of the single line connected only to the horse’s head. This second person is the one who can tap with the whip and cluck to ask for collection while holding the double-longe lines. Again, this second person’s whip and voice aids ask the horse to collect or “come from behind.” The person does this by standing a safe distance from the horse, near his hind, to tap with the long whip on the hindquarters.

When you have the double lines, the surcingle should have rings toward the top so that when he is ready and more uphill, your horse can have a higher topline. You know he is ready (in this stage of bodybuilding) when you can ask for piaffe and the degree of collection needed for Prix St. Georges.

When you are comfortable with the double longe, you can ask your horse to perform all of the exercises you did on the single line: ask for straight, forward, back and collected. Don’t forget to reward your horse with a piece of sugar—it is always important to keep him as your friend.

When you are ready to develop your horse’s piaffe in the double longe, the first person asks for the forward movement. The second person, holding the two reins and the whip, asks for walk and then collects the horse into piaffe. As you develop this, you can continue asking your horse to move closer to piaffe in place.

During the piaffe exercise, the first person must remember to watch that the topline stays correct while this is happening. The key is for the handlers to communicate to each other. Correct the topline by making sure the horse does not hang on the side reins. Gently bring the horse up with an upward aid of the lead line.

Once a horse is comfortable with the double longe, the first person can remove the lead line and step away. At that point, the second person can connect the lines to the snaffle bit to facilitate increased communication. He can then stand as the second person and ask for the same collection and piaffe with his whip and voice aids. Always praise a horse when it is a job well done. Remember to stay quiet, so there is respect but not fear.

The Mounted Translation
Once your horse is under saddle, you can ride shorten and lengthen the walk steps, making sure that the highest point of the poll is right behind your horse’s ears. Play around by riding forward and back. We have to see that our horse learns to carry the weight.

Exercise Five—Collect Under Saddle: Thanks to the in-hand work you have done, you can have a groundperson help you collect under saddle using the whip and voice aids.
1. The groundperson asks for piaffe forward, while the rider sits quietly.
2. The rider has a light rein contact.
3. Walk out of the piaffe.

Always avoid fear in your horse. The work in-hand will allow him to sit behind and go up in front, helping the shoulder to improve. Now you are dancing!

Brace yourself. The 21st century is about to rock your world. Several trends that have the potential to change our little horse world are converging on us.

For example, when a sport is featured—front page and above the fold—in The New York Times, it is rarely good news. A recent Times article used the sad death of a show pony to examine the widespread drugging of horses in competition. The article was all too accurate, especially when it laid out a horrifying list of medications that are in common use at every competition in the country. How horrifying was the list? I don’t know about you, but I was sickened to read how 11 medications—anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids and muscle relaxants, as described in the pony’s medication chart—were given to one show pony over a 72-hour period.

Everybody’s Doin’ It
I promise you that this problem permeates our sport, in every type of competition and at every level. Positive drug tests at recent Olympics and World Championships have revealed the use of prohibited substances including pain medication, cocaine, tranquilizers, human migraine medicine and antipsychotics. None of these substances has any role in competition other than to alter the horse’s performance and most of them are not even medication for equines. To be blunt, people are drugging their horses to cheat.

“Absent a diagnosis, medicine is poison, surgery is trauma and alternative therapy is witchcraft,” according to Kent Allen, DVM. (Dr. Allen—whose practice, Virginia Equine Imaging in The Plains, Virginia, concentrates on equine sports medicine and lameness—has served as a U.S. Equestrian Team veterinarian, foreign veterinary delegate and veterinary services manager at Olympics, World Equestrian Games and other Championships. He is vice chair of the FEI ­[International Equestrian Federation] “List” or Medication Advisory Group, serves as head national veterinarian for the FEI and the U.S. Equestrian Federation in the United States and answers sports-medicine and medication questions for veterinarians and competitors around the nation and the world.) I would add to his comment: “Saying that your horse ‘gets nervous at competitions’ is an excuse, not a diagnosis.” Drugs are not the answer; good training and correct standards of care are the answer.

I can tell you from personal experience that this drug problem is not unique to upper levels of competition. Using drugs to alter the performance of horses happens from top to bottom. I served on both the Drugs and Medications and the Hearing Committees of USEF (at that time it was the American Horse Shows Association). I knew which drugs trainers and competitors used, and I knew where the “positives”—test results that positively establish the presence of one or more substances in horses’ bodies—occurred. One year we tested classes at a huge state fair, a common practice. Our technicians misunderstood their instructions and tested a local youth group’s unrecognized classes by mistake. To compound their error, they tested the draft horses showing (also in unrecognized classes) at the fair.

Naturally, AHSA got a tremendous amount of blowback from those two organizations. There were two written protests that the youth of the nation were sullied and slandered by our ­actions and that the honorable tillers of the soil would never recover from the dishonor we had brought upon them. Both letters were obviously written by attorneys, and you can imagine that they went on at some length. The ­AHSA president at the time, also an attorney, responded appropriately, rendering profuse apologies and so on. As a goodwill gesture at no charge, he enclosed the medication-testing reports for the classes erroneously tested. You guessed it: Most of the youth pleasure horses at the state fair were tranquilized, and all the draft horses tested positive for stimulants. We did not hear any further from those two organizations.

I can imagine you reading this and thinking, “That’s awful, but what’s the big deal? I don’t overmedicate my horse when I compete with him.” It’s true that the vast majority of competitors do not abuse medications when they compete. However, consider two things. First, a competition is an examination of your and your horse’s state of training and of your ability to satisfy the judging requirements through patient and correct preparation. When you compete against people who are willing to cheat to win a ribbon, you are not competing on a level playing field. Second, if you tolerate cheaters among you, then how is the outside world going to know the difference?

And speaking of judging requirements, the way we judge each discipline has an enormous effect on how horses are trained. If those requirements are not written carefully, they have the tendency to distort training practices. There will always be people willing to cheat to win. This is reprehensible at any time and even more so when an innocent horse is involved. Show me a discipline where animation and presence are overvalued, and I will show you a discipline where horses are blindfolded for hours before the competition so that they will display “animation” in front of the crowd. Such a discipline will also have a tendency to produce drug positives for stimulants.

Show me a discipline where robotic behavior is rewarded, and I will show you a discipline where horses are deprived of water for 24 hours and worked until they are staggering with fatigue. Tests on horses in this discipline will produce a disproportionate number of positives for sedatives and calming nutraceuticals. If our judging requirements are not written with a deep understanding and respect for the essential nature of our horses, then distortions and aberrations will appear and cheaters will flourish.

I know I am writing for an audience that feels as I do about this, because I talk to my readers as I travel around the country. And the message I get is this: We do not want to use chemicals as a substitute for training. I hope USEF hears that message and takes positive steps to clean up our sport. Blue Ribbon Panels are not enough. USEF is looking into various rule changes to address this. While I wish officials well with their efforts, they need to hear from you—and now’s your chance. A nationwide series of USEF Town Hall Meetings on drug and medication issues is in progress right now. For more information, go to www.usefnetwork.com/featured/­USEFTownHallMeetings. Or write the senior representatives of your discipline, telling them to support reform efforts in this area. You can find their contact information at www.usef.org. (Go to the “About USEF” bar and then click on “Committee List.”)

Anything we can do will be an ­improvement. We are never going to completely prevent humans from using drugs to obtain an unfair advantage (just ask Lance Armstrong). At the same time, in this modern era, if we don’t clean house, some outside agency is going to come in and fix it for us.

The Elephant in the Room
All we need to blow the lid off our sport is a good, juicy scandal. For instance, suppose some billionaire loses a horse due to overmedication and then discovers that his or her trainer has been consistently taking huge undisclosed commissions on the purchase of horses for the billionaire’s show stable. Horses, drugs, crooks—if any of you have some time on your hands, you can write it up and hit the bestseller list. All that is missing is sex, but if you call it 50 Shades of Bay, I guarantee Hollywood will be knocking on your door. (Sorry, when I deal with something this serious, my sense of humor kicks into high gear.)

The part about the undisclosed commissions is the elephant in the room: Any professional in the horse world knows it is there, but nobody wants to talk about it. An undisclosed commission by an agent can be fraudulent and illegal, and it could subject the recipient of the undisclosed commission (and also the person paying it) to substantial penalties. We all know this is going on, yet we have no horseman’s code of ethics. It is generally accepted that horses are a big business these days, and professionals are making a living from it. My point here is that if we do not have a code of ethics, how is “60 Minutes” going to tell the good guys from the bad guys when they show up on your doorstep? If you tolerate it, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution. The first step to improvement is to admit that you have a problem, and boy, does the horse world have a problem.

Disappearing Space
Drugs and ethics are not the only problems we have. The next trend I see coming is so serious that I have to resort to humor to deal with it. The story I tell is that I was sitting in a bar discussing “Star Trek” with William Shatner. “William, your show has Martians and Klingons on it. Heck, you even have Democrats and Republicans. You have everything and everybody on ‘Star Trek,’ but there are no horsemen … why is that?”

William Shatner replied, “Well you see, Jim, ‘Star Trek’ is set in the future.”

Yeah, you’re right, that’s not very funny. But when we run out of places to ride in the future, there won’t be any horses. That’s not funny—it’s the truth. Statistics regarding loss of open space make for scary reading. Almost every facility I work at these days has lost open space around it. Bulldozers and horses do not coexist. The change in your lifestyle can occur so quickly that you don’t believe what can happen to the lovely field where you used to hack. Concrete and pavement are like plutonium; they are forever. Once land is paved over, it is forever lost to the horse world.

Many farms along the mid-Atlantic coast, where I live, are under tremendous pressure from developers and planning commissions. Yet those farms and their attendant open space are a priceless part of our national heritage. We are losing that heritage at an ever-increasing rate. But if you lose your heritage, you lose your identity. If you lose your identity, you lose your community, and if you lose your horse community, you will lose your horse.

Just as with the drug rules under consideration, there are things you can do, but you do not have as much time as you think. Get in touch with your local land-use organizations and ask how you can help. A good place to start is with the Equine Land Conservation Resource (www.elcr.org). ELCR can guide you to ­organizations in your area that are working to preserve open space for you and future generations. If you care about your horses, you need to take part in the efforts to preserve your way of life.

Brace yourself: Become aware and become involved … before it is too late.

This article originally appeared in the June 2013 issue of Practical Horseman magazine.

Q: I’ve owned my 6-year-old Fox Trotter gelding for three years, but just last year he started to periodically balk when my husband or I rode him. He stops out of the blue, sometimes rears or bucks a little, and refuses to go forward. I’ve trained horses for many years, and I cannot think of how to get him past this behavior. When I turn him around and try to go the other direction, he still stops and refuses to walk on. I have tried turning him in circles, getting off and walking him forward (which he does willingly), and then getting back on, all to no avail. I’ve tried using spurs and a crop to encourage him, but he will not budge. What could be causing this behavior and how do I fix it?

A: A horse usually resists or refuses a request from his rider for one of four reasons: pain, misunderstanding, fear or disrespect. To correct the problem, you need to identify and address the underlying cause. Without being able to observe you, your husband or your horse, I can only share my thoughts based on what you’ve written.

• Pain can be caused by any number of issues including poor saddle fit or a sore mouth, legs or back. Based on your description, I don’t believe pain is the source of your horse’s problem, but it still might be wise to have a veterinarian rule out this possibility.

• Misunderstanding means your horse didn’t understand you and your husband’s “please go forward” cues. But he understood before, so we can eliminate that possibility.

• Fear---as prey animals horses are afraid of only one thing: being eaten by a predator. But because you’ve owned and ridden your horse for three years, he has had sufficient time to feel safe with both you and his surroundings, so let’s eliminate fear.

• Disrespect, then, may well be at the core of your training issue. Every decision a horse makes is based on his own best interest for survival. If he is alone, he will make these decisions on his own. If he’s in a herd under an alpha leader, he will become a follower and respect the judgments and decisions of the leader. However, a horse will sometimes challenge the authority of the alpha to see if he can rise in the hierarchy.

A “herd” doesn’t have to consist of just horses---people can also be a part of the social hierarchy. For a horse to comply with your requests under saddle, he must fully accept you as his leader. I suspect that, at some point last year, your horse challenged the dominance of your husband and continued to test his leadership skills on the leader of his herd (you) to see if he could bump up his ranking and become the alpha.

Horses establish leadership with each other by playing dominance games, often referred to as horseplay. The horse who controls the movement of the other horse or human is the winner of the game and is accepted as the leader. That’s why, when training or retraining a horse, groundwork is important: It replicates the natural dominance games and establishes the human as the leader. It is both more effective and safer than trying to re-establish respect while mounted.

Sometimes a person can ride a horse for years without experiencing any resistance. But that does not necessarily mean that the horse has completely accepted his rider’s authority. It could be that the horse considers himself the leader but has decided it’s easier and more comfortable to comply with his rider’s requests---but he always has the potential to suddenly announce, “I don’t feel like going forward today.”

At this point, kicking harder, spurring, hitting and becoming frustrated and angry (which are all predatory behaviors) only destroy any trust and respect he may have had for his rider and reaffirm that it is still in his best interest to continue being the leader.

Long before a horse refuses to go forward he may give us clues that he is testing our leadership role. Moving a few steps when we go to mount or attempting to bite while being groomed are common signs of disrespect. If left uncorrected, these subtle behaviors will invariably escalate to more pronounced resistance like bucking, rearing or in your case balking.

Anytime a horse is resistant while riding, I recommend fixing the problem on the ground. In other words, practice groundwork exercises to reestablish your position as herd leader. A number of today’s training programs include simple, effective groundwork exercises. Although every clinician has his favorite methods, each is based on the same principle---to teach the horse to move away from both physical and emotional pressure and reward him when he complies. When you can control and regain your horse’s respect on the ground, he will go forward willingly and with respect when you ride.

Tim Hayes
Natural horsemanship clinician
East Hampton, New York
www.hayisforhorses.com

This article first appeared in EQUUS issue #429.

You may use your round pen only for short, supervised training sessions, but regular wear and tear can still take a toll on it. To make sure your round pen is safe and secure for your horse, inspect its footing and fencing periodically.

Working a horse in a regular track around the perimeter of the pen is going to create ruts over time. Dragging the surface regularly, as you would in a riding ring, will help maintain safe, level footing that protects your horse’s legs from strains and injury. If your horse slips frequently despite dragging, you might need to consider either installing or replenishing a footing material, such as sand or wood chips, to give him better traction.

Even if you intend to keep your horse under your control while working in the pen, the fence needs to be sturdy enough to withstand spooks and crashes. Regularly check for and repair loose posts or panels, and close off gaps that could entrap the leg of a rolling or bucking horse. Also look for and fix splinters or other protrusions that could cause lacerations.

This article first appeared in EQUUS issue #429.