Collection or Contortion?

Transcription

1 From the Author of the Bestsellers Tug of War and Balancing Act Collection or Contortion? Exposing the Misconceptions and Exploring the Truths of Horse Positioning and Bend Dr. med. vet. Gerd Heuschmann

2 Contents Foreword by Klaus Balkenhol vii Introduction... 1 The Old Masters on the Art of Riding... 7 Constructive Controversies Where Are We Going? With Humility and Modesty Flexion and Bend in the Literature of Classical Riding First- and Second-Degree Bend Prerequisites for Correct Flexion and Bend Horizontal Balance: The Foundation for Continued Training Elements of Horizontal Balance Natural Crookedness in the Horse...32 Flexion: The Prerequisite for Correct Bend The Biomechanics of Flexion and Bend The Anatomy of the Poll and Flexion How Does It Actually Work?...44 Bend in the Trunk: Anatomical Fundamentals Trunk Rotation...49

3 Flexion and Bend in Practice...55 Bend on One Track The Lateral Movements: Bend on Two Tracks Trot Positioning The Shoulder-In The Second Position: Canter Positioning Travers The Half-Pass The Counter Exercises The Effect of Incorrect Training on Flexion and Bend The Tense Back Mover The Leg Mover Incorrect Bend in the Shoulder-In The Correct Seat of the Rider and Its Importance for Flexion and Bend..89 Flexion and Bend from the Rider s Point of View...89 The Correct Stirrup Length: Hugging the Horse with the Calves Recommended Reading and Selected Bibliography Other Titles by Dr. med. vet. Gerd Heuschmann Index

4 Prerequisites for Correct Flexion and Bend Based on my extensive study of the works of the old masters and my own practical experiences, I have come to a realization that can be summarized as follows: Without horizontal balance there is neither swing, nor straightness, nor bend, nor throughness, nor collection! But what is horizontal balance from an anatomical and biomechanical perspective? Why is it that all the characteristics of a well-ridden horse can only be achieved in this balance? The key to this balance is found in the first three stages of the Training Scale. Naturally, this balance affects the rider who wants to make his horse swing and through. (If the goal A modern, young sport horse in a half-pass. Flexion and bend are developed according to maturity. of training is to have a good work horse, naturally, these principles don t matter!) The biomechanical foundation of these relationships, which are based on the H.Dv.12 guidelines, will be introduced in the following chapter. Horizontal Balance: The Foundation for Continued Training The first goal in the training of a young horse is focused on restoring the natural balance that is lost with the unnatural loading of the horse s trunk when the rider sits on him. This process needs to happen in the first weeks (two to three months) of training under saddle. From the rider s point of view, this first training step can be described as follows: The

5 Collection or Contortion? DUPLICATION PROHIBITED A swinging canter. The horse is visibly on the rider s aids. rider needs to lessen the impact of a foreign body on the horse s back. He must strive to be as perfectly in sync with the movement of the horse as possible and not to disrupt him in any way. This requires the rider to have considerable ability to feel the horse. He must never artificially force a frame, especially through the use of the reins. Nor should he accept a false (curled) frame. As described in the H.Dv.12, the young horse in this phase of training learns to go forward at the trot in a natural tempo with a long neck and a hanging nose. When the rider is sitting on a relaxed moving horse, he has restored the natural balance. After about a year of training and the criteria given on p. 23 are reliably fulfilled, the horse is in a so-called working or basic balance. 22

6 Prerequisites for Correct Flexion and Bend A working balance is discussed in the H.Dv.12. Working balance is the state where the horse first becomes a riding horse. When in a working balance, a horse can carry his rider relaxed while accepting his driving and restraining aids with suppleness. You can say, The horse stays on the aids. The first three levels of the Training Scale out of the German Guidelines for Riding and Driving from the 1970s apply to this Indicators of Working Balance The horse has the ability to move under the rider freely and calmly in all three basic gaits. The basic gaits are natural and pure in their footsteps. The horse moves with natural swing. The horse s neck is carried freely and naturally with a soft convex arch of the topline. The horse s nose is in front of the vertical. The rider sits harmoniously with the movement of the horse, without disturbing the horse (in the back and mouth). The horse lets the rider sit harmoniously. He takes him along in the trot and canter, and the seat of the rider wipes the saddle from back to front. The horse travels in secure, constant, quiet, and supple connection. The poll of the horse is relaxed and doesn t stiffen against the rider s hand. The horse moves with an open poll angle. That means he doesn t roll over, the throatlatch is in no way narrowed, the parotid glands are not squeezed, the nose is in front of the vertical, and the poll of the horse is the highest point. The horse walks in a free, relaxed, consistent four beats without rushing. He trots in a clear two-beat gait without distortion of the phases. His trot is lively and rhythmic at a natural tempo, without rushing. He canters rhythmically and naturally in a secure three beats, again without distortion of the phases. The rider sits with suppleness and drives with feeling and rhythm with both legs on the horse. The horse accepts the sensitive drive of the legs. The horse can be used for all types of riding. He can be ridden securely and safely on trails and over jumps appropriate for his age. In short, he has become a riding horse that can now be trained as desired for a specific discipline. 23

7 Collection or Contortion? DUPLICATION PROHIBITED state: A horse trotting rhythmically with a swinging back, and a soft poll ( suppleness ), steps quietly and securely to the feeling rider s hand ( contact ). Such a horse is in basic, working balance. a b Elements of Horizontal Balance: The Poll Horizontal balance requires several elements, including the suppleness of the poll, back, and haunches. The position (height) of the front of the trunk between the front legs plays a central role. The old masters thought a lot about the poll and the position of the head and neck. In The Gymnasium of the Horse, Gustav Steinbrecht says on this subject: The poll is the first joint the rein effect goes through. If this joint is not completely released, the aid of the rider is restricted only to the horse s mouth. You can also say the aid got stuck in the stiff poll, the tense back, and the stiff haunches. To smooth the way forward, the best possible connection must be developed. Gustav Steinbrecht also discusses the angle of the poll (open poll angle): The correct angle between neck and head is not just about the right action of the bit on the bars, the contact. Rather it enables the The poll is made up of the back of the skull (a) and the first neck vertebra (b). Note In Steinbrecht s Gymnasium, von Heydebreck commented: To prevent all of these unpleasant results, the neck must first be released in a natural carriage and then encouraged to stretch to the bit by riding forward in a natural gait before you can carefully begin flexion at the poll. 24

8 Prerequisites for Correct Flexion and Bend Felix Bürkner on the still young Herder at the end of an international competition in the German Hall on February 7, swing of the hind leg to travel through the back and neck to the mouth, whereupon the horse bounces off the bit and yields the poll. Only in this way is the connection between the hindquarters and the front end freed up, and the hand doesn t have to be busy any more trying to affect the whole vertebral column all the way to the hindquarters. Both masters make it clear that we should neither wish for nor strive for the all too beloved rounding of the poll in early training of a young horse. Never should it be forced! Six years later, Herder ridden by Felix Bürkner showed this expressive piaffe. 25

9 Collection or Contortion? DUPLICATION PROHIBITED Quite to the contrary, when training a highly rideable horse that curls through initial tension, this false poll flexion and neck rounding absolutely must be avoided, or better said, eliminated or prevented. Raised, shortened necks are always a big problem. They should never be accepted or caused in a young horse or a rehab horse. I repeat the quote from Gustav Steinbrecht: Under all circumstances, it is easier and more rewarding to lift and straighten a neck that is curled too deep, than to bring down and bend an incorrect one carried too high. Naturally, Steinbrecht doesn t mean the deep-set, short neck, which is an anatomical weakness. The world famous trainer Klaus Balkenhol once said to me in a conversation: You know, the horse must let the neck fall in front of the withers, take the nose forward, and go to the bit. The head-neck position of a riding horse at the beginning of training is therefore one of the most important keys to a correct contact and, later, to correct positioning and releasing of the back and a supple poll. In summary, we can say that the young horse first finds relaxation in movement through natural and free carriage of the neck. The horse s anatomy, the quality of the gait, the quality of the seat, and the weight of the rider influence the position of the neck. The young horse chooses the position and length of his neck to a certain extent (with curling never being accepted). After a working carriage has been established, the head and neck axis lifts a little higher. The neck and poll rounding comes from a supple but secure contact. It is very important to mention here that correct training at this stage requires the poll angle to be open, and the horse s nose always to be in front of the vertical. If training starts with a tight back and a curled neck, the trainer must work to remove the tension. This is central to the first weeks of training of a young horse. In my opinion, this is where the worst mistakes are made. A large number of young horses in the sport world are started under saddle incorrectly, sometimes ruthlessly and brutally. These mistakes end typically in a tense neck, stiff back, and many negative consequences, of which a curling neck is only one. Further consequences are: running away from the rider s seat, all kinds of contact errors, extreme crookedness, sometimes rearing, bucking, and all manner of resistances. Going from the first natural carriage (relaxation) to a secure working carriage can take several months to a year of systematic training. This training stage can last considerably longer in the case of difficult or anatomically disadvantaged horses. Achieving this quality of balance under saddle is an optimal training goal for a pleasure horse. 26

10 Prerequisites for Correct Flexion and Bend There can be no compromises in contact and head/neck position if we really want to gain a back that is the center of movement and suppleness. The Back As connection develops through rhythmically riding forward, the back that started somewhat stiff or tense begins to change. Along with correct contact, a relaxed swinging back, which is recognized by its natural carrying position, is one of the central signs of a correctly balanced horse. This back position defines the height of the back relative to the supporting front legs. This relationship has great importance for us because the trunk can lift or sink between the front legs. There isn t a bone connection between the thoracic vertebral column and the front legs. The suspension is purely muscular, and therefore, dependent on the level of tension in this specific musculature. The worst and most frequent mistakes result in a back that is overtensed upward or dropped down. Rarely does a horse that is going to be used as a riding horse have a back that is naturally too deep. In this case, the natural position must be corrected if you want to train a horse in the balance of H.Dv.12. Working horses, for example, in bull fighting, Western, or gaited horses, which have no swing amplitude in their back (and which isn t wanted in their work), carry the back more or less still in a dropped position. In this working balance, they can release tension but never achieve full suppleness. If we want to ride a horse trained according to classical principles, the supple swinging back in a carried position must be developed. The key lies in swinging, rhythmic, forward riding in self-carriage. The rhythmic swing at the trot and canter is evident in a swinging back. A large and soft swing amplitude is desired in these horses, which also develops suppleness. From historical experience, we deduce that every horse, even those with a different cultural background, can be brought to the balance described here. Just as with a rehab horse that has lost his balance due to bad riding, these horses also require forward riding, the correct stretching carriage, and precise position and effect of the leg for the development or recovery of balance. There is only one way to build a solid and carrying bridge and to bring it to swinging regular forward trotting to a consistent and soft contact. Without this regular forward element there cannot be stable balance! There are certainly horses that are difficult to bring to an H.Dv.12 balance. In my view, these include all the horses and horse breeds that genetically have little or no push impulsion from the hind leg. This includes, among others, the old style Friesians as well as (usually) five-gaited horses. We should adjust the training goals to the abilities of these horses. We must be careful to not have goals that are too lofty! In the last few years, I have had experience with many riders who want to train 27

11 Collection or Contortion? DUPLICATION PROHIBITED The leg mover: A horse in this false balance is, as a rule, behind the aids. The trunk sinks between the shoulder blades. The connection to the hind leg swinging through is lost. The tense back mover: Whether caused mechanically or done by the horse himself, over-curled horses tense their back and flatten the trunk. The connection to the hind leg is likewise lost. 28

12 Prerequisites for Correct Flexion and Bend A horse in self-carriage: The cross-section of the trunk of a back mover. The musculature carries the trunk. This horse can rotate between the shoulder blades in bend. The leg mover or tense back mover: The trunk is sunk between the shoulder blades, which are narrow and press on the thorax. Rotation, and with it, bend of the trunk, is not possible. 29

13 Collection or Contortion? DUPLICATION PROHIBITED Note Correcting a ruined horse eventually requires sensitizing the horse to the leg. In my view, this is best accomplished by working through a simple leg-yield in all its variations. The central elements of the leg-yield are a very slow tempo and a supple seat (no tension in the seat tunnel see my book, Balancing Act). On the other hand, we must stay constantly aware of maintaining a rhythmic forward trot. Overdoing this legyield therapy can have a negative effect. The horse can learn to evade with the hindquarters and step incorrectly under the center of gravity. Riding master, Martin Plewa, leader of the Westfalian Riding and Driving School, once told me, The legyield is a technical exercise that must be made unnecessary as quickly as possible. You can t add anything to this sentence! In summary, we can say: Developing sensitivity to a sideways-driving leg is an important step, which is only meaningful in the context of a regular, rhythmically forward effort of the horse to a rider s sensitive hand. their horse in dressage and have gotten stuck in groundwork with endless, well-meaning circles and serpentines, bends, and sideways movements. Many never achieve (even after many years) a dynamic, forward-traveling, balanced horse. When a horse travels rhythmically, he allows his rider to sit softly and swing and to drive from a supple seat. Impulsion from the hind leg begins to grow. There can even be an excess of pushing and forward impulsion (at the trot and canter) of every trot step or canter jump in rhythm without the horse running away from the rider s seat. This forward impulsion starts in the hindquarters, goes through the trunk, the neck, and gradually relaxes the poll until it gets to the rider s sensitive hand. The rider feels this impulsion as secure connection. The horse s back swings. The impulsion from the hind legs swings not just through the trunk of the horse but also through the back of the rider (said Egon von Neindorff at a continuing training event for professional riders in 1980). Harmony! Without this impulsion from the hind leg and a swinging back, there is no connection. The horse is also not balanced in the sense of classical riding. To develop and train the forward impulsion described above, the dressage work must incorporate numerous changes of tempo, for example, within the trot (transition from working trot to medium trot), as well as transitions between the gaits. The important connec- 30