There are many ways to improve the suppleness of the horse by using circles and in particular making circles smaller and larger. In the early stages of training the exercise should be simple, by spiralling the circle in without any thoughts of lateral work. This can still be useful at later levels of training to make sure that the horse is listening to you and that you have control of the horse’s body so that there is no swinging of the quarters or falling through the shoulders.

 

 

The next stage is to leg yield in and out from the large circle to the smallest circle that the horse can keep balance and rhythm on. You will need to keep the horse as  straight as possible rather than bent around the inside leg as it was on the spiralling in.  The next stage is to develop the shoulder in and travers on a circle- staying initially on one sized circle but once you have control of the horse’s shoulders and quarters then you can develop by making the circle smaller and then larger firstly in shoulder in and then in travers. Taking the circle smaller in travers in walk or canter with the more developed horse is a good way to develop the strength required for walk/canter pirouettes

 

 

Another variation is to take the circle smaller in shoulder in and then leg yield out and when you reach the large circle then move forwards in a medium pace. This will work every area of the horse, connection, suppleness, impulsion and thoroughness.  You may find that your horse’s stage of training is not sufficient to do all of the exercises in every pace but experiment and develop  providing that you  ensure that you have control over the quarters and shoulders

 

 

Treats can be a very useful way of rewarding the horse for good behaviour and also for helping in socialization of youngsters, however it is important to ensure that you do not end up as a rider who gets mugged by their horse and risks getting bitten. Some horses are more food motivated than others and these can easily be  encouraged to change behaviour by being given a treat after exhibiting that correct behaviour. Once you have rewarded for such behaviour you need to extend the period between giving the treats and you also need  to be consistent about giving that reward. If you give  a treat regardless of behaviour then the horse does not see it as a reward but as a right and is therefore more likely to demand, perhaps by nipping at your pockets or hands.

 

Preferably you should give the reward in a bucket or bowl that the horse can associate with the treat and not associate your hand or pocket. So giving the horse a food  treat from a bowl after being caught or after having loaded  can be very effective. You should aim to avoid becoming a human vending machine and never give a treat if the horse is exhibiting poor behaviour.

 

There are many ways to give rewards that are not food related and for the horse that is not particularly food oriented then this can be a much stronger influence. This requires you to be aware of when the horse is reacting in the right way to your aids/communications. As soon as the horse responds in the right way then you should cease asking and make sure you become relaxed- a sensitive horse will associate the correct behaviour with the relaxed feeling of the rider which in itself is a treat.

Another treat can be the well placed and well timed scratch  in an appropriate area such as the withers or on the neck- this can be much more effective and helpful than using food  rewards or clicker or other such training as it is a practical system that you can use in any situation and is much more of a bond-builder than treats. Try to avoid bribery -giving a treat before the action is completed- but accept that treats of some description can be a powerful tool in your training.

 

 

 

 

 

The Scales of Training are now a staple part of the British Dressage training system having been translated from the German system that has been so successful over many years-for an in depth understanding of the system the best place to research this is through the German handbooks (see links).

 

Whilst there are six separate scales, they all mesh together and have to be repeated and improved throughout the training of the horse. The scales are; Rhythm; Looseness and suppleness; Contact; Impulsion; Straightness; and Collection.

 

A horse cannot truly be said to have rhythm if it is not loose and supple, both mentally and physically and none of these scales can be achieved unless the horse has an acceptance of the contact and remains in front of the rider's leg. In Preliminary training we are looking for a clear correct rhythm with relaxation, suppleness and looseness and lack of negative tension with the horse accepting a supple and even contact. Once this is achieved we start to look for development of impulsion and pushing power which should not be developed before the horse is physically or mentally ready to accept this in an easy balance.

 

Straightness is a prerequisite to develop true impulsion and, from there, collection, but there is an acceptance that a young horse is unlikely to be straight early in his training and the development of the other scales produces straightness. However this is not an excuse for the horse to be very crooked in his basic work, more an allowance that by balancing on his shoulders a little in the early stages, this will produce a slight lack of straightness as horses are wider behind than in front and so naturally lose straightness when they are allowed to balance on the fence or outside wall. Collection also develops over the various levels and need only be enough that the horse retains balance and rhythm in each of the movements he is required to do at each level in his path to the ultimate collection - the Grand Prix.

 

 

 

 

 

Future Topics;  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am often asked what you should put in your horse journal and information about your horse is a very important element. Do you know what his resting heart rate is? What is his normal temperature? When did you last record his blood results or worm count? What are his measurements and weight? What did the dentist say about his teeth and what about any other treatment?  If you are recording the information on a regular basis then it will make more sense to the vet when they take recordings when the horse is showing any illness. Record when you get the best performances from your horse and map that against your records both medical and other areas. Does your horse go better before turn out or after? Is he easily affected by your moods such as when you are tired from work? Record your mare’s season patterns and see what that tells you.

 

How does your horse react to strong sounds, smells or large visual stimuli?  Does he run away or stand his ground? Is he a fast learner or does he need repetition? Does he bond easily or is he aloof and self-reliant? Is he tolerant or over-sensitive to your mistakes? Some training systems such as Parelli have developed a detailed horse personality profile system. Whilst I am not personally totally convinced by their ideas I do think it is important to really understand your horse’s personality so that you can work with his individuality- the horse that is motivated by food can be encouraged with rewards for good behaviour but by awarding treats without reason it can encourage the horse to search your pockets and even bite you for those treats.

 

So start keeping more detailed records and watching your horse then you can make reasoned decisions about his health and well-being.