He never touches the reins:
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This!! I love Love that. But it’s not dressage. Beautiful.
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This is Jesus Morales. I rode with him.
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No one said it was “dressage”… if one only thinks of “dressage” as riding around in a 20x60m arena.
It IS dressage if one things of the objectives of dressage as stated in section 101 of the rules
The object of dressage is the development of the horse into a happy athlete through harmonious education.
As a result, it makes the horse calm, supple, loose and flexible, but also confident, attentive and keen, thus achieving perfect understanding with the rider.
The horse thus gives the impression of doing, of its own accord, what is required.
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I wasn’t trying to argue with anyone, I just made a statement. I don’t disagree with anything you have said. However, I wouldn’t call that horse supple and loose. Having sat on very similar horses, they are ready for anything and respond instantly.
But, in this country, in recognized dressage, that is not rewarded. The base of the training pyramid is rhythm and relaxation. How many of us, numerous times, have been told that our Iberian horse is too tight, generally in the neck?
But, you are right, if you can achieve connection with the seat, there you go! I do think most folks want stretch and reach and a swinging back. That can be achieved with the seat but it ain’t easy.
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But the stretch on an Iberian should come after a bit of work. Don’t fuss the face or neck down, warmup at the walk should be in their natural frame. Then pick them up, do some work and the stretch will be there. My PRE will totally stretch with his nose out if I follow this plan (which I learned from a man who trains a lot of these horses)
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Words. If one looks up the “scales of training” or “the pyramid of dressage” some versions will have ‘relaxation’ as a level and some don’t. The problem, as always, is applying words to a highly dynamic process.
As I look at that video I see a horse that can perform a canter pirouette in a class above anything one sees in the top level of “proper dressage” and the horse’s head never goes behind the vertical. And everything comes from the position and balance of the rider. Lessons to be learned here?
I find watching para-dressage really interesting because so often the rider can’t rely on ‘contact’ from their hands but they do have a connection with their horse that provides a wonderfully harmonious performance.
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Yes, this has been my (repeated) experience as well.
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Good point re Para dressage.
You do have to have an educated seat to ride these horses well (most horses really, but anyway). That includes an independent seat. This is part of why I love Iberians. They are so sensitive and in tune to your body so you need really good body awareness and skill. In turn, everything can look and feel almost effortless. You really have to ride with your brain, too.
Back to paras and not relying off of contact… When I first starting riding mine bitless that really highlighted a few things because there was no bit and I didn’t want to put too much pressure on the horses face (it was a side pull made by Kiefer), not that I want to put too much pressure on the bit either though. So I really had to make sure I was riding off of my body. Being able to do “all of the things” bitless that I could do with a bitted bridle was a good little challenge to make sure I was primarily riding off of my seat/body.
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A horse that is working over the back, relaxed, and polite to the hand is “on the bit” in my opinion. If my Lusis/PREs were super strong in the contact, I would be worried that they were uncomfortable somewhere in their body. But the degree of lightness in the contact will be different for every horse. Lusis/PREs tend to be lighter, but they definitely still come into the bridle and onto the bit. Their conformation allows them to be lighter naturally.
I don’t make a strong, hard-mouthed horse by fussing with their face all of the time. Take a light contact and push them into the bridle with the leg and allow them to come through with a quiet seat. A lot of warmbloods I’ve ridden are too strong in the contact and the rider ends up holding the horse on the bit.
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Tell us more?
I’m going to bring working equitation into this for a minute. I discovered working equitation a few years ago and I love it. I had some major lightbulb moments with my PRE because it seemed as though there was a purpose to the work with the obstacles and whatnot vs just being in a sandbox.
It’s a discipline where Iberians excel, but I’ve also seen WB’s and other breeds/types do well too. You do have to ride off of your body as you navigate the course and ride with one hand. So if one were to want to work on their seat, aids, and whatnot, some working equitation exercises might be of interest. Or if you’re horse isn’t understanding some concept in dressage, try it though a working equitation obstacle or exercise.
Here’s a nice little round:
It’s a different type of contact, yes, in that the rider is not riding with two hands, and some of the bits used are not dressage legal, but it still exemplifies how light and agile these horses can be, where they excel, and how the rider uses their body to influence the horse.
I also want to add that in order for a horse to work into the contact and form a proper connection you have to make it inviting and correct. If a horse loses confidence in your hands, the contact, or what you want re connection, then things will be very difficult. It’s fine to look at breed/type tendencies, but if it’s one thing these horses have taught me, it’s to look at myself. At every single part of myself and what I am doing. They often are doing as we are telling them to go, or going in a way that our body is dictating. I’ve learned more from Iberians than I have any other horse, but I am also biased 
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A few years ago (may been a while…time flies) he came to the US and did clinics for ERAHC…Eastern Region Andalusian Horse Club. This was when working equitation was just starting. I don’t really remember much other than he rode my horse (Lusitano stallion) and liked him. I do recall he did do a lot of collected walk to canter work.
@Bluey Edited to add…I found it. US-PRE brought him to the US and he was teaching in VA in 2011…as I said time flies. Below is a video of that clinic. The horse I rode has now passed away. When I spoke of my relationship with my horse, he said he and Halcon were like an old married couple, where the horse could read his mind.
United States P.R.E. Association | Jesus Morales Garrocha Clinic | News (usprea.com)
Here is another video of him doing an exhibition at SICAB. There is another video of him with the 2 guitarists but I have not been able to find it.
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Thank you, interesting.
This is Morales’ horse, Halcon, doing liberty work with a pet bull. Halcon (Falcon) is a Hispano-Arab cross (Andalusian-Arab). It shows the breed’s natural collection, ability for transitions, inclination for working in a collected frame and their natural “cowy” sense for those people who think horses are forced to work in the bull ring.
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For those who are interested, here is a rider in the 2009 Spanish Championship for Doma Vaquera. “Competition dressage” is only a small corner of what can do with a well-trained horse.
It is a “dressage test” in the sense that they have required movements to do. The test is only ridden at walk and canter using one hand. Walk and canter are considered the “working gaits” to carry a rider…trots are for carriage horses. The use of the one hand is that the other hand has to be used for whatever work a working cowboy would have to do.
You have to fast forward to about 3:00 past where there is a poem being read, but you can see how this discipline is ridden. Just google Doma Vaquera for more.
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I have MS and I have nerve and muscle problems. In spite of this the lesson horses I ride seem to PREFER the double bridle when I ride them. These horses prefer it so much that my riding teacher is now willing to let me use my double bridle on her lesson horses that I ride.
My current lesson horse is a 30 yr. old QH gelding, probably Appendix. We put my double bridle on him from the first time I rode him onward. I use a slightly modified Micklem Multi-Bridle with the chin strap cut off, the Fager Victoria titanium Mullen Mouth Weymouth curb and a Fager Alicia 3-piece bridoon with a titanium roller in the middle link.
My second or third ride on him, after asking my riding teacher for permission, I tied his bridoon reins up and kept contact with just the Weymouth curb.
His contact, quite decent, IMPROVED. He reached out his head and nose to keep the contact voluntarily, he relaxed, he strode along and I had no difficulties extending his stride at the walk, and he generally relaxes more into contact when I just use the curb bit. He also willingly keeps curb contact during the posting trot. Turns in place are a little bit easier and more exact, the 3-speeds of the walk exercise improved–his extensions are greater, he willingly reduces to the normal walk, and he also does the super-slow walk with me just giving him little tweaks on the curb rein coordinated with my leg aids.
With my hands nowadays the lesson horses I ride seem to prefer the double bridle. It answers all the horse’s questions of 'WTF DO YOU MEAN???" When the horse is in doubt I can feel the horse’s tongue checking each bit and coming up with the correct answer. The horses relax, they approach riding with a tiny bit more interest (remember, lesson horses), I get a better response from my driving, collecting and turning leg aids when I use the double bridle and the horse, according to my riding teacher, looks more cheerful about everything.
I ride Forward Seat. I ride with the curb rein sagging some, giving my rein aids by tweaking my little finger (I ride with the curb rein under my little finger.) When I keep contact with the curb my contact is LIGHT and my hands move with the horse’s mouth.
At the two stables where I ride I am the only rider allowed to use a double bridle, and my riding teachers LIKE the results I get from their horses when I use one.
If I had an Iberian I would probably put a double bridle on the horse either immediately of after a short introduction to contact with the bridoon. Unlike TBs Iberians were bred to be ridden with a curb bit, a more upright head carriage, relaxed throatlatch and all.
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Interested, what does polite to the hand mean for you?
Does it mean the horse keeps his neck in the shape he thinks is desired?
In the M-level tests in Germany they require that you do collected trot and then lengthen the reins for half a circle and then you shorten the reins again…. And the horse stretches into the hand…. Would that be polite to the hand for you? I am really curious…
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I do wish WE was more available here in FL. We tried a few years ago, but it just wasnt supported. There is a recent effort to get it going again. I did compete the one Luso I have who doesnt really like legal bits mentioned above, just local…
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There is a group here in FL (and I think they also do a clinic up in the mid-Atlantic). The Baroque Equestrian Games. I cliniced with them a few times here in Ocala, but the tightness and collection in the movements only fed right into my guy’s natural tendencies… and I’d like a bit more relaxation. Same horse I referenced above, Viega-lines Lusitano. I’’ look for a photo on my phone. https://www.baroquegames.com/
