Read Felicia von Neuman Cosel’s article in the current issue of Dressage Today. Driving the horse forward when it it already tight/on the forehand just makes things worse.
Horses on their own rarely go long and low for anymore than a few strides. Same for collection. Same for jumping…most horses on their own will go around a jump rather than over it in a natural setting.
Let’s not pretend we are asking horses to do what they do naturally. Just because they are capable of doing it, or do it in moments of time, does not mean it is something they’d naturally do for any duration.
Naturally, left on their own, most horses amble about, graze if there is grazing, then may take off bucking or galloping for a short period.
If we were interested in doing what is natural we’d sit on their backs while they grazed and ambled around and would let them buck and gallop too.
That’s not what happens, is it . So if we are going to re direct a horses energy and way of going, we need to do it responsibly and that will serve them well.
Western pleasure can be an example of head low to ground but not over the topline (though the better WP trainers do work the horses over the top line , the lesser ones do not)
Dressage ll the goal is to get them stretching over back and reaching for the bit. Some horses imo it comes far more naturally to than others, maybe if it is taught early or first on the lunge line or conformation is partial to it.
Other horses, imo nothing wrong with doing things to help them get there such as trot work and later canter over poles and then low cavaletti. Nearly every horse will sketch through body and down doing that and then one can transition it to periods under saddle. I have seen many trainers train LL with hands wide and down, later as horse “gets it”, they don’t’ need to do that any more and can just feed out the reins. Of course rider has to use aids to keep energy and impulsion from behind and not just a lowering of head.
[QUOTE=exploding pony;8341825]
If you are trying to improve his back, you need to get him to lift his back. That’s the key much more than the position of his head. That all comes from the hind end.
I would be doing this on the lunge first, where he can get the concept of lifting his back without a rider involved. I would do it at the trot more than the walk because he’ll be less on the forehand.
Just food for thought.[/QUOTE]
Can you elaborate on what you mean by “doing this”? I get that you want to get the horse to lift his back, but how?
My horse is built really up hill and while I could easily get long and low at the walk the trot was HARD. I could get connection at the trot, but when I slipped the rein she would follow it until she hit a horizontal dead end and any lengthening of rein there was me giving up contact. She just didn’t think she could do it.
After attempting for months, I finally went on some of my friends suggestions and asked for the trot while stretching at the walk. It was like a light bulb went off in her head, oh I can have my head down and trot at the same time. It took a while but now she does it with the correct signals.
Saddle fit can also prevent stretching. If the saddle panels sit up high on the withers, pinching the sides, the horse is unlikely to stretch down. Dropping the panels several inches on my saddle, even though it looked like it fit just fine, allowed my horse to stretch at the trot and canter.
Poke on the sides of his withers about where the panels on many older saddles begin. Watch him try to bite you. You don’t have to use a lot of pressure because there is a pressure point right there.
