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Rhythm: A Cornerstone of Training

The work with Aries continues with the goal of keeping him relaxed over his back while increasing his engagement behind.  This connection is vital if you are going to get the best work that your horse is capable of – and I build it with a consistent focus on rhythm.

What do I mean by rhythm?  Well, you want to have your horse moving forward in a steady and relaxed stride.  A steady rhythm where one stride is like the next will allow the horse to relax mentally and physically – with that relaxation he will become increasingly supple through his body.  This suppleness will manifest itself first along his topline. As the horse relaxes, he will be able to lower its head and neck and raise and swing through the back. He will also be better able to flex left and right once he has become soft along his topline.  And here’s the point a lot of riders miss – you need a supple horse before it will fully accept the rider’s aids.  There is very little point in fighting a horse that has no rhythm and isn’t relaxed or supple.   

A lot of people get frustrated with their horse – either when the horse gets stiff and struggles with lateral work or gets behind the leg and gets progressively less responsive to the aids.  When this happens, the rider needs to sit back and think for a moment.  Once tension has been introduced into your partnership/work with your horse, you need to take a step back and rebuild the rhythm and relaxation in the horse’s gait. 

Working Through Tension: An Example

You’ve just spent 15 minutes warming your horse up and have established a nice rhythm.  Your horse is relaxed and supple and seems to be accepting your aids.  This is a good time, you think, to make the work a little more demanding – you decide to work your horse through some leg yielding exercises.  A stride or two into the exercise, your horse gets tense through his back, his head and neck start to come up, and he starts to lose his rhythm. 

What do you do?  Well, you have two choices here – the first is to continue with the leg yield – in which case you’re likely to find the horse continues to struggle and becomes less accepting of the aids.  I would suggest, you come out of the leg yield, re-establish the forward rhythm (in walk or trot) and when he’s feeling supple and relaxed again, come back to the exercise – but only look to do a stride or two of leg yield and then ride the horse forward, before he gets tense.  Over time, build up the number of strides of leg yield as the horse is better able to maintain his rhythm through the exercise. At the beginning, get into the exercise and back out of it before the horse loses rhythm – always looking to maintain his suppleness as you build his acceptance and understanding of the aids.  

I’ve talked about three different stages here: (1) Rhythm and Relaxation; (2) Suppleness; (3) Accepting the Rider’s aids – also known as Contact.  These are three fundamental building blocks that you and your horse need in place to progress in your training. Remember, that the cornerstone is rhythm – you layer suppleness and contact over the rhythm.  Once the horse has a consistent rhythm, is consistently supple, and accepts your aids – then you can move onto the next stage of training, building impulsion.