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The Disconnected Horse

By Tim Lewthwaite

Do you have a horse that hangs on the bit and feels like he is pulling you around the ring? Does he get strong when you canter? And do your shoulders or arms end up aching during and after a ride? You may even have considered getting a harsher bit to get the horse out of your hands.

Do you have a horse that doesn’t respond to the leg aids when you ask him to go forward? Do you end up driving the horse with ever more demanding leg aids? Have you been tempted to use spurs because the stronger your aids get, the less response you seem to get?

You may think that your horse has a real problem – and in a way you are right. The horse’s problem could well be how you are riding. Both the situations described above can occur when the horse isn’t properly connected over his back from his hind end to his front.

Well, you might ask, what do I mean by “connected over his back”?

When a horse is moving properly, he will be connected from his quarters over his back to his forehand. As his hind legs engage under his body and he flexes the stifle and hocks, he is able to lift his back up to the rider and lighten his forehand. As he does this, he will become lighter in you hands and more responsive to your aids. The engagement of the hind legs and lifting of the back are key – if the horse can do both these things, you will have established the connection from back to front. His head carriage and frame will be a result of that connection.

Causes of Being Disconnected:

1. Poor position on the rider’s part. When you ride, are you in a nice balanced position with an open and relaxed hip joint, maintaining the hip-to-heel-to-shoulder line? Or are you behind the movement or clamping down with tense legs, locked hips and with heels squeezed in? If you’ve allowed yourself to slip behind the movement, the horse will tend to drop his back and scoot forwards. His hind legs will be left out behind him and you’ll often (but not always) see his head and neck come up as you push him onto his forehand and into your hands. If you are locked and tense through your heels, legs and hips, the tension will be transferred to the horse’s back. A horse with a tense back won’t be able to use it freely and his movement will be impaired. A locked rider will result in a locked and disconnected horse with the rider tempted to resort to harsher aids to get the response they want. Over time, a poor position can cause even the most generous horse to become disconnected over his back.
   
   
2. Poor fitting tack? Does your saddle fit properly? If your saddle doesn’t fit, this may cause the horse to become back sore. Periodically run your fingers over the horse’s back where the saddle fits. Does he flinch and drop the back away from the pressure? If so, you may need to look at how the saddle fits.
   
   
3. Poor conformation. Some horses don’t have ideal conformation and this can sometimes lead to soreness and lack of performance over time. This can be exacerbated by poor position and tack that doesn’t fit properly.

Getting Connected – A Start

Lets assume you have fixed both your position and your tack fits well. The following is one of my favorite exercises to help a horse become better connected over his top-line. While some horses will have physical limitations when being asked to perform, most will really improve to the best of their ability when being ridden thoughtfully. Ride with a dressage whip.

When you are starting your ride, warm the horse up in the walk. Have a nice contact on the reins, but don’t worry about the frame just yet. As you walk the horse around the ring, make constant changes of direction, each time being sure to apply your new inside leg aid to encourage the horse to step up and under with the inside hind leg. Be sure to make the turns nice and smooth to help the horse stay balanced. Use an open inside rein to encourage the horse to bend to the inside and a smooth outside half-halt to let the horse know that the leg aid isn’t about going faster. Be sure to apply the aids every time you change direction and don’t be afraid to tap the horse behind your leg with the whip to reinforce the leg.

When the horse is starting to soften in his frame, move on into trot and do the same thing. Keep the rhythm relatively slow, but really ask for the engagement with the inside leg. Over the course of your ride, if you are disciplined with your position and application of the aids, you should see a marked improvement in how your horse moves.

Is this the only way to get your horse connected? Absolutely not! But it is a tool you can use over the course of a ride – or even interspersed among other exercises – to begin building that all-important connection that will result in a lighter and more responsive horse.

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