What’s the Right Rhythm and Tempo for My Horse During Dressage Movements?

When you start riding the dressage movements, keep in mind that your priority is maintaining rhythm and tempo as you do those movements. So rather than asking yourself, how is my shoulder-in? Ask yourself, “Am I keeping the right rhythm and tempo during shoulder-in?”

Since rhythm and tempo are your gold standard during every dressage movement, let me define them for you.  I want to do this because lots of people use those terms interchangeably and they don’t mean the same thing.

Rhythm – Regularity of the rhythm refers to the even spacing between each step in a stride of walk, trot or canter. Regular rhythm is a priority for all work. The dressage movements and exercises should never be done at the expense of rhythm. Rhythm should always stay the same.

Tempo or speed, however, is a different matter. Tempo — which is the rate of repetition of the rhythm — can be adjusted, depending on what your horse needs. Think of rhythm and tempo this way: A waltz is always done in 3/4 time. That is the rhythm of a waltz. But a waltz can be played faster or slower. In other words, the tempo can vary.

When should you ride at a tempo that’s different from the one your horse chooses? Let’s take an overly fresh horse as an example. You start your warmup, and your horse is so excited that he picks up a trot that is much too quick. The longer you let him go at this clip, the more his tension builds. Left alone, he probably isn’t going to slow down. He’s like an overtired child who is so wound up that he can’t quiet his mind or his body. He needs you to help him calm down by asking him to trot at a much slower tempo than that of his normal working trot.

Slow the tempo by asking for a transition to the walk (or even the halt!), Then, just as he’s about to step into the walk, don’t finish the transition. Instead, allow him to jog forward very slowly. Think about riding “halfway to walk”, and then jog forward slowly. If he accelerates after a few strides, repeat the incomplete downward transition until he understands and is willing to stay in the slower trot.

Ride him in this lazy tempo — the opposite of what he wants to do — until he relaxes. Once you feel him relax, gradually allow the tempo to become more normal.

On the other hand, let’s say you have a horse that tends to get too slow and labored in his tempo. For example, his canter becomes 4-beat because the tempo is too slow. Quicken his tempo by doing a few strides of a lengthening.

Feel how your seat moves faster during the lengthening. Then when you shorten the strides, keep the same quick tempo by moving your seat “as if” you’re still lengthening.

To sum up, NEVER do the dressage movements at the expense of rhythm and tempo.

Click here for more info on dressage movements rhythm tempo.

Why Does the Dressage Term, On The Bit, Have a Negative Connotation?

HOW CAN I TELL WHEN MY DRESSAGE HORSE IS ON THE BIT?

When Should You Move Your Dressage Horse From Training Level to First Level?

Riders often ask me, “How do I know it’s the right time to move my Training Level dressage horse up to First Level?”

In this article, I’ll give you a way to come up with a logical plan for introducing new work at Training Level.

First, I just want to make a general comment. All training should be a systematic progression toward a desired end result. So you need to be able to see the big picture.

For example, even at Training Level the quality of your 20-meter circles is going to make it possible to collect later down the road. Circles show your horse’s ability to bend equally to the left and to the right. So his ability to
bend on a large circle makes it easier for him to progressively increase his bend from 20 meters to 18, to 15, to 12, to 10. As he becomes flexible enough to bend along a tighter arc, you’re laying a foundation for advanced
lateral work such as shoulder-in, haunches-in, and half pass.

A lot of times people say to me, “Oh well, I am ONLY working at Training Level.” You need to understand that the work that is done at Training Level, such as correctly bending on a 20-meter circle, is essential for your horse’s systematic progression to the more advanced work.

So let’s look at one way you can plan your program. Here’s what I did. Back in the early 70’s, I had to work a lot on my own. So I used the USDF tests as my guideline. I knew those tests were designed with the systematic
progression of the dressage horse in mind.  I thought, “Well, this is a good place to start since I don’t have anybody around to tell me what to do.”

I’d work on whatever was at Training Level. And even if my horse wasn’t ready for the next level, I’d always look ahead and read what was in the First Level tests. That way I’d have an idea of what was coming up next.

Let’s say my dressage horse is at Training Level. I polish my 20-meter circles, my basic transitions from gait to gait, and the stretchy circle. That’s all great, but I also look ahead. I see that I’ll need to do serpentines, where I have the complication of changing the bend from left to right.

I’d also begin to add smaller circles because eventually, at First Level, I need to do 10-meter circles in the trot and 15-meter circles in the canter. Now that doesn’t mean I’m suddenly going to go from 20-meter circles in the trot to 10-meters.

Instead, knowing that my dressage horse will have to do 10-meter circles down the road, when he can comfortably do 20-meter circles, I’d do some 18-meter circles. And then in a few weeks or months, when he could comfortably do
18-meter circles, I’d do 16-meter circles.

Because I look ahead, and I know what is required at First Level, I plan a program where I progressively make the arc of my circle tighter and tighter until eventually I can do 10-meter circles easily in the trot.

And what I mean by “easily” is that my horse can handle the arc of that curve without having to find an evasion such as swinging the hindquarters in or out from his line of travel.

I’d also see that there are leg yields in the First Level tests. So I think, “My horse has to learn how to move away from a leg that’s behind the girth”. Maybe I should incorporate some turns on the forehand into my work at
Training Level so that I’ll be ready to do some leg yields when the time comes.

At First Level, I also have to show lengthenings in the trot and in the canter. So I work on developing elasticity by lengthening and shortening. Even at Training Level, I start to do rubber band exercises. I go a little more forward for three or four strides and then come back for three or four strides. And I repeat that– three or four strides a little more forward and three or four strides a little bit back. While doing that I really focus on maintaining the same rhythm and the same tempo in both “gears”.

I also notice that at First Level there is a little counter canter. So I think about incorporating some counter canter into my work. I come 1-meter off the rail by the time I’m across from B or E. Then by the end of the long side, I’m back onto the track. I do this pattern so gradually that my horse doesn’t even know that I’m asking for a couple of counter canter steps.

Little by little I come off the rail a bit more. My next step is to come one and a half meters off the rail. We’re one and a half meters off the rail when we’re across from B or E, and then we arc back to the last letter.

So, I keep polishing the movements at Training Level with my dressage horse, but I always have an eye on what’s at First Level and start to incorporate a little bit of that work as well.

Click here for more help with Training First Level Dressage.

What’s the Difference Between Jaw and Poll Flexion?

A lot of riders aren’t clear on the difference between flexion at the jaw and flexion at the poll, and how to ask for each of these positions.

Keep in mind that a horse can flex three ways–to the left, to the right, and “in”.

When a horse flexes to the left or right, he’s flexing at the poll. When he does this, you’ll just see his inside or outside eye or nostril.  I call this position +1 or -1 because you’re bringing his head 1 inch to the inside or the outside of where his head would be positioned if his chin was directly in front of the crease in the middle of his chest.

You’ll ask for flexion at the poll to the left or right with an indirect rein aid. To give an indirect rein aid, give a quick turn of the wrist so your thumb points to the center of the circle, your fingernails point up toward your face, and your baby finger points up toward your opposite shoulder. As you turn your wrist this way, bring your hand very close to the withers, but don’t cross over them. As soon as you’ve turned your wrist, return to the “starting position”where your thumb is the highest point of the hand. Be sure you support with your outside rein as you do this so you “catch” his poll rather than bend his entire neck.

When a horse flexes “in”, he flexes at the jaw, and he closes the angle at his throatlatch. You’ll use a completely different rein action to ask your horse to flex “in” than the action you used to ask for flexion to the left or right.

Ask your horse to flex “in” by moving the bit in his mouth. Be sure you only use ONE rein to move the bit. If you alternately saw on his mouth with your left and right hands, he’ll just bring his face closer to his chest.

We often flex the horse’s jaw. In fact, his jaw must be flexed for him to be completely on the bit. BUT, the danger lies in flexing the jaw BEFORE you connect him over his back. If you flex his jaw first, he’s not really connected. His face is just “in”. The danger here is that you can fake yourself out.

You might think he’s correctly on the bit because he feels soft in your hand when his jaw is flexed. But if you go to do something like a transition, you’ll find out that he’s really not connected at all.

During the transition, he’ll raise his head and neck and look hollow because all you have control over is a flexed jaw. He wasn’t honestly on the bit to begin with! You need to ride your horse from back to front. Close your legs and send your horse forward through your outside hand to get his back round. And ONLY after you’ve sent him forward through your outside hand should you flex his jaw as the final ingredient of putting him on the bit.

Click here for more on dressage horse poll flexion.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK AND FEEL LIKE WHEN MY DRESSAGE HORSE IS ON THE BIT?

Lots of people have asked me what it looks and feels like when a dressage horse is on the bit. They want to know not only what to look for, but also tips that will help them recognize success when they achieve it?

When your horse is on the bit, here’s what he’ll look and feel like:

• He feels like he’s one unit rather than a jumble of “disconnected parts”.
• He’s more comfortable to sit on because his back is relaxed.
• In trot and canter, he feels like a beach ball bouncing along.
  His back (behind the saddle) is up and swinging rather than dropped and tense.
• From the saddle his neck is widest at the base (just in front of the withers) and becomes progressively narrower as you get closer to his ears.
• From the side, his neck looks longish and relatively low rather than up in the air and short.

And, just as importantly, when he’s on the bit, your dressage horse will feel like he can do anything within the next step. For example, he can immediately go from trot to canter. Or he can immediately go from working canter into a canter lengthening.

Click here for more tips on putting a dressage horse on the bit.

How To Do A Good Free Walk For Dressage

Dressage riders often struggle doing a good free walk with their horses. What follows are some tips to help you with the free walk as well as the transitions in and out of the it.

1. What is the free walk?
In dressage, the free walk is a gait of relaxation.

2. What should it look like?

* Your horse should lengthen his frame and lower his head and neck so he looks like he’s going to graze. His poll is lower than his withers.
* He should open the angle at his throatlatch so his nose points a bit forward, and he looks like he’s stretching toward the bit.
* His strides become longer so he overtracks to a greater degree.

3. How should you do the transition at the beginning of the free walk?

PREPARATION is the key to getting a good free walk in dressage. You should prepare for it the same way you prepare for the “stretchy” circle in the trot.

* Use “connecting aids” for 3-4 seconds on the short side while you’re still in medium walk.
* To give “connecting aids”, create energy by closing both calves as if you’re asking for a lengthening. But don’t let your horse lengthen.
* Instead, close your outside hand in a fist to capture, contain, and recycle that energy back to the hind legs.
* Keep your legs and outside hand closed for 3-4 seconds.
* While closing your legs and outside hand, vibrate or squeeze and release on your inside rein so your horse doesn’t bend his neck to the outside.
* As you turn onto the diagonal, relax your legs, and open your fingers so your horse can chew the reins out of your hands.

4. How should you do the transition back to the medium walk?

* Use the same “connecting aids” you used to prepare for the free walk.
* While the reins are still long, press lightly with your calves.
* As you shorten the reins, keep your new outside hand closed in a fist and squeeze and release with your new inside hand.

5. What if your horse is lazy?
If your horse doesn’t march with good energy, “breathe” your legs during the free walk. To “breathe” your legs:

* Take your legs off of his sides.
* Move them an inch or two back, and place them on lightly again.

“Breathing” your legs does two things. If you’ve been gripping, your horse is probably numb to your legs. Taking your legs off allows you to put them on again lightly so he feels them. Moving your legs back puts them closer to your horse’s “engine” and reminds him to use his hind legs actively.

6. What if your dressage horse wants to jig during the free walk?

* If your horse wants to jig, do several transitions to the halt.
* Praise your horse after each halt.
* Soon he’ll learn to anticipate stopping or slowing down.
* Then you can use just a little bit of your “stopping aids” to remind him to stay in a four-beat flat-footed walk as you make your way across the diagonal.
* If he tends to jig in the free walk when you pick up the reins at the end of the diagonal, halt first. Then, pick up the reins in the halt. Doing so will train him to stay slow when you do the transition for real.