Ask Gail Gail Hoff-Carmona, Ph.D. Dr. Gail Hoff-Carmona is an "S" Dressage Judge, (licensed by the U.S. Equestrian Federation to judge all levels of dressage through Grand Prix) an "r" Dressage Sport Horse Breeding Judge and dressage instructor/trainer at all levels. She earned her United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals (medals for high accomplishment at all levels of dressage through Grand Prix) on self trained horses and she is also owner and director of the first school of dressage in the United States, Los Alamos Dressage Center, now located in Ojai, CA. Gail imported several horses from Sweden, beginning in the 1980’s, bred them, and made Los Alamos Dressage Center famous for its top Swedish Warmblood (SWB) horses, now often popularly referred to as the “Baltic” line. She continues to offer the stud service of her “home bred stallion,” L.A. Baltic Inspiration, who is the highest scoring SWB stallion in North America and sire of the highest scoring “Double Diploma” mare, L.A. Baltic Kharma. Now, as a service to others interested in dressage and horse breeding, Gail is accepting questions from viewers of this web site and will screen and respond to them here. Email Gail Your Question   Articles about dressage riding always mention that one should drive the horse but not let it go fast. Could you explain what that means? How do I know my horse has the correct tempo? I'm a beginner dressage rider who's just starting to learn about this mystical discipline. Submitted by Lucy Earle, Madison, WS to "Dressage Today" Magazine. This is a reprint of the reply in "Ask the Experts" column, July 2008. Answer: This is a very good question and one that can be confusing. Many riders think that in order to mover “forward” they must move faster. In dressage, however, when a horse moves forward, he also needs to maintain balance, i.e. not rush onto the forehand. Hence, the words “forward” is associated with “impulsion” – the creating of air time in the moment of suspension, which results from thrust and the releasing of energy stored in the hind legs by engagement. When a rider develops impulsion, the gaits become loftier. On the other hand, if a horse is made to move too rapidly, the moment of suspension is decreased and the gaits become flatter. To visualize this, look at dressage horses doing extended trot or canter with big, unhurried steps compared to racing Thoroughbreds. “Impulsion” does not apply to the walk, since there is no moment of suspension, i.e., a moment when all four feet are off the ground at the same time. But, walks can show greater or lesser activity and ground-covering steps. Because forwardness is associated with “impulsion,” it encompasses ground-covering steps as well as a clear, marked rhythm and tempo. Rhythm is the recurring characteristic sequence and timing of footfalls and phases of a given gait. Tempo is the rate of repetition of the rhythm. Quick, hurried steps and irregularity are the enemies of forwardness. To achieve forwardness, one must shift the horse’s center of gravity more backward. When you ride, imagine that your horse is like a seesaw. If there is equal weight front and back, your horse will be in a horizontal balance. If all the weight of your horse shifted back and behind you, then the horse would be rearing and standing on his hind legs. On the other hand, if the center of gravity shifted totally forward, the horse would be kicking up behind and standing on his front legs. In dressage, we try to shift the center of gravity back a little so that the horse lifts the forehand and engages the hindquarters without standing on its hind legs. This means that the rider must work with half halts to move the center of gravity backward followed by forward, ground covering movements. The horse is not only more engaged in his hind legs, but also pushes off more strongly with his hind legs. This sequence of half halt then forward needs to be repeated frequently and in fairly rapid succession to help the horse find balance, develop impulsion and lift the forehand, and above all, remain “forward.” It is clear that forwardness requires energy. There are two types of energy a horse can produce: potential energy and kinetic energy. Potential energy can be likened to a compressed spring that is ready to expand but is kept in that readiness. Kinetic energy can be likened to when the spring is suddenly allowed to unfold and rapidly expand. Potential energy produces power and the possibility to expand whereas kinetic energy produces speed and ground cover. A dressage horse that is in good balance and is forward will have the right mix of potential and kinetic energy. If you have the right mix of potential and kinetic energy, your horse will be able to quickly either lengthen or shorten its steps without changing tempo (speed of the rhythm). To test your horse’s balance, see if, with almost no effort on your part, he can make a downward transition (such as trot-walk or trot-halt) almost immediately and, at the same time, be able to lengthen its stride (without changing tempo) or change gaits almost immediately. As you’re trotting, ask yourself “could my horse go to walk with almost no effort?” If you can, you’ll be able to simply allow the walk at a predetermined spot. As you’re trotting, if you feel you can’t walk with almost no effort, you’ll have to force the horse to walk using quite visible aids. Vice versa, when you’re walking and you’re planning to trot at A. for instance, you should feel like you have your horse on the edge of the trot, i.e. not trotting and not losing the rhythm of the walk. When you get to A. you’ll have to do almost nothing – no big leg aids, not leaning forward or backward – to trot. One could say you just “allow” your horse to trot. If you can do both of these transitions by simply “allowing” them to your horse, you will know that your horse is in good balance. I like to call this balance the “zone of all possibilities.” If you test the horse, for instance, at the trot and find that he could halt easily from the trot but not make an upward transition (i.e. trot-canter) or take longer steps (collected trot-extended trot), you know that he is not moving forward enough. On the other hand, if your horse is ready to run forward or quicken his tempo but cannot readily make a downward transition (extended to collected gait or halt), then you have the horse on the forehand and he is probably going too fast but not forward. The correct tempo will vary from horse to horse, and also with the degree training. An untrained horse will usually have a faster tempo than one that has been trained in dressage. This is because the trained horse will have learned about impulsion and uphill balance - shifting the center of gravity backward to create a relative lifting of the forehand. Therefore, as you train your horse in dressage, you will likely find that his tempo will change some as he progresses up the levels. In the end, dressage is all about balance on the part of both horse and rider. The rider must have a good seat to allow the horse to find his own correct balance. If the rider leans too far forward and gets in front of the movement of the horse, the horse will likely try to quicken its steps to support the rider’s weight. Likewise, if the rider leans too far back or sits too heavily, the horse will tense his back to support the weight and that, in turn, will then interfere with the horse’s natural ability to move with freedom. To find balance is to find harmony, freedom of motion and expression without tension. It is truly the “zone of all possibilities.”   Which is the correct or better way to start the half pass and why? From the shoulder-fore off the rail or from the haunches in off the rail? Question Submitted by Jean Tulimieri of Hebron, CT Answer: The Half Pass is the same as a Travers on a diagonal line. It is not a leg yield with counter flexion and bend. That means that the backbone of the horse is NOT parallel to the long sides of the arena when making a Half Pass from say from M to K. Instead, the horse must be bent through the loin area (same as a Travers) see Fig. 1. If a judge were seated at M or K, the half pass movement would be judged as a Travers. However, the judge seated at A sees a horse bent in the direction of movement with the outside legs crossing well over and in front of the inside legs and this is called Half Pass. Fig. 1, a bent horse, shows how positioning a horse in shoulder-in can set up a horse for Half Pass. In the shoulder-in, the rider’s inside leg is active and the outside leg guarding or passive but when the Half Pass is executed, the reverse becomes true. The outside leg of the rider becomes the active leg and the inside leg holds the bend and forward motion of the horse. The actual bend of the horse is the same whether doing Shoulder-In or Travers but the positioning of the horse changes. In a correctly bent Half Pass the center of the chest of the horse is pointed straight toward the letter to where it is traveling and the outside shoulder is on the diagonal line. The horse is then positioned in Travers. Fig. 2. If a rider created Travers BEFORE coming onto the diagonal line, the haunches would be preceding and the horse would have great difficulty to move on the diagonal line. In such an instance, the outside legs could barely cross up and in front of the inside legs. Fig. 3. So the direct answer to this question is that a rider should not approach the Half Pass from Travers. Instead, the rider has 2 good options: 1) Position the horse first in a step of Shoulder-In so that the chest of the horse is pointed toward the destination point and then move into the Half Pass or 2) Simply change rein on the diagonal line and create Travers (Half Pass) as soon as the outside shoulder is on the diagonal line and the chest of the horse is facing the destination point. Option (1) can be helpful especially when a rider is making a half circle followed by a Half Pass because the rider will be more aware of finishing the half circle before moving back to the track in Half Pass. Option (2) is simple and easy when starting a Half Pass from a straight line so long as the rider makes sure that the outside shoulder of the horse is moved from the long track onto the diagonal line before the Travers is created.   I would like to take my horse to a Materiale class, but how do I know if he is suitable? Could you give me a few tips on how to present and train him? Name withheld by request. This is a reprint of the reply in the "Ask the Experts" column in the January 2009 issue of "Dressage Today" Magazine. Answer: Materiale classes are continually growing in popularity for both competitors and spectators because they are group classes designed to showcase young, talented dressage prospects, and almost everyone loves working with and/or watching a young and talented horse. The purpose of Materiale classes is to identify young dressage prospects with potential to become competitive dressage horses able to progress through the levels. Therefore, if you want to show in these classes, you should first try to select an athletic horse with good conformation and gaits needed for upper level dressage. There are many different breeds and types of horses which have been bred for different jobs. For instance, a Quarter Horse bred for working cattle should be able to easily look a cow in the eye, so he shouldn’t be too tall. He needs to be built a little downhill - croup higher than withers. He also needs to be very agile and quick in order to turn and move rapidly. Likewise, a racing Thoroughbred needs a relatively low set neck so he can stretch it out for balance and to breath easily when galloping. In contrast, a dressage prospect needs a more up hill balance with the neck set fairly high and well arched with a fairly long and open throat. The back should be strong (not hollow or swayed) with well developed muscling over the loin area, thus creating a strong connection to a long, slightly sloping pelvis. The pelvis of the horse acts like a pump handle, so a long pelvis will allow more thrust than a short one. The center of the horse should be about the same size as the forehand and the hindquarter, making a well balanced dressage horse comprised of three equal sections – the forequarter, the back and the hindquarter. When viewing the horse from the side, the withers should be a little higher than or level with, the pelvis. Horses that are bred to race or move quickly usually have fairly quick rhythm in their gaits without very much suspension (moment of air time when all 4 feet are off the ground.) In contrast, a good dressage horse needs to develop more power than speed so his gaits should be in a slower rhythm with a clear moment of suspension in the trot and canter. The judges in a Material class are going to reward the horses that show their gaits to their best advantage and also present themselves as good “riding types.” This means that dressage horses should be built to easily carry the weight of a rider while moving forward with free and cadenced steps, as if their feet were on springs. And, they need to show suspension in the trot and canter. Draft breeds, for instance, are certainly sturdy enough to carry the weight of a rider, but their hind limb conformation is constructed to pull weight rather than to push under the body and lift the rider. Likewise, while horses that are naturally short strided and lack swing in their backs might be comfortable for a rider to sit on, they will not be able to produce the desired amount of forwardness, suspension and springiness in their gaits for dressage. Materiale classes are open to 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old horses. Age groups may be combined but not sexes except in championships. Horses are shown in a group at the walk, trot and canter in both directions. The 4- and 5-year-olds may also be asked to lengthen their stride in trot or canter. If 3-year-olds are grouped with them, none of the horses in that class will be required to lengthen the stride. To get your horse ready for a Materiale class, simply train him according to the basics of dressage. As a guideline, a 3-year-old horse should be doing the equivalent of Training Level. Four and 5-year old horses should be o doing First and Second Level work. Although you show only walk, trot and canter in Materiale classes, I recommend using the U.S. Dressage Federation (USDF) dressage tests as a training guideline, since younger horses would be doing less advance exercises than the older ones in their everyday training. The USDF tests introduce movements in a logical sequence to help the horse progressively gain better balance, suppleness, impulsion, straightness and collection. The U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) Rule Book (available on line at www.usef.org) is also an excellent source of information regarding rules and regulations. It also provides descriptive and precise requirements of every gait and movement shown in dressage at any level. All of the gaits should show the correct purity (four-beat walk, two-beat trot, three beat canter) together with a steady rhythm and regularity. The walk should be balanced and active, but not rushed. It should also show a good overstep (hind hooves tracking over the prints of the front hooves) and the horse should be reaching equally from both the shoulders and haunches. The horse’s back should swing easily and be elastic producing ground-covering steps with a marching quality. The best trots and canters will show good articulation of the joints with natural engagement and a soft, elastic and swinging back. Cavaletti work can be an adjunct training aid for this. In addition, the trot and canter should be free from the shoulders and haunches, should show roundness and display uphill balance with power and upward thrust, natural impulsion and suspension. Ten percent of the score in a Materiale class is based on general impression. A good Materiale horse should look the part in that he should have correct conformation and athletic ability in order to show off his talent. His physical development should be in accordance with his age and conditioning and he should demonstrate the character and temperament necessary for training as well as some sparkle or presence. In a Materiale Class it is best to ride your horse forward in an uphill balance without restricting the gaits. The horse needs to be “on the aids” so he rounds his back and pushes himself up to contact. A horse on “auto pilot” that is not rounding himself and seeking contact with the bit is not yet ready for this class. Small mistakes, such as picking up the wrong lead at the canter but correcting it right away, are rather insignificant if your horse shows willingness to be ridden and goes forward. Horses that are restricted by the rider, on the forehand or unwilling to go forward will have difficulty in a Materiale class. Although there is not a specific score for the rider, it almost goes without saying that both horse and rider should be well turned out. Riders who have correct seats and a good feeling for the horse will have a far better chance of producing a winning ride than those who grip with their legs or hang onto the reins for their own balance. Such riders will restrict the horse whether they want to or not. So ride forward in balance with expression and power. See yourself, in your mind’s eye, on the most brilliant, high-quality horse you can dream of, and try turning that dream into reality in the Materiale class. Dear Gail, I have a lovely advanced horse who hurries through his canter pirouette so much, they end up a messy small circle. I have now taught him to be able to canter slowly for 6-8 steps then go forward and come back again. I have spent 3 months working quickly away at this feel we are both ready to start doing canter pirouettes. What are the next steps I should follow and what would be the best way to set my horse up and the simplest aids to use? Many thanks. Submitted by Catherine Abel-Pattinson and Harry The Horse Answer: Congratulations to you for having a good FEI level dressage horse and sticking with the program to learn how to handle the various problems and issues that arise on your journey. Hurried canter pirouettes are a fairly common problem but the good news is that they are not really so difficult to solve. It sounds as though you have already set the ground work by learning to collect the canter steps, and that is a very necessary ingredient for a good canter pirouette. However, be sure that your collection is held by your seat and not the hand so that the tempo is not slowed down and your horse can maintain good self carriage while carrying more weight behind. The canter pirouette seems to be more difficult for people to learn than for horses to learn although the quality of the pirouette will be affected by the conformation and ability of the horse. Some horses are born with hind limb conformation that makes the movement easy. Others, such as horses that are over angulated in the hocks, might have more difficulty and may never be able to perform a correct pirouette as small and as well balanced as a horse with better conformation. However, the correctness of the pirouette is more important than the tightness of it, so even horses that are less talented by nature can usually achieve a fairly correct pirouette even though it might be a little large. To perform a pirouette well, you need to have a clear understanding of the bio mechanics. The pirouette can be visualized as a half pass around the inside leg of the rider. That means that the horse must be correctly bent in the direction of the movement and that the hindquarters should not precede the forehand. Ideally, the inside hind leg of the horse will pick up and set down in the same place while the horse turns in a small circle around that leg. The F.E.I. rule book states that the full pirouette should consist of 6 to 8 steps and I like to train people and horses with 8 steps because it is easy for a rider to judge whether or not they are turning too rapidly. The first step will be a 45 degree angle from the line you start on. The second step will be another 45 degrees (total of 90 degrees) and so on with each step moving 45 degrees from the previous step until 180 degrees have been turned. If you approach a full pirouette to be performed to the right at X, for example, on the center line facing A, then the first step will direct the horse onto an imaginary diagonal line into the corner between A and M. With the second step the horse will be facing B and his body will be parallel to the short track. With the third step the horse will face into the second corner between F and C and fourth step will complete a half pirouette so that the horse will be facing C. The fifth step will face the horse toward the corner between C and K and the sixth step will have him facing directly toward E. The seventh step will face the corner between H and A and the eighth step will complete the full pirouette so that you will be facing A. Below is a diagram of a full pirouette started from a shoulder-in consisting of 8 steps, each one 45 degrees from the previous one. As you ride this pattern, it is very helpful to count the steps you have ridden and check to be sure you are facing the correct spot in the arena. A good exercise to feel and understand this is to start in the walk along the long track and create a shoulder-in which will create bend and better connect the inside hind leg of the horse to your outside rein and leg. Your inside leg is the active leg and your outside leg guards the hindquarters from pushing sideways into the wall while the outside rein prevents the outside shoulder from pushing out as well. A good connection to the outside leg and rein is paramount. Once this is established, hold your inside leg just a little behind the girth while making your outside leg the active leg and then start do a turn on the haunches. Be sure that you do not push the hindquarters in front of the shoulders A test for yourself is to be sure that you can enter the turn on the haunches and finish it in shoulder-in. Do only 2 or 3 steps of turn on the haunches and then come out of it in a shoulder-in. Repeat several times – shoulder-in to turn on the haunches back to shoulder-in. This should help you to hold a better connection from your inside leg (sitting bone) to the outside rein and leg so that you learn prevent the horse from suddenly turning rapidly to the inside when doing a turn on the haunches. The outside rein together with the inside sitting bone/leg are the key to control the rate of turn created by the outside leg while the inside leg holds that connection to the outside aids. When doing the turn on the haunches, be sure to establish equal acceptance of the bit on both sides of the mouth and pay particular attention to keeping a good feeling in your outside rein so that if the horse starts to turn too rapidly you can stop it. If the horse starts to turn too rapidly, it is best to stop the movement and go forward on a straight line, recreate the bend, and then try again, but do not allow the horse to simply turn on its own. When riding a pirouette, you need to count your steps. In a full pirouette there should be 6 to 8 steps. I like to train with 8 steps and by checking your position with each step, you will learn to control the rate of turn of the horse. To prepare for the pirouette, another exercise in addition to the one sited above is to canter a square. To start this exercise and make it clear to both you and the horse, canter from H to S, collect the canter before the letter and make a ¼ pirouette. As soon as you are on the next side of the square halt and check that your horse is straight. If you are not straight, correct it and continue to canter to I. Collect the canter again before I and make another ¼ pirouette onto the center line. Once again, as soon as you are on the center line halt and check straightness. Continue to do this until your horse easily collects from your seat, turns onto the next line and is straight with minimal direction from your hands. Once you are sure that your horse can keep his balance and turn onto a side of the square without pushing left or right, try the exercise in the canter without doing any halts. The ¼ pirouette will require you to do 1 – 2 steps (preferably 2 steps when training) to get from one side of the square to the next side. When you can do the ¼ pirouettes in good balance, continue to the ½ pirouette. Once you have mastered the ½ pirouette, try the full pirouette but when you are ½ way through it make 1 or 2 steps straight ahead before finishing the 2 nd half. That will help you to be sure that you are in control of the number of steps your horse is taking and to be sure that you are able to ride straight ahead at any moment. Still another exercise that I find helpful for both horses and riders is to do counter canter on a 20 meter circle. Then on the open side of the circle create a ½ pirouette so that you will be cantering on the correct lead on the same circle. If your horse tries to take over and spin too rapidly, stop the movement and go forward on a straight line to correct him so that he learns to wait for you. Although it is difficult to diagnose why your horse Is turning too rapidly without seeing you riding him, I think that these exercises should be able to help you find your own solution. Good luck! Dear Gail, My dressage horse wants to overbend on the lunge line going to the left. He also has a little "attitude" in this direction only.  I use a side rein on the right to compensate, but why does he do this?  What does it mean?  Is something hurting?  Going to the right, I use no side reins, I flex a little on the inside rein, and he is perfect. (I usually start on the right, thinking that might help.)  Submitted by Vikki Answer: This is a very interesting question and one that does not necessarily have a simple answer but from your description, it is clear that your horse in “one sided” and may need some help from a veterinarian and/or rider/trainer. Most horses by nature are “one sided” and most of them tend to be hollow on the left side. A horse that is hollow on the left side on the lunge line will tend to push out to the right and that is why the right side rein could be helpful in that it helps to control pushing the right shoulder out to the right. Dressage training can help to correct this issue when done correctly but a second issue arises because most riders are also “one sided” and most of them (I am guessing, based on experience, that about 80 – 90% of riders) are also hollow to the left. So the problem is often compounded because the rider may not have their own weight correctly centered over the horse and when going to the left, the rider may push with the left leg while weighting the left sitting bone but also allowing the right sitting bone to lift a little off the back of the horse. That will cause the horse to push out to the right and since the outside (right) sitting bone and leg are not in correct contact with the horse, the rider is essentially asking the horse to go to the right with their weight and at the same time asking the horse to go left with their hand. The result is a confused horse that goes to the left but with incorrect flexion and bend through the body and back. That can (and most likely will) create stiffness and soreness. I would have a veterinarian – especially one trained in chiropractic and acupuncture techniques – examine your horse and determine if there are physical issues contributing to the problem. If there are – and usually sore points will be found – then get the horse treated so that he is no longer sore. However, in order to maintain the horse, you must also try to determine if the rider/trainer is also contributing to the problem because if that is the case, then the soreness will return as incorrect riding/training continues. In such a case, the best solution is for the rider/trainer to become more aware of their abilities and shortcomings and get help from a professional to correct their own seat, balance and use of the aids. Dear Gail, Could you suggest some exercises to help me "regain" my balance?  How can I test myself to see if I am straight?   When I ride I seem to rely heavily on my left arm and left foot for balance and stability.  It is subtle, but the harder my lessons become the more evident the problem.  Naturally, going to the right things are hunky dory with strong out side aids and soft elastic inside aids.  But to the left my horses protest with stiff left sides and jaws and with little or no contact in my right rein.  This is especially bad when I half halt after a line of jumps or when I come back from a lengthening as the horses get quite crooked and are unable to easily collect themselves. Question Submitted by Jean Tulimieri of Hebron, CT Answer: Hi Jean. This is an excellent question and one that many people experience. First, you need to realize that the seat of the rider is half from the rider and half from the horse! In other words, if you sit unbalanced or with too much weight on one side, the horse will respond to that by stiffening its body and perhaps hollowing its back as well.   On the other hand, a horse that is already stiff and has a hollow back is very difficult to sit on even if the rider has excellent balance and a supple back.   The key to success lies in getting the backs of both horse and rider supple. To do this, one needs to first find a way to first help the horse stretch over the back and loosen it so that it swings when he moves. Lunging the horse without a rider using side reins or rebalancing reins can help this process.   Once the back of the horse is up and swinging, a rider can be added to the puzzle. The rider should sit centered over the back bone of the horse with equal weight on both “sitting bones.” With the horse standing still, the rider needs to sit straight and relaxed so that if someone removed the horse, the rider would drop to the ground on his/her feet. If the rider is leaning too forward and someone removed the horse, the rider would land on their nose and if leaning too far back, one would land on their rear end.   Next, while sitting on a standing horse, turn your body left and right and notice where your weight goes. (Often, when turning left, the rider’s weight will go more into the left sitting bone and the right one might raise up a little or vice versa.) Once you are aware of your weight, turn left and right and be sure that you keep equal weight in both sitting bones. (You might not be able to turn so far and you will not be able to lean in either direction.)   Now that you are aware of your weight and the back of your horse is up, you can do gymnastic exercises to improve your seat and supple your lower back.   That brings us now to the second part of your question – how to get your horse more supple on both sides and straighter.   First you need to teach the horse about the unilateral aids. That means that the horse must be taught that when the rider takes contact with one rein (for example, the left rein) the horse must move the hind leg on the same side (left hind) up toward the center of its belly, yield in the jaw and stretch the neck down to seek contact from the hand of the rider. That will also create stretch and bend over the back.   Do this exercise both ways (left and right) until the horse responds rapidly to very light pressure and no longer grabs the bit or simply bends the neck without moving a hind leg.   When you are on the horse at the walk, try bending with the inside leg and rein until the horse steps under your outside sitting bone and centers your weight, releases the bit and relaxes the neck. Ask for only ONE step and then release the aids and allow the horse to straighten up. Repeat it several times until the horse will bend in both directions easily and rapidly. Once this is achieved, you can then receive the horse with your outside leg and rein and start to create straightness. This exercise can be done at all three gaits and it is very effective on a large circle if you alternate bending to the inside and outside of the circle.   Once your horse is supple on both sides and in balance and self carriage, you should no longer have stronger contact on one side of the mouth and both your horse and your arm will thank you. Dear Gail, My name is Alex and I am 15 years old. I own a 6 year old quarter horse gelding and show him in barrel racing (Don't stereotype yet!) however I train him more of a dressage style (And I would like to get more into this... you cannot have a competitive barrel racer for very long with out the benefits of classical dressage) My horse has excellent conformation and nice movement, including a gorgeous warmblood, floaty, uphill trot when he is excited! Lately, however (over the past year or so) his gaits have been deteriorating in our training sessions. As more of a "beginner" to "correct" riding (so as to benefit the horse), I did not notice what the source of the problem was until recently. Basically, I started noticing him turning his poll/neck to the left slightly, especially on a 20m circle in right lead canter. He was very on the forehand, and falling onto his right shoulder. I have pinpointed the problem as his hind right leg. Consequently, he is stiff to the left rein because this right isn't coming through, and I can definitely feel excessive lightness (avoidance) in the right rein, and stiffness in the left, all as a direct result to the right hind. Now he is perfectly sound, had his teeth done, has a good-fitting saddle.... I think the problem is this: as his training progressed, he found he could be a little lazy and get out of bearing more weight on that leg. Now, because I didn't catch this when it was a little problem, it has become a habit for him and now its a bigger problem. I think he moves with his pelvis slightly tilted to the left and he has developed the incorrect muscling in the form of two lumps on the top of his rump! However, I am confident that by correct training and some gymnasticizing, the quality of his gaits will not only return to what they were like, but improve from there. I have seen slight improvement when incorporating a lot of long-and-low, and leg yields. This has sort of straightened him out, but his leg yields are not very good. However, when ever I try to raise his head set slightly, he bends at the 3/4th vertebrae, and comes off the bit... especially in rein back, he just brings his nose closer to his chest! 1)Do you have any other exercises that would help? Something to get him on the bit more? 2)What can i do to better his leg yields? 3) How can I better engage that right hind? 4)also, do you have any exercises to help me keep my lower back soft when I ride? After researching, and journaling about our training sessions, I have learned lots about the true, classical dressage and have found it to be what should be the basis of all training, whether barrel racing, show jumping, or cutting! Thank you so much, and I hope you can help me a few of these questions at least! God Bless, Question Submitted by Alex and Larry (My Horse) Answer: Hi Alex, In response to your note, it is very difficult for me to diagnose the problems you are having with your horse without seeing you working him.    You mention that he is stiff to one side and that is very common.  Almost all horses are stiffer in one direction than the other and so are the riders.  So to supple the horse in both directions, one needs to address the seat and position of the rider first and then use suppling and bending exercises to help the horse to loosen its back and find balance with self carriage.   To help you to relax your lower back and sit more comfortably, I would suggest having someone lunge you without stirrups or reins and let you do gymnastic exercises on the horse.   There are many suppling exercises.  Bending and stretching the horse's body (not just the neck) in both directions on a circle might be a good place to start, followed by riding on curved lines, with fairly frequent changes in direction, turns on the forehand and leg yields.  Try not to shorten the neck or restrict the movement of the horse with your hand and try to keep the horse stretching down to seek contact with the bit. Raising the neck too soon will hollow the back.   I use the dressage "Training Scale" when I train horses and riders and I will be presenting an interactive dressage forum April 24,25, 2010 at the Pegasus Equestrian Center near Los Angeles.  I don't know if you can come, but if so, that forum will probably address most of your questions. I am planning to eventually produce a DVD about it as well.   The issues you are having with your horse are very basic ones, but not necessarily so easy to solve if you don’t have experience training horses up the levels. So I would also suggest that you get some help from a dressage instructor in your area.   Good luck!   There is further information about the forum on this web site. Click Here To Go There Now