Lungeing the Young Horse: Example #1
22nd March
This is Dave Murphy and his young Arab filly Zena.
Zena, only a few short weeks ago was a pretty energetic(lets say) young lady who was a little bit out of control. Just by learning some of the basic principles of classical dressage, Dave has learned to apply them to this young horse. As you can see with only 10 or less sessions since we started, this horse has gone from being an uncontrollable young thing to now where she is safe in her pen, letting Dave catch her and coming out and going to work, just by applying a few simple principles.
You can also see why I wanted to film this horse. Here is a horse that has never had a saddle or bridle on and just by teaching it to lunge correctly, you can see how this horse is …
Do you actually take my horse on the riding trails on your property?
Of course we do but not in the stereotypical fashion of using your horse as a walking barcalounger. This is when trail riding is detrimental to a horse’s development – not beneficial. Riders think that they are giving their horses a “day off” full of relaxation and reward by letting them hollow their backs and plug along. We take them out on a trail ride as a training exercise, improving their way of moving and keeping their backs up. It can be very beneficial, we work on the same principles as if we were in a ring. We do piaffe, passage, extensions, tempi changes, extended canter anything that we feel is appropriate at the time.
Of course the trails we use have very good footing and we are careful not to put the horses in unsafe situations. Yes, the horses can …
My trainer insists that I only feed grass hay and almost no grain because my horse is too “high” and is too difficult to ride. My horse is quieter now but looks thin with no muscle. What should I do?
Get a new trainer. A person who feels they have the talent, expertise and know how to call themselves a trainer should not be starving horses into submission they should be training them. Even if a horse is difficult, making them weak isn’t training, just like turning them out and exhausting them isn’t either. No matter how difficult or “high” a horse is a trainer should know how to begin a process that will develop their minds while not depleting their bodies. Horses need to gain muscle to be able to perform the movements we are asking of them and to gain muscle they need to have a bit of surplus energy not a depletion. Neither should the horse be allowed to become too fat, this would also hamper their abilities.
We are also careful not to let the horse become …
What is the difference between your “Classical” system and other’s “Modern” dressage?
I’m not sure why there is a debate because if horses aren’t trained and developed in a manner and system that ultimately leads to the lowering of the hindquarters due to the bending of the hind leg joints and carrying more weight behind coupled with the horse being supple and submissive, it just isn’t Dressage. I would assume the debate comes from the fact that some Dressage judges are awarding horses that are hollow and disengaged, showing flashy front end action but with no engagement from behind. I can certainly understand the concern because it then begins to look like Saddlebred riding.
Horses that come with natural, enormous suspension and big moving gaits that with no training at all look magnificent……until they are asked to collect. Even these “super” horse won’t collect, or especially piaffe correctly without being trained in the …
Do I need to have my horse’s hocks, back and neck injected?
“The last barn I was at insisted that I routinely have my horse’s hocks injected. Is that part of your “maintenance” routine?”
No; horses that are trained and developed correctly don’t usually need them. I totally agree with the studies that have found the best cure is a preventative one. A person’s money can be more wisely spent by finding a trainer that can progress a horse properly so the need of injections doesn’t arise instead of trying every new cure on the market to “patch” a horse up.
I’m certainly not saying that there aren’t cases where some intervention may be necessary but we rarely have them ourselves. We’ve had horses brought to us that were deemed lame and were only usable because of their routine injections but are now drug free and sound. We are not trying to replace the …
Is it good to ever ride horses behind the vertical?
Horses are capable only of developing in stages and in the earlier periods they don’t yet look technically correct but the only way to solve that is to ride them in a manner that will eventually allow them to sustain a more desirable frame. Horses can be behind the vertical for various reasons. We are often in the process of retraining (or redeveloping) horses that have developed this evasion of contact. Usually its because they have been previously been ridden from “front to back”, sometimes its a conformation issue.
Whatever the cause it has to be dealt with in a systematic process, and yes they will be in a less than ideal position occasionally but you have to ride the horse in whatever position the horse needs AT THAT TIME and sometimes that means the horse will go through stages that …
Do you personally train my horse or just use other trainers?
We get told this all the time by new clients who talk about their past trainer experiences: “I was shocked and disappointed before to find out that my horse (who is supposed to be in full time training) is being ridden by someone other than the trainer, or being lunged by grooms or simply turned out, is that the usual practice?“.
Not with us and never will be. Every time a horse is being handled by a person it is learning and developing habits that are correct or incorrect. It is either being handled in a way that aids its development or deters from it. It makes no sense to us to allow any kind of handling that is a contradiction to a horse’s progress, for example lunging a horse with a halter that allows it to use the opposite set …
Other trainers have me sit the trot but you don’t seem to, why is that?
Another vicious cycle. In a perfect world a rider would learn to ride on a schoolmaster that has been developed CORRECTLY which to us would mean it has a great topline and is capable of keeping his back “up” so then the rider could spend a lot of time developing the skill for the sitting trot on a horse that will “allow” them to sit correctly and relatively effortlessly. Unfortunately this is not a perfect world and most riders begin on horses that aren’t developed yet or developed incorrectly. This combination is certainly not insurmountable if done logically. This process should be symbiotic for the horse and rider.
If an inexperienced rider sits the trot on a horse that is hollow to begin with it is uncomfortable and near impossible to stay relaxed (for horse and rider) The unavoidable progression is …
Why do your beginning students ride with their stirrups shorter than the ideal?
A rider (like a horse) needs time to develop. When riders are asked (same as horses) to assume a position that is more advanced then they are ready for they compensate in undesirable ways. A rider who hasn’t developed enough yet to achieve a long relaxed leg will be reaching for their stirrups which will tip them forward and out of balance. This can lead to habits of gripping with the legs, using the reins for balance, or various other undesirable habits because the rider feels insecure and (of course) out of balance which you now have a vicious cycle.
Balance is the priority and the rider will not progress unless they are in a position that is correct for them AT THAT TIME. Ergo, you need to begin with a stirrup length that allows the rider to find the stability …
Why do you begin piaffe so early?
In the beginning it is a gymnastic tool and done in hand. We are not trying to achieve an immediate correct piaffe but it is one of the best gymnastic exercises to teach the horse to bend the joints in the hindlegs, begin to carry more weight on the hindlegs and to engage the back and stomach muscles. The same thing one is asking for when we ask the horse to collect (albeit to a lesser degree). It is easier for a horse to start developing these abilities in-hand without the weight of the rider and begin the correct muscle development that makes collection easier. So it makes sense to us that a horse start to develop these abilities, muscling and the understanding of the aids that indicate that we would like more engagement, before we start to ask the …
