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LATEST NEWS |
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20/06/10
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After so many years of efforts...
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The following article is an excerpt of
'The Code' - HD Encyclopaedia |
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~ The Straight Horse ~ |
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(from *Balance* and *Training the Dancer*) |
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This is a concise excerpt, even if the subject is one of the longest debates ever tackled.
'Straight' means that the horse has developed EQUAL muscle structure and tendon/ligament elasticity on both his left and right sides. Conformation is greatly improved by correct 'construction'. Construction is achieved by correct work. Correct work can only be administered by a correct rider, therefore before attempting to straighten our horse, we must make sure WE are straight on him.
First of all we must check our points of hip in the saddle: walk as composed as you can, even on a long rein, and slide your right hand under your right seatbone - and sit on it - you should very clearly feel it. Now check the left one. Are they aligned? Does one feel more forward than the other? If so, try to get used to sitting with them aligned, even if it will feel TERRIBLY wrong. Another way of checking this is looking at the seat of your saddle once you dismount: you should be able to see exactly where you put your weight (this is called 'reading' one's saddle). Once you have them aligned, place the same weight on each, and keep your head up!
Now, all horses have a direction preference - some right, most left. To achieve straightness, which will avoid needless strain on various parts of his body due to uneven build-up of muscle, which in the end affects back and legs, we must work our babies equally on both sides - and often we don't, because one of the sides will always be more uncomfortable. Do not fall in the mistaken belief that to improve a horse's going in one said direction you must work MORE on it, for it is wrong and you may well knot him up.
When we say a horse is 'stiff' to the right, say, it means he's actually stiff on all his LEFT side, which does not lengthen properly. A muscle can contract easier than it can extend. So I'll solve his stiffness by working him on a straight line, with his nose as low to the ground as possible, on a slow, soft cadence, to invite him to relax and 'let go' of his topline muscles (the ones that run under the saddle along his back). As they warm up, they shall extend and influence the ones just below, on both sides, and when I'll pick up his 'stiff' direction again, it shall be just slightly less uncomfortable. And again, and again, and again...
One last thing: NEVER use the long side of the arena to ride your horse in a straight line!! It tricks your eyes! Remember that every horse is narrower across the shoulders than across his hips, therefore if you ride, let's say, on the right rein you would try to keep both his left shoulder and hip parallel to the track, and you'd think he was straight, but he'd be working with his inside hip crooked to the right, and build up wrong muscle. It may take months to achieve true straightness, don't be in a hurry!
Straightness in a horse is often a misleading topic, as most people understand it as meaning 'going in a straight line'. Instead, we must remember that such a horse is one who is 'straight within himself', which means his hind legs will each follow exactly the line of their own forelegs, which applies also on bends, turns and standstill (the famous 'square' halt). In Dressage it is a fundamental quality, as it is in jumping (a straight jumper lifts himself up to 20% higher than his natural capability allows), and in the ordinary horse it is something to be developed for his own well-being, and that of his rider.
RR
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