The meaning of forward
A key fundamental of dressage revolves around the concept of the horse being forward. What does this mean though? For many riders early in their dressage journey the idea of forward means to make the horse faster. However, the concept of forward is not to make the horse faster. Cue the confusion! Rather than thinking of forward in terms of the horse’s pace, I like to think of forward as more of a mindset for the horse. This is where the term “forward thinking” comes from. When a horse is truly committed to going forward, they are sensitive to the aids yet relaxed through the body. The relaxation through the body is key in making a horse forward. Too often we see horses that look forward yet are tense and move with an element of rigidity. This tension in the muscles and body restricts the horse from going forward in the correct way. The tension causes the muscles to stiffen resulting in a restriction through the body of the horse. Thus, positive tension and relaxation are key in developing a truly forward going (and thinking) horse.
Tension: Good or Bad?
In the earlier paragraph of this writing I touched on the importance of relaxation when training a horse to be forward thinking. Just as relaxation is important, tension also plays a key part in making a horse forward. Now, you may be thinking, “what? How can a horse be relaxed yet tense and isn’t tension a bad thing?” Before I lose you completely, I will answer the question through an example. Think of a gymnast. When they are executing their routines they have to be relaxed yet energized in their muscles. If they relax too much they cannot carry the focus and power necessary to execute their combinations, and if they don’t relax enough the tension will build creating stiff muscles. They have to have an element of positive tension. It is the positive tension that gives their muscles the energy, and the relaxation allows that energy to flow through their muscles. It is the same with a horse: Our leg creates a positive tension, or energy and the relaxation allows the energy to flow through the horse’s muscles creating true expression. A horse can only be truly expressive when he allows the positive tension to move through his body in a relaxed way.
Relaxation in the pursuit of forward
The German Training Scale has another word for what we call relaxation: losgelassenheit. The exact translation for the word from German to the English language is “detachment.” I like to think of this as the horse having complete independence through his body. In other words, he can move his neck without the shoulder falling out, he can execute a half pass while staying in the outside rein. He can execute a flying change without falling on the forehand. His body moves with complete independence much like how we as riders must learn to use our aids independent of each other.
The word doesn’t mean simply relaxation, but an allowing of, an acceptance of the rider’s aids. A forward horse is not just about creating sensitivity to the leg, it is about teaching the horse to accept the aids and move through his body in a relaxed manner.
Training for Forward
Training the horse to be forward has a few parts to it. The first step is creating a reaction from our leg. This is where we create a positive tension/energy from the horse. We then have to teach the horse what to do with this energy that we created. This is where suppling and half halts come into play (read more about half halts here). If we have a horse that is more sensitive we spend less time getting them sharp off our leg and more time getting them relaxed through the back. With a horse that is less sensitive we have to focus on creating a true reaction from our leg. This requires great discipline from the rider. You have to be aware as to when you apply your leg aid and what reaction you receive when you apply your leg. If the horse pushes against your aid or ignores you completely, you have to make a correction. Think of correcting the horse with this philosophy: as little as possible, as much as necessary. Following this will ensure that you are fair and consistent with your corrections.
Remember, when teaching the horse to be forward off our leg it is not about making a tense horse. It is about creating a positive tension through the reaction to our leg, and then organizing that energy through half halts and suppling. This results in a horse moving forward through relaxation and softness, not tension and pressure. Learning to balance the energy into relaxation takes time to learn and feel, but is a fundamental element of dressage. Without it, the horse is not truly working through his body and works through pressure and tension. Until the tension is transformed into relaxation and suppleness, the horse cannot work through his body correctly. Your main job as the rider is creating and transforming energy. Remember, you create energy with your leg, you transform it with suppling and half halts. You’ve got this!
Confused about a particular dressage concept? Send it my way and I will simplify and break it down for you in my next blog article! Send me an email at abentdressage@gmail.com Happy riding (and learning)!
