The following questions were asked as part of a monthly website feature by Glass-Ed. I thought it would be a nice resource to include on this site for easy reference by my students. Please check out the Glass-Ed website for answers from other local trainers as well.

Could we have a discussion on balance, rounding, collection: when and how? Most riders in training level are concerned if their horse is not "collected". Perhaps a discussion of when a horse/rider is ready to round the horse, and why it is not necessary/required at training level?

This really asks us two questions, questions that lots of riders ask, especially those who are new to the whole 'dressage thing'. When should you collect your horse? How and when should you get your horse 'round'? Lucky for us, there is a VERY simple way to find this out! The first place to turn to is the purpose printed on the front of the USEF Dressage test sheets.

Training Level Purpose: To confirm that the horse's muscles are supple and loose and that it moves freely forward in a clear and steady rhythm, accepting contact with the bit.

First Level Purpose: To confirm that the horse, in addition to the requirements of Training Level, has developed thrust (pushing power) and achieved a degree of balance and throughness.

Second Level Purpose: To confirm that the horse, having demonstrated that it has achieved the thrust (pushing power) required in First Level, now shows that through additional training it accepts more weight on the hindquarters (collection), shows the thrust required at the medium paces and is reliably on the bit. A greater degree of straightness, bending, suppleness, throughness and self-carriage is required than at First Level.

So, as we read through these purpose statements, we see that collection is not required until second level! Bill mentions that riders at training level sometimes worry about having their horse collected enough. Since collection is NOT a requirement at that level, there's really NO need to worry. Whew, isn't it nice to make your life simpler?! At training level, riders need only be concerned with encouraging their horse to move freely forward in a steady rhythm, maintaining relaxation (loose and supple muscles), and demonstrating that their horse readily accepts contact with the bridle. Of course, those of you riding training level can probably attest that these are NOT always easy tasks!

Personally, I do not like the term 'roundness', as most people get the wrong idea from this term. When people say a horse is 'round', they are referring to a horse that is stepping well under his body with his hind legs, moving with his back raised, and carrying his head and neck in a soft manner to meet the riders hands. In order to get to this point, there are a lot of little pieces that have to be put together. As always, we address the hind end first. Until a horse has the strength and balance to engage the hind end, he cannot raise the back and 'drape' into the riders hands. So, we work on encouraging an active and reaching hind leg by working on strengthening and engaging exercises such as circles and shoulder-in.

Once the horse has developed the strength to maintain a modicum of engagement with the haunches, we see a vast improvement in the entire balance of the horse. At this point in time, we can begin to address what is happening in the back and the neck. Many riders are tempted to address the head and neck of their horse because it's what they can see. The way to roundness is NOT through use of the hand alone! Are there ways to get a horse's head down into a 'frame'? Yes, there are many: draw reins, German martingales, neck stretchers, chambogues, degogues, and a wide range of other artificial devices. None of these devices can positively affect the hind end of the horse. However, once a rider has properly developed the hind end of the horse, the front end will virtually fall into place, providing that the rider is offering a consistent and elastic contact.

To recap:

When should you collect your horse? Collection is not required until second level. Until then, your horse should be moving freely forward into contact, demonstrating progressively more consistent balance, suppleness and thrust.

How and when should you get your horse 'round'? A horse cannot be 'round' until he has developed the strength and balance to maintain active and engaged hindquarters, become soft and swinging through the back, and learned to seek contact with the riders hand through the bridle. Generally, this does not all come together until second level.

When coming down the centerline and asking for the halt, how can you keep the horse straight?

This is a great question, one that everybody who rides tests is going to ask at some point in time. How DO you keep your horse straight on the centerline?! In the vast majority of tests, there are two instances when you come down the centerline and ask for the halt: upon entrance and upon completion of your test. It is your very first and last opportunity to impress the judge with your ability. So you really want to make it count.

There are generally two ways a rider will have trouble with the halt. The haunches will swing out, or shoulders will drift. Both are indicative of a rider who is crooked. Riders that have trouble with haunches that want to swing left or right are overusing one of their legs or sitting off to one side of the saddle. As a rider, it is very important that if you want your HORSE to halt straight, YOU must be straight too! Straight halts begin with evenly placed seatbones, one on each side of the horse's spine. Really focus on opening your hips, settling deep into your saddle and 'embracing' your horse. Watch that your legs are softly placed at the girth, and you are soft and relaxed in your lower back. For a good halt, you must encourage the horse to continue to step forward into your hand. A lot of riders want to stop driving and start pulling to get the halt. However, this is a sure-fire recipe for a crooked and resistant halt. Support with the leg, receive with the hand. If you find that your horse's shoulders tend to drift in the halt, the first thing to do is check your rein length. Make sure that you are riding the horse evenly into both reins, not riding with too much positioning to either side. As you close the hand for the halt, make sure you do not pull back with the hand. Ride the horse from the leg up into the hand; close the door for the halt. Make sure that your left and right rein pressure remains the same.

So, the first thing we've done is address ourselves as the rider. Sometimes, though, the issue is with the horse. If you know that your horse likes to trail his left hind in the halt, then be proactive. Ride the left hind a little more assertively underneath of the horse in preparation for the halt. But first, you must always check your own position and make sure you aren't overriding the horse to compensate for your own imbalance.

It's important to know your crookednesses and keep them in mind as you ask for halts. Likewise, it's important to know your horse's crookednesses and compensate appropriately. It's all a juggling game, always striving for the perfect blend to come up with the correct balance. But there's nothing like the high of nailing a perfect entry to set you and your horse up for a great test. I know I love to get 8's on halts, it's a place where training and proper riding are rewarded.

Remember, perfect practice makes perfect! So really pay attention to each and every halt!

What is the right time to start teaching a training level horse lateral movements and what movements should be started first?

Let's first define 'lateral movement'. Typically, when someone is referring to lateral movement, they are discussing a horse moving forwards and sideways at the same time. Generally people thing of leg yield, shoulder in, haunches in, and half pass when they picture a lateral movement. But the very foundation of lateral movement begins with exercises that are stationary, the turn on the forehand and the turn on the haunches. These exercises establish the ability of the rider to displace the horses hindquarters and forehand.

The most basic is the turn on the forehand, which is the precursor to leg yielding. You can begin the turn on the forehand from the ground, well before the horse is ever started under saddle. In the turn on the forehand, the horses front feet stay within a small circle (think marching in place) and the hind feet move on a larger circle. The horse is bent slightly away from the direction of movement, and the sideways aid is applied on the inside, at the girth.

Now don't panic if that sounds complicated. Let's break it down even further. Let's take a turn on the forehand away from the RIGHT leg. In this case, the horse is slightly bent to the RIGHT. The LEFT rein maintains steady, consistant contact, limiting the bend of the neck and controlling the LEFT shoulder and foreleg. The weight is to the RIGHT. The RIGHT leg is applied, pulsing, at the girth. The LEFT leg is off, allowing the horse somewhere to go. The horse should move softly and willingly away from the RIGHT leg, with the RIGHT restricting forward movement.

So, how do you do this with a young horse who has not yet been started undersaddle? You don't have to even have a bit in the horse's mouth yet. You can use a halter in place of the bridle, and the butt end of a whip in place of your inside leg. Of course, this requires that the horse be familiarized with the whip already. If you do not feel comfortable using the whip, you can also use the heel of your hand, or on a less sensitive horse, you can use your thumb (sort of like a spur). Stand just a bit behind your horse's shoulder, facing his body. Using your lead rope, encourage the horse to just slightly turn his nose towards you. Not too much, or he'll have to move his forehand. Remember, this is about displacing the HAUNCHES. Then, use the butt end of the whip, or the heel of your hand, approximately where your leg will land on the horse. Remember, pulse the aids. Your horse will most likely move INTO steady pressure, so remember to release the aids and give him a chance to respond. Squeeze, release, squeeze, release.

Once you have gotten the turn on the forehand down, you can move to leg yielding. Leg yielding is a great suppling exercise that should be started very early on in a horse's training. However, many people perform leg yielding incorrectly. They let the horse fall through the outside rein, and get the sideways movement by using an indirect inside rein. This pretty much defeats the purpose! Beside suppling the horse, one of the best benefits of performing the leg yield is to establish that the horse can move away from the inside leg and into the outside rein. Here is the basis for the connection in the rest of our dressage work. Beyond that, the leg yield has relatively little value, as it does nothing to encourage the horse to engage the hind leg or lighten the forehand.

Basically, you have two stationary movements that are the beginning of your lateral work. From there, they can be built upon for the 'real' lateral work.

Turn on the Forehand ---> Leg Yielding ---> Shoulder In Turn on the Haunches ---> Haunches In ---> Half Pass

Remember that while Turn on the Forehand and Haunches are stationary movements, the rest of the lateral work can be performed at the walk, trot, and canter.