Opening the lines of communication
So horsemanship comes in various different guises, although it still requires the same set of basic riding skills. But how can we put these into practice? The best place to start is with f latwork.
“Jumping is easier because your horse can see the jump,” explains Adam. “Dressage is a blank page — your horse gets no clue what will be asked of him when he enters the arena. The only directions come from you. “Horses can’t problem solve, they can only respond, so you need to give them the right directions, at the right time, in the right language,” Adam continues. “The horseman will be told by the horse how he should be ridden.”
You can practise opening up these lines of communication in your everyday riding by using the following techniques.
Engagement
Before you ask anything of your horse, it’s important to make sure that he’s properly engaged (both mentally engaged and with his core engaged). First, focus on your horse’s hind engagement.
“In my sport you want him to be using his hind end, stepping forwards and across when he turns,” says Nicole. “If his back legs don’t cross over and under, he’ll lose engagement and just go stiff and lock up — his hind end has to be free. To achieve this, he needs to be balanced and able to maintain his tempo. Then his movements will be smoother.”
It’s down to you to teach your horse how to most effectively use his body.
Adam compares this to a horse struggling to do a canter pirouette in dressage.
“This happens for the same reasons; a loss in balance, connection and activity in the hind end,” he explains.
Transitions
Asking for different transitions is a common warm-up technique to get your horse listening and mentally engaged. Be very aware of how and when you ask for each transition, though.
“If the rider moves, the horse must understand that the rider is asking for something that the horse isn’t giving him,” says Adam.
When you watch some of the top dressage riders you won’t even notice them asking for transitions; the horse will seemingly move of his own accord, like a well-choreographed dance. This level of communication simply comes from practice — the horse knows what is being asked of him with a simple shift of weight from the rider, and the rider knows how and when to communicate this.
“When you move your body, your horse should move his,” adds Adam. “This isn’t dressage; this is communication.”
Bending
As you develop as a rider you will learn that there is more than one way to ask for the same movement from your horse, and that your aids extend beyond your stirrups and reins. Although these are tools we use to help us work a horse, it’s your legs, hands, weight, seat and sometimes your voice that are the real tools you must rely on.