Get Rid Of That Tension: Four Steps To Improved Suppleness

suppleness

Suppleness can be an elusive concept for many people as well as horses. On the one hand, "finding" suppleness can be a rather long term and difficult undertaking, especially for novice horses or riders. On the other, suppleness is the key to all good movement. Without suppleness, you and your horse are left to always ride in tension and with a counterproductive posture.

Each component listed below takes time to learn and develop. In fact, you will likely need to go through these steps every time you learn something new with your horse. Every new skill will cause a certain amount of tension until both you and your horse figure out how to do the movement with better balance and impulsion.

I use these steps to help me stay focused on what needs to be done when. In other words, you can't go to increase the energy if you haven't found a clear rhythm yet. Do this for every single movement - a simple trot circle, or a walk pirouette, a lengthen or a half pass. It doesn't really matter what you're doing. Just work on each component of the movement in this order, and work towards reducing tension and improving suppleness.

1.Rhythm

First off, find rhythm. Pay attention to your horse's footfalls. Is he doing a clear 2-beat in the trot? Can you hear an even 1,2,3 - suspension in the canter? Listen closely, feel for the footfalls, and make sure the rhythm is crystal clear.

If you hear muddled footsteps, take note of your aids. Maybe you need to strengthen your seat aids, or use more leg for better impulsion. Maybe you need to actually slow down a bit to allow your horse enough time for each footfall.

In each case, focus on finding a good rhythm for your horse. He should be able to maintain it, regularly, for several strides. Don't go on to Step 2 until you have a clear, strong rhythm.

2. Energy

Next, work on energy level. There are times when almost all horses need to increase energy. It might happen as you come into a corner, or when you are turning on a small circle. Your horse might "suck back" in a lateral movement like a shoulder-in or leg yield. The idea is to get the rhythm first, then recognize when your horse is letting the energy "out the back end."

Use your legs and follow with your seat. Ask your horse for more energy, which should translate into bigger strides and a rounder back. If your horse flattens and just rushes along, use half-halts to rebalance. Make sure you have rhythm, then ask for energy all over again.

3. Longitudinal Flexion

Once you have rhythm and energy, you can focus on getting your horse to move "over the back." The energy you now have can be transferred over the back to allow your horse to round better. Half-halts help a lot, but equally important is your seat and upper body balance. Try to stay with the horse's movement (don't get left behind) and then lighten your seat (tighten your buttocks) so that you don't inadvertently stop the energy in the saddle area.

Ride the energy, go with the forward motion, and then use your half-halts to keep your horse's balance from falling to the forehand.

4. Lateral Flexion

After you have the horse moving over the back, you can focus on side-to-side flexion and bend. I find that once the horse finds longitudinal flexion, he'll flex laterally much more easily than if he was tight over the back. So first, you must have rhythm, energy and roundness.




Then work on the sides. You can ask for a mild flex to the inside (or outside too) using just your upper body position and light fingers. Or you can work on a true bend using your seat, leg aids and upper body and hands.

When bending, make sure you don't overbend - a 20-meter circle or turn has only a mild bend. Increase the amount of bend as your circle gets smaller. But make sure you bend through the body, not just the neck. Your leg, seat, upper body and hands should be also bent according to your circle.

Use the outside rein to prevent an overbend but use your inside leg and seat to create the bend in the first place. Be sure to have mini-releases on your inside rein (make the rein "flutter") so you don't take steady pressure and prevent the inside hind leg from coming under the body.

There are surely many other ways to improve your horse's suppleness but I find this method works well, especially if you are riding without an instructor. You can just go through each part in your mind.

As you get better at it, you'll go through each step fairly quickly. In fact, you might get through all four steps within 2-3 strides of your horse. Do you have rhythm? Great, then get some energy. Enough energy? Then let the energy come over the back. Enough roundness? Then let's work on bend.

Final note: I find that as you go through these steps with your horse, your own tension starts to dissipate as well. For some people, breaking down the steps helps a lot to focus their intention. Other people might want to keep things more cohesive, and try to get it all together at the same time. 

In all cases, listen to your horse. Look for a rounder, swingier movement. Listen for snorts and deep breaths. Feel for lightness, better balance and maybe even floppy ears!

What do you do to improve suppleness? If you give this method a try, let us know how it worked out.

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Horse Listening Book 2
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Horse Listening – Book 2: Forward and Round to Training Success

Stop printing off the articles! Your favorite training articles are compiled in this beautifully bound paperback book. Have everything at your fingertips - this book can be taken to the barn as a quick refresher or leisurely read at home.
From Horse Listening Book 2: Forward And Round To Training Success:
"Regardless of discipline, what would be the most significant effect a rider would want to have on her horse?
We all want our horses to improve in their athletic
development, skill acquisition and connectedness. Much of our rider development and training efforts go into working toward our show or personal goals....
But the best riders aspire to do one essential thing each and every day, regardless of goals and lesson plans: they work hard to improve their horse’s way of going.
Because proper balance and weight carriage is essential to a horse’s longevity. Each and every minute of each and every ride has the potential to contribute to your horse’s health and well-being.

Or not."

 

Just as with all the Horse Listening Collection Books, this book is focused on helping the rider improve for the sake of the horse. But this book goes deeper into the best training articles from the blog - horse-centered theory, strategies and ideas you can try with your own horse.
The book begins with the horse's hind end (!), considers the horse's back, moves on to rider development, and fills it all in with the fundamentals of horse riding so your horse can be:
☑️ happier in his body
☑️happier in his "work"
☑️better balanced all-around

Available as an eBook or paperback.

The Difference Between Rhythm and Tempo

rhythm tempo

Confused about which is which? Do you use them interchangeably sometimes? I did, until I finally figured out the difference. Although I've already had a good grasp of rhythm and tempo in musical arrangements, it took some time for me to extrapolate that understanding and apply it to horse riding.

Rhythm

When it comes to horses, rhythm refers to the number of beats in a horse's gait. So for example, a walk is a four-beat gait. A trot is two beats (diagonal pairs fall together) and a canter is 4 beats (outside hind, diagonal pair, and inside front, suspension). However, because the canter has that moment of suspension, you hear only three footfalls with a quiet moment in between.

The rhythm of the gait is non-negotiable. That is, a canter must have three footfalls and a moment of suspension, while a trot must have two. Problems arise when the horse demonstrates what is called an "impure" or "irregular" gait.

Let's say you are trotting along and you hear four beats per stride, something like a thud-thud-thud-thud in quick succession. This indicates that the trot is not in rhythm. If you were on the ground watching, you might even be able to see the legs hitting the ground at different moments. It happens quickly but a practiced eye can see it.

More often, we see horses four-beating the canter. Rather than maintaining the diagonal pair of legs for the second beat, the horse lands those legs in a one-two fashion - which results in four independent footfalls.

In both cases, the rhythm needs to be maintained. Chances are, the horse needs more impulsion, especially in turns or changes of bend. It is also possible that the irregularity stems from a physical discomfort, so you may want to call a vet to make sure there is no unsoundness.

There is one exception to these rules: the gaited horse.

Many horses have been bred over generations to produce distinct 4-beat gaits specific to their bloodlines. For example, the Tennessee Walking Horse is famous for its running walk. These horses shouldn't move in two beats in these gaits. The four-beat is the rhythm of the gait.

Developing Rhythm

When working on any particular gait, you must maintain the rhythm of that gait. So if your horse four-beats the canter, you probably need to ask for better impulsion and engagement of the hind end.

First, work on getting and maintaining distinct rhythmical footfalls.

Tempo

Once you can keep a consistent rhythm, the next area to focus on is the tempo, otherwise known as the horse's leg speed. Tempo is the second priority only after the rhythm has been established. Incorrect tempo is possibly more difficult to recognize and correct than rhythm.

Think of tempo as the speed of the footfalls. You could be in a two-beat trot, but how fast you go would be due to how quickly the legs land on the ground. You can imagine that there are many tempos within one gait. So a trot may be two beats, but how quickly the horses move in those two beats can be dependent on the horse's breed and conformation, and the rider's skills.

Many of us are prone to letting the horse (or sometimes actually "chasing" the horse) into a too-quick tempo, which can result in the horse falling to the forehand, or even breaking stride. We get into a frantic one-two rising trot that speeds up the horse, which then speeds up our posting, which then speeds up the horse even more....

You get the idea. We end up in a never-ending cycle of speed and eventually it feels "normal" to rush along on the forehand, using the rail to keep the horse from drifting out too far.




The opposite can happen too, although not quite as often. If we work at slowing the tempo down to point that the horse loses energy, we run the risk of breaking rhythm. This is often why horses four-beat in the trot or canter. Too slow without additional energy can be as detrimental as too fast.

Try This

Listen carefully to your horse's footfalls as you ride at each gait. Every horse has an ideal tempo that allows him to work with adequate energy - but not too much - so he does not lose balance.

Your horse's best leg speed is probably slower than you think. But you can try an experiment. Increase the leg speed in a particular gait and feel for your horse's threshold. At some point, your horse suddenly feels like he has to scramble to keep his legs underneath him.

Then do the opposite. Slow the legs to just before the point that your horse is going to quit. Maintain energy and see if he can soften through the body and breathe in better rhythm. Too slow, and he will likely break stride. But slow and strong might be just what he needs.

The ideal tempo allows the horse to move with less tension in better balance and in a steady, true rhythm. There is no speeding up or slowing down every few strides. Each step is deliberate and well placed. There is a sense of strong but calm energy from both horse and rider.

You can try this exercise several times. It doesn't hurt for the horse to know what it feels like to increase and decrease the tempo in a gait. In fact, it might help as he progresses into more collected work. But in the meantime, remember that rhythm must be maintained while tempo can be adjusted. 

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the new Horse Listening Practice Sessions. 

This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.

Click here to read more and to join one of the most complete programs on the Internet!

Horse Listening

I don't believe in putting my work behind a paywall. But there are expenses in every venture. If you really liked this article, consider tipping us! Your tip will help me keep producing more riding TIPS (pun!) with free access to everyone. With thanks for reading!

Horse Listening Book 2
Click to learn more.

Horse Listening – Book 2: Forward and Round to Training Success

Just as with all the Horse Listening Collection Books, this book is focused on helping the rider improve for the sake of the horse. But this book goes deeper into the best training articles from the blog - horse-centered theory, strategies and ideas you can try with your own horse.
The book begins with the horse's hind end (!), considers the horse's back, moves on to rider development, and fills it all in with the fundamentals of horse riding so your horse can be:
happier in his body
happier in his "work"
better balanced all-around

Available as an eBook or paperback.

Living (Horse) Life in the Basics

.Although we revel in our various disciplines, riding and training styles and breeds of horses, there is simply no denying it: the basics are the basics and they are the same for us all.

Can you distinguish the difference between good and bad movement?

Even if the you are unfamiliar with a discipline's competitive or technical requirements, chances are, you can tell if a performance was well done. The fact is that all movements share several components to them that are fundamental to the quality of movement.

Despite our differences, we are all working toward the same basic purpose.

Rhythm Rules!

Every aspect of riding is rooted in rhythm. Without a sense of rhythm, all riding movements will be sabotaged and become relegated to a lurching, uneven-striding, uncertain series of steps, reducing our rides to a series of jolts, whip-lashed starts and stops, and tension in both the horse and rider.

Take the competitive trail horse, for example. When negotiating miles and miles of uneven terrain, there is no substitute for efficient, energy-saving movement. Whether at the walk, trot or canter, the gait must inevitably become regular to be non-taxing and economical.

Watch the hunter horse. The best mover is the one that masquerades as a metronome - each stride ticking away in an unwavering time measure.

Anyone who has participated in a western trail pattern knows the essential dance that must occur in order to negotiate the obstacles in a smooth, cadenced manner.

I could go on and on, and cover all the disciplines I know of, and even those that I don't. The point is that rhythm is one of those commonalities that we all work toward.

Flexion

There are two types of flexion: longitudinal and lateral.

The first allows the horse to stretch over the topline and use his back effectively. The second allows for side to side stretches. Both are essential to allow for soft, released movement that permits lighter strides and even use of musculature.

Flexion is what allows the horse to be supple left and right, and to lengthen or collect in movement. All figures, patterns and tricks require both kinds of flexion to be performed with ease and strength.

Go

This one is pretty self-explanatory.

Every aspect of riding horses begins with impulsion. The key is to have good enough communication with your horse so that he can put in the energy needed at the right time.




If you are heading into a corner with the horse trotting toward the arena walls, horses will often slow their forward inclination. You need to ride through the corner or turn so that the horse can maintain the established rhythm. This is when "go" enters the scene.

Imagine a barrel horse without "go".

What would a road horse be like without an easy ground-covering gait?

Contact/Connection

I might call it contact, and you might call it connection. It is the language that you and your horse share.

In the end, we are both talking about the same thing: the horse reaches to your aids - seat, weight, legs, hands (and bit or hackamore or whatever other kind of equipment) and there is a communication process that you both participate in.

The better the connection, the more subtle the interaction. The onlooker might only notice the results of the process - but you know how amazing it feels when the horse is "on the aids" and you progress together as one.

Straightness

After finding bend and flexion, all horses must also discover the beauty of straightness.

Without body alignment, all movements lack strength and suppleness. The shoulders must be in line with the hips. The straighter the horse's body, the more efficient the movements become.

Moving straight, even on a circle, is a lifetime goal that is often difficult to achieve.

Collection

Many disciplines discuss the relatively complicated concept of collection. All higher level movements rely on it. Many of us claim to do it.

But don't be fooled! Most of us probably achieve "roundness" and confuse it with collection.

Collection is achieved only when all the above components are in place and practiced on a regular basis. True collection starts with a flexing of the joints in the hind end, a tilt of the haunches and a high level of activity that results in an elevated front end. When you first discover collection, you might be amazed at the energy surge and strength it takes to even begin to collect.

But if you look carefully, you will recognize it in many riding disciplines.

The Training Pyramid

If you think I've pretty much described the dressage Training Pyramid in my own words, you're quite right.

If you think my point is to illustrate the commonalities between horse activities, you're also right!

How does the Training Pyramid work into your daily rides? Comment below.

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the new Horse Listening Practice Sessions. 

This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.

Click here to read more and to join one of the most complete programs on the Internet!

Horse Listening

Horse Listening The Book
Click to learn more.

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

Available as an eBook or paperback.

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https://www.horselistening.com2013/06/10/why-you-dont-need-to-panic-when-your-horse-falls-apart-during-your-ride/

https://www.horselistening.com2013/04/29/go-and-no-the-connection-between-forward-and-half-halt-in-horse-riding/

https://www.horselistening.com2013/02/17/why-you-should-ride-the-left-side-of-your-horse-going-right/