The Final Element of the Training Scale: Collection

The last element of the Training Scale is Collection. So in theory if all your ducks are in a row, Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, Straightness, then collection can be achieved. 
Lets clarify Collection first. I believe there is some confusion in the term for some people. Connection, Balance and Collection are often mixed up.

First of all, Connection (in the physical sense)  is when the horses hind end is Connected to the front end. Or United. Some people say a horse in Disunited when this is not happening. The horse has the appearance of the hind end trailing behind. The first four elements of the Training Scale foster connection. Some people think this feels like or call this Collection.

Balance is when Connection is present and the horse is NOT on the forehand. This also feels like collection to some because is is pleasant, rhythmic, and comfortable feeling to the rider. The gaits feel consistent, the horse feels light in the reins or self carrying, and in feels easy to sit.

Collection is when the frame of the horse is actually elevated and compressed liked an accordion being pushed in. The actual ground covered each stride is less though the energy in the gait (impulsion) is not diminished. This is a common mistake to let the energy diminish. In fact the energy is what creates the collection. What you do with the energy tells the horse whether he should cover more ground or less (collect).

If you and your horse are working well in the other areas of the Training Scale you can add some natural collecting patterns. An easy one is a diminishing circle from 20 meters down to 15 or 10 depending on how capable your horse is at maintaining his Impulsion on the smaller circles. Once you are on the small circle, leg yield out to the 20 meters and then repeat diminishing and enlarging until it gets fairly consistent and relaxed. So here again is way to use the Scale to problem solve and progress. This pattern can easily be introduced at Liberty and on line to get comfortable with before trying mounted. If you start your Diminishing circle and monitor the Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, and Straightness, you will notice your horse will tell you when he can no longer maintain any one of these elements and it is up to you to listen and adjust until he can get to 15 or 10 meters without drastically losing anyone element. This is much easier said then done and is the very essence of Dressage at all levels. Also remember Dressage is Yoga and Pilates for your horse so it should always be done with and eye for what they are capable of at the time and gradually increased in difficulty when appropriate. Your Comments and feedback are always welcome!
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Training Scale: Straightness

Straightness comes after Impulsion in the Training Scale and refers to Straightness in the body of the horse and not just going on a Straight line.

Straightness is confusing sometimes because it is about geometry and how the horses' geometry matches the shape you are riding. For example, If you are riding an actual straight line, the horse is literally straight from nose to tail. He is not looking left or right, and his shoulders and hips are parallel. This gets tricky when we want the same thing on a curve, circle or corner. Often on curves, horses shoulders or hips will be to the side of the shape you are riding. Try riding some straight lines and circles and see if you can notice this. A lot of riding is first learning how to feel and notice things and the figuring out how to visualize and ride the right thing.

If you have worked well in the Previous Training Scale elements, You should have a substantially straighter moving horse. Not perfect, but better. Remember as we add elements we continually dance back and forth with all of them until we can get them fairly consistent. There are lots of straightening exercises but as always I like to keep them simple and straight forward (no pun intended!). Riding pefectly straight lines is a great way to practice straightness and then graduate to curves which I think is harder. Best to get a feel for it on the straight line first.

Once you've found a spot to practice straight lines, pick a visual point to focus on like a dressage letter, cone, fence post, tree, husband, friend, etc. Start by riding toward it and just notice how straight or wiggly your horse feels. Keep riding the same line and gradually become aware of the your own body becoming straighter. Your shoulders stay parallel, and your hips stay parallel. Notice some more passes on the lines. What are you observing? As you improve your straightness, add some halts as this is a good way to learn square halts and practice stopping and starting straight on the same line. Here is a video of the exercise with a clip. Let me know how it goes in the comment section : ).
See clip at link below:
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Next on the Training Scale is...Impulsion

Impulsion is after Contact in the Training Scale. It is suggesting that the best time to add Impulsion is when the first three Rhythm (Relaxation), Suppleness, Contact are fairly consistent. That said this is merely a guideline and there are times when you need to be outside the box with certain horses. It is always best to listen to your horse when applying any principle or idea to your program.

There are some horses that are so backed up in there energy and movement that forward, high energy exercises may be prioritized before other areas. I find Liberty work especially helpful with these types. It builds the bond and Connection while simultaneously working on the technical aspects of the Training Scale and Natural Impulsion. I find this preferable to using a lot of artificial aids and force which can have the reverse effect of shutting a horse down and sending them introverted. And worse breaking the horses' desire and enjoyment of the interaction of riding.

Impulsion and being in front of the leg also go hand in hand. I want to put my leg on and feel a surge of energy no matter what. I have to feel a change in energy on some kind. If there is a problem here I will work within the Scale on the ground and mounted to help the horse and I overcome it together.

True Connection (the physical kind), Straightness, Roundness, and Collection, cannot be achieved with out a good gas pedal and the understanding of how to balance the energy coming from behind so we are not just pushing the horse faster and faster and more on the forehand. A feel for the horses natural fitness is important also as you can ask for more than they are truly capable of and wind up creating other problems here instead of getting more quality. The photos show two horses moving nicely forward with the first 4 elements of the Scale being applied. Remember breaking each element down will allow you to bring them all together with experimentation and different patterns. The last pattern I posted of circle to straight line of 6 or more strides to another circle and so on is also a suitable pattern for working on impulsion. Sometimes as a horse moves with more Impulsion on a straight away, they lose their balance, rhythm and suppleness. Going back to the circle and staying there will help get those elements (Rhythm, suppleness, contact) back at which point you can go back on the straight line and work on Impulsion. That's where the problem solving value comes in. You keep working on all the pieces until they all come together. Don't hesitate to ask questions or comments below!
FDT
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With Rhythm, Relaxation and Suppleness comes...

See several examples or different outlines at Liberty, Bitted, and Bitless

Contact, The Frame, or a good Outline. So following this line of thinking, Each area needs to be fairly consistent to have the other. So they are all connected to the whole end product or resulting picture.

It is a sometimes back and forth dance in the training scale because as you work with one thing, you can lose another. So here is where the problem solving value of the Training scale is.

If we have Gotten to "Contact" on the Scale, it implies that we have the first 3 elements fairly intact. Rhythm, Relaxation, Suppleness equals Contact in theory. As the Contact gains quality, We can start to add "Impulsion" which is the 5th element on the Training Scale.

The problem solving starts when we lose something when we start asking for more of something else. For Example: As I start to add Impulsion, I lose Suppleness and therefore Contact or Outline. I would go back to working on Suppleness to regain the Contact and then if I felt it appropriate, I would try to add Impulsion again.

Another example of problem solving with the Training Scale would be. I have a good Rhythm, and when I go to Supple further, I lose the Rhythm or the Tempo changes. So I have to go back to settling the Rhythm to where I want it before I go back to Suppling again and trying to work toward Contact.

All of this can take Minutes, days, weeks, or months to achieve consistency so don't just think this will all come together in one ride. You just stick to a program and you'll know when it is appropriate to add the level of difficulty. My rule is, we have to be fairly consistent at each element before going to the next and be prepared to back up the whichever is necessary to maintain the foundation components. Basically that is what the Training Scale is. The foundation of all training and if there are cracks in the foundation, they'll be problems in your training.

What does good Contact look and feel like? Well it is a result of what the horses whole body is doing that produces a good, soft, outline. It is often thought to be fixed at the mouth or poll but this is not really true. The poll plays a small role but it is something that the horse OFFERS when their body and back are relaxed, supple, and moving in a good rhythm. The correct head and neck position are a by product of a good work program. Also this can be achieved at Liberty, Online and under saddle. As always, I like to start a concept at Liberty, Carry it through online, and then under saddle. The transition is so easy for the horse then, that is fun and simple. How training should always be!

Remember, all conformations, fitness levels, and disciplines seek different carriages (Outlines). At Liberty it is easiest to see what the horse is most naturally capable of and then build up from there over time. Some horses will be naturally heavier in the Contact , and some are naturally lighter as well as softer vs. stiffer. Work with what your horses' natural tendencies are and you will see improvement over time. More videos soon!
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Mounted Relaxation and Suppleness exercise examples

In riding and ground training, the best exercises allow for minimal interference from the rider and allow the horse to fully understand, participate offer his interpretation of what you have requested. You then can fine tune the pattern as the horse understands and raise the level of difficulty when it is appropriate. This would be when the horse is pretty consistent and relaxed in the exercise. You can then add the next element of difficulty which could be speed (change of gait), smaller circles, more impulsion etc.

Here are a couple of basic super simple Rhythm, relaxation and suppling patterns to try:

1. A simple Circle of 20 meters (aprox 65 ft): A circle ridden in a reasonably correct shape will naturally encourage the horse to settle into a relaxed, Balanced, and Rhythmic gait. For faster horses trying going 1-5 meters smaller. For less energetic horses, work with a large circle to encourage forwardness (energy). Change directions once you start to feel some consistency or if you have a greener horse who is taking a longer time.

2. When the above exercise is easy, you can add 6 strides straight ahead then circle, then 6 strides straight ahead, then circle and repeat until the whole pattern is as consistent as possible on the horses easy side first. Now go to the harder direction. Again here if you have a forward going horse you can reduce the circle 1-5 meters, And keep it nice and larger for the lower energy guys and even increase the number of straight ahead strides to 8-12. You can also keep switching directions back and forth.

As always, I would like to hear feedback on what you discovered with these exercises, any problems or successes in the comments section.

Video: Example of working with the Training Scale at Liberty

This video shows how you can use Liberty work to "Ride" from the ground. Using a blend of body languages that are natural to the horse, you can prompt natural responses to Find Rhythm, Become more Supple, offer a Natural outline, and offer Natural Collection. We even touch on High School concepts. This is just the early stages. Mercury is young and offers a lot so we "play" with it in a fun way that is interesting to both of us.

Last post was talking about Relaxation and Suppleness in the Training Scale. In this video you see me working Long and low in walk and trot to stretch the Topline. As we get more into the circles for Rhythm and Suppleness, you will see me start to request more Lateral movements of Shoulder Fore and Shoulder In. I also use different sizes of circles to work with more Collection or more Engagement. I am in the beginning stages of working with Mercury on Liberty Half Steps and Piaffe/Passage. You can see the seeds being planted here as well. This work is by far the most fun and is a fantastic warm up of riding. Especially if you have a fresh horse it is far more connecting and bonding then mindless Lunging or Pen work. Anyone been trying this out with their horses? I want to hear about it!
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Training Scale Continued: Relaxation and Suppleness

Working on Suppling in hand...

Sorry I haven't posted in some time, but in case you didn't know I was in St. Vincents doing an amazing Clinic with Stina Herberg. It's on my other Blog if you want to see the highlights.

So I'm sticking to this thought on the Training scale series because I meant to finish it a long time ago so here is the second stage of the Training Scale which varies in interpretation by various schools. It is essentially the same concept though no matter the small differences.

Relaxation and Suppleness are the next step in the scale and some Scales or Pyramids do not include relaxation or it is a foregone assumption that the relaxation is there. I like to include it because it is essential to have relaxation in order to have true Suppleness and Throughness. A horse can be manually suppled by sawing, pulling and kicking but I doubt he will be relaxed! That is forced suppling and we can hardly even call it suppling at that. It is more like jamming the horse into a position.

I like to think about Suppling like a Yoga exercise for a horse. If you go to a Yoga class the instructor does not say to a beginner "ok put your feet behind your ears" on the first day of class. You start with very gentle and basic moves that gradually build strength and flexibility until one day you can do more advanced stretches or poses.

Suppling should be the same with a horse. We have to take into account the age, conformation, fitness level, training level, one sidedness and mind of the horse to gradually improve suppleness. I generally start my Training Scale exercises at Liberty because I want the horse to show me what is comfortable and natural to him without a rider, line, side reins, or head restriction. I can then see how to proceed with specific exercises at Liberty, on line, in hand, and or under saddle. I will choose exercises that will target weaknesses but work within what the horse offers at Liberty.

I can work with all stages of the Training scale (Rhythm, Relaxation, Suppleness, Contact, Straightness, Collection) at Liberty which is a gentle, fun and creative way to learn and work with it and your horse.

Getting back to the mind of the horse being relaxed as well as the body. Say you have a very high strung nervous horse, It would be a priority to relax this horse mentally if you were to have any hope of relaxing and suppling his body. Rhythm and balance exercises are a good place to work on Relaxation and open the door to the horse being able to accept suppling exercises.

I will have some video in the coming weeks showing some examples of me working on the Training Scale and  at Liberty, On line, and under saddle. For this weeks exercise to try, I want you to turn your horse loose in the ring, round pen, or small paddock and work on Rhythm, Relaxation, and Natural Suppleness. Meaning what your horses' baseline is when moving unencumbered or manipulated. It doesn't matter if he goes in a circle or large in the arena. Notice if he prefers one direction or the other, Notice if his natural rhythm is slow, fast or perfect (if he is fresh, wait until he settles in his gaits to evaluate), Once you have established a relaxed, walk, and trot Rhythm, you can try a canter (again don't worry about freshness, just let them play and settle in when they're ready). Notice if your horse travels looking out the circle and how they end up when you are near the end of your session. Does their topline soften? Do they stretch long and low naturally better in one direction once they have relaxed? Do they stay inverted and braced the whole time? Make mental notes and remember them.

As always I'd like to hear your experiences in the comments area. I'll post some patterns and exercises in the coming weeks.

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