Communication

Communication.  If there was one word that I think of when it comes to dressage that would be it.  From the very beginning of when I learned to ride and knew what dressage was I was fascinated by it.  How does an FEI rider get their horse to do all those things and make it look like the rider isn’t doing anything?  At first I thought it was about teaching the horse tricks but the more I’ve learned the more I understand it is really about the communication between rider and horse.

From the very beginning when starting a young horse to the FEI horse, every interaction with your horse is (whether you realize it or not) about communication. Starting with things such as basic ground work: walk with me but don’t crowd me and don’t yank the lead rope out of my hand, stand still while I brush you, pick up your feet when I ask.  Then at the lower level of dressage, it’s keep a steady rhythm, listen to me and don’t pay attention to the dog that just ran past the door.

This all sounds fairly straight forward but as you move up the levels the communication does become more intricate.  The rider puts her leg on and the horse has to determine: does that me go more forward, move sideways, bend the rib cage…  This is where a lot of frustration comes in on the part of the rider and the questions start “did I ask in the correct way or did my horse just not hear me or did he/she ignore me?”

I personally always question myself first.  Maybe it is a lack of confidence but first I check: did I ask in the correct way?  Then I ask myself: is my horse listening to me?  Maybe I need to ask louder to get his attention back or maybe I need to be clearer in my aids.  I try to keep things positive and keep the communication between myself and my horse very clear.

It is important to remember that while we know that the horse’s front legs are not supposed to cross in the haunches in/travers, the horse doesn’t know that so you cannot punish him for crossing his front legs when you ask for the travers. Instead, you must look to your own riding and figure out where you are not being clear in your aids. The horse also doesn’t understand why you are asking them to manipulate their body parts and they have not read the rule book to get the knowledge and this can cause frustration on the horse’s part. What we are asking is hard work and of course they are going to give you feedback. It is your job as the rider to ensure that there is an open path of communication between you and the horse. It is not just about what you tell the horse! If you are good at listening, you will get all kinds of comments from the horse. It starts as simply as you when you are trying to ask the horse to be round and he sticks his nose in the air instead. He is likely telling you that you are not doing something right in your aids- maybe you took your inside leg off or maybe your outside rein wasn’t steady enough. Or maybe he doesn’t understand what you are asking and you need to back up a few steps and figure out where the hole in the training is. Regardless, try to always pay attention to the communication both from you and from your horse.

If you are having trouble in the saddle, sometimes the issue starts on the ground and if you can start to nip it in the bud there, your saddle woes may dissipate as well. If your horse doesn’t respect you and your personal space on the ground, then it is likely he or she will not respect you in the saddle. Please note that fear is different from respect and we don’t want our horses to fear us as riders/handlers. We need to provide them with confidence that we are a safe zone and that as herd leaders, we will protect them from scary horse-eating objects. If they have confidence and respect in you as their leader, the communication will come a lot easier.

So next time your horse doesn’t do exactly what you had intended, instead of getting frustrated, take a step back and remove emotion from the situation, then go down the checklist of possible causes. Again- did I ask correctly? Was I clear in my communication? Does my horse understand what I am asking him to do?