Details are important, but what details?

Last week during my visit to the UK, I had the good fortune to be able to attend a demo about understanding collection. The lecture part was presented by a riding instructor who also was a chiropractor. She explained collection as something horses do naturally in the field when they get excited. With this I agree completely. She continued by saying that the collection we want from our horses when we ride is this same posture from the horse but without the excitement, on the contrary the horse should remain calm. Again, I completely agree.

What I don't agree with is what I as the rider / horse trainer should focus on when training my horse. The chiropractor suggested that the focus should be on certain specific muscles. More precisely in the first stage of the horse's training the ilio-psoas muscles in the hip area, the abdominal muscles and the scalene muscles in the base of the neck. Her horse was certainly calm and attentive with three pure gaits. In themselves these are very good qualities and a testimonial to the chiropractor's good qualities as a horse trainer and rider.

Two things where never touched upon during the evening lecture and demo. Two things that in my opinion are far more important details: the mobilisation of the horse's jaw and the use of the rider's hand. Why do I think this is more important than focusing on specific muscles in the horse's body? First, the mobilisation of the horse's jaw is a prerequisite for relaxation in the horse. If the horse's mouth is not mobilised by the horse swallowing, licking and lifting the bit with the tongue, then the horse is contracted not only in the jaw but also in the neck and thus most likely in the rest of her body.

Why do I think that the horse that was shown during the demonstration was too tense? It was very often behind the vertical. Not much, but even so very often just behind the vertical. This indicates to me that the muscles, particular the muscles underneath the neck, are too contracted and need to be relaxed. This relaxation is dependent on the mobilisation of the jaw and the use of the rider's hand.


PS Thank you to Mark Stanton of Natural Horsemanship magazine for proof reading!