Classical riding

Last week I took Yeats with me to the first clinic of this year in ”Ecole de Légèreté”. 

The first day I showed that all his foundation is still there after the very long winter break:

1. Yeats is calm, attentive and can focus on the task at hand
2. Yeats is light in the hand and to the legs
3. Yeats is giving his mouth
4. Flexions a) high, b) to the right and to the left, c) neck extension d) of the poll

Lightness to the hand

Being light to the hand means the horse neither leans on the bit, nor withdraws from the contact. This lightness should be present when the horse is in a high position, in neck extension, in a lateral flexion or flexing the poll.

Lightness to the legs

Lightness to the legs means the horse is responding with forward motion from a very light touch from the leg. Think “draught of the boot”. Lightness to the legs also means the horse continues with whatever gait and tempo I have asked for on his own without constant use of my legs.

Specially for Yeats

Since Yeats has a long back and since his croup is higher than his withers, neck extension is important for him. He should be comfortable in neck extension in all gaits as well as in upward transitions and changes of direction. “Important” in this case does not mean I only ride in neck extension. I also raise the neck with or without flexion of the poll, but I should always be able to ask Yeats to return to neck extension at any moment.

Priorities

One new exercise for me and Yeats was a 10 m volte in canter with an outside bend. This exercise was difficult for Yeats so I had to really ask for it. Since my small hand and weight aids were not enough to convince him to do a 10 m volte I had to be clearer by opening the left rein wider and tapping with the whip on the right shoulder. Yeats responded nicely, but in order to be able to do the smaller volte he raised his head and neck so he could use the wonderful balancing pole that the neck and head is. This is of course perfectly fine. I will continue to allow him to raise his neck until he is strong enough and coordinated enough so he doesn't have to use the neck and head to stay on the 10 m volte in canter. At this point I can ask him to stay round in the neck with flexion of the jaw and the poll.

Yielding of the jaw

Yeats is yielding the jaw, i.e. he is moving the lower jaw now and then. He could do this more often, so this is one of the things I should improve upon. If you have ever felt the difference between riding a horse with a soft, yielding jaw and one that does not have it you know why it is so important. Suppleness and lightness to the hand start with the yielding of the jaw!

Thanks to Mark Stanton of Horsemanship Magazine for checking my spelling and grammar! All other errors are my own.