03/14/2025
Activity and Impulsion
By Catherine Marshall - Master Teacher
When starting out on this journey many years ago one of the things which struck me most was how forward we were expected to ride the trot. “More forward – in his best trot”. It was clear that classical riding with Philippe Karl was definitely not going to compromise on activity! Reflecting on it now, it is of course an essential component of lengthening, ‘decontracting’ to the point where horses start to naturally offer neck extension
It is useful to talk a little about these two terms, activity and impulsion, as they are often used interchangeably.
Impulsion can be described as the ‘desire to go forward’ or as
‘reactivity’ to the rider’s leg. ACTIVITY is the energy required by a
horse to complete a specific movement to the best of its ability. A
horse could have the same level of activity in a good collected trot or canter, for example, as he could in a magnificent extended trot. The ability to move effortlessly from a collected trot to an extended trot requires IMPULSION.
Horses lacking impulsion could be said to be ‘behind the leg’. They
are not moving freely forward but require frequent or constant leg or whip aids in order to maintain the same level of activity. There are many good reasons for horses not to respond to the leg. Some are physical: maybe the saddle doesn’t fit- it slips or pinches, maybe movement causes foot pain, maybe there is soft tissue damage somewhere or arthritic changes are causing discomfort.
Some are behavioural. Perhaps at one time the horse has been
ridden into an uncomfortable contact or by a nervous rider who held tight and just never let him go forward.
The problem is, if we don’t insist on good activity, the horse starts to offer less and less. His gaits start to lose their fluidity and cadence. He benefits less from propulsion generated in the hind limbs and tows more with the front ones. The muscles of the shoulders start to tighten under the increased workload. The strides become shorter as the range of movement decreases and his natural tendency to push more strongly with one hind leg becomes more predominant.
Here begins the vicious cycle that I see so often; the horse starts to look unlevel, feels increasingly unbalanced (particularly on a circle) and is less and less inclined to go forward because movement feels uncomfortable.
As a trainer of the School of Légèrete, when faced with a new
combination I feel it is my responsibility to offer the horse the best
chance possible of him moving efficiently under saddle. Often this
requires ‘opening him up’ by sending the horse forward, and this
applies particularly to the trot. To help understand why, here are
some words by La Gueriniere describing the use of the trot in
training:
“The horse’s body is equally supported on two legs, one in front and one behind; this ensures that the other two legs, which are off the ground, may be easily elevated, sustained and extended forward, thereby resulting in an initial degree of suppleness throughout the body.”
With this in mind we doing the horse an injustice if we accept a trot
that is not ample enough to have such suppling effects.
Sending a horse forward in good balance can miraculously stop
horses tripping for example. As the stride length increases the hind
limbs show increased engagement (and disengagement, of course) while the front legs extend fully to the end of the natural range of motion. In turn (my interpretation) the front foot lands more confidently, the toe being less inclined to touch the ground
unintentionally, buckling the knee.
Sometimes a lesson of the leg is required, sometimes it is enough to remove opposing aids, and often I have to persuade the rider that the horse has more to offer- that he will actually feel more balanced in a bigger trot. Often horses who appear stiff and unlevel can transform as a result of being ridden with good activity.
It is truly a joy to watch this happening, as if they are breaking free from shackles. If on the other hand a horse has some pathology, sending him forward will probably make the lameness more obvious. At this point, there are difficult but necessary decisions to be made by the rider in terms of treatment.
Seven Hills Training is a full-service, multi-disciplined training program in Monroe, WA.
