Chad Basile Dressage

08/19/2023

A very well written and thought out post about connect and the riders hands among other issues.

I once rode in a lesson with an Olympic coach who told me that there were three things that could not be “fixed” in a dressage horse. He told me that one of these things was contact issues.
Anybody who has ever had a horse with serious, deep-rooted contact issues knows how disheartening and frustrating it can be, so I can understand why someone would say something like this.
Thankfully, I believe differently. From a very young age I have been educated by professionals who still believe that training dressage horses is a skill and an art and a huge part of this is problem solving.

Of course, a major factor leading to contact issues that will never be resolved by even the best training, is physical discomfort.
Dental problems, ill-fitting tack, mouth sores, pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, back and even in the limbs or feet can all lead to resistance or avoidance in the contact.
All of these things need to be addressed before it will start to be more clear what the cause of the contact issue is.

Once you’ve determined that the horse is healthy and comfortable, you can be fairly sure that the issue is coming from the riding and/or the horse’s lack of proper training.
For the purpose of this post, I’ll skip my thoughts on properly starting a young horse, but focus on trouble shooting for the horses who have developed contact issues later in life.

There are a handful (no pun intended) of riding related reasons that a horse may be having contact issues.

The first and most obvious is the riders hands. Rough or unsteady hands, sudden movements or gripping the reins tightly can create discomfort for the horse and hinder proper connection.

If the use of harsh hands are intentional, this is improper training. Incorrect or harsh training techniques can lead to resistance or contact issues that horses will associate with the bit. Discomfort or pressure, leads them to evade or resist the contact.

If the harsh use of the hands is NOT intentional, we chalk it up to inexperience or a lack of sensitive feel on the riders part. Inconsistent rein aids, unintentional tugs, or sudden movements can confuse the horse and lead to resistance.

In this same vein, inexperienced riders that may be lacking sensitive feel and mismatched aids can also cause confusion for the horse. If the riders leg and seat aids are not in harmony with the rein aids, these conflicting aids can cause inconsistencies and contact issues.

I would classify most of these rider issues as “mental factors” for the horse. Poor riding results in confusion, frustration or fear for the horse. Harsh hands and confusing aids will cause a horse to loose trust in the rider and the horse will then avoid or resist the connection.

This next set of “causes” are more closely related to the training rather than the riding.
The first is as simple as a lack of education about the reins. Horses that haven’t been properly educated about the rider’s aids and the meaning of the reins, will generally struggle to understand how to respond to contact cues.

The next is tension or stiffness. Horses that are tense, stiff or lacking suppleness in their body may struggle to maintain a soft, consistent connection. Tension makes it difficult for the horse to seek the bit and move with fluidity.

Lack of engagement is another issue that can cause contact issues. Horses that are not properly engaged may lack the necessary impulsion and balance to maintain a correct contact. Engagement of the hindquarters is crucial for carrying the weight and seeking the bit.

The last is as simple as the training progression itself. Progressing too quickly through the training stages without establishing a solid foundation can lead to contact issues. Horses need time to develop the strength, balance, and understanding required for a correct connection.

Addressing contact issues involves a combination of proper training, a lot of rider education, addressing physical discomfort, and building a trusting relationship between horse and rider. Working with experienced trainers and professionals (ones that do believe these issues can be fixed) can help identify the root causes of contact issues and develop effective strategies for resolving them.

PC: Bethany P Photography

07/25/2023

🌟 Enhance Your Mental Focus in Dressage Training 🌟

Hey everyone! It’s hot in Texas, so here I am writing instead of riding. I want to shed some light on the crucial role of mental focus and AWARENESS in our training endeavors. Dressage requires not only physical ability, but also a sharp, disciplined mind. So, let's look at some valuable mental focus exercises to take your training to the next level:

1️⃣ Mindful Breathing: Start each training session with a few moments of focused breathing. Close your eyes, take deep breaths, and let go of distractions. Centering yourself through mindful breathing can calm the mind, enhance focus, and create a mental space conducive to productive training.

2️⃣ Visualization: Engage in the practice of visualization to mentally rehearse your rides. Close your eyes and vividly imagine yourself executing each movement with precision and elegance. Visualizing successful performances can help build confidence and improve your ability to focus during actual rides.

3️⃣ Concentration Exercises: Incorporate concentration exercises into your routine. Set specific mental tasks for each ride, such as focusing solely on your seat, your horse's rhythm, or the connection between your aids and the horse's response. By honing your ability to concentrate on specific elements, you'll improve overall focus in the saddle. Take breaks between these sets of concentrated work.

4️⃣ Positive Self-Talk: Cultivate a positive inner dialogue during training. Replace self-doubt or negative thoughts with encouraging and affirming statements. Remind yourself of your capabilities, acknowledge your progress, and embrace a mindset of resilience and growth. Positive self-talk can foster mental clarity and confidence.

5️⃣ Eliminate Distractions: Create a focused training environment by minimizing distractions. Silence your phone, find a serene space, and establish clear boundaries for uninterrupted training time. By removing external disruptions, you can fully immerse yourself in the present moment and give your undivided attention to your horse.

6️⃣ Stay Present: Practice being fully present during your rides. Train your mind to let go of past mistakes or future worries, and channel your focus into the current task. Pay attention to the sensations in your body, your horse's movements, and the subtle cues exchanged between you. Being present allows for better communication and responsiveness.

7️⃣ Reflect and Review: After each training session, take time to reflect and review your performance. Analyze your mental state during the ride, identifying moments of strong focus and areas for improvement. By regularly evaluating your mental focus, you can refine your training approach and develop strategies for sustained concentration.

Personally, I have also found huge help in practicing a combination of meditation as well as Feldenkrais and Somatics exercises. I find these are a nice mix of meditation and body awareness exercises that result in a more comfortable and “easy” state of mind and body for the barn and in the saddle.

Remember, dressage is as much a mental discipline as it is a physical one. By incorporating these mental focus exercises into your training routine, you can sharpen your concentration, enhance your connection with your horse, and elevate your overall performance.

Stay focused, stay determined, and embrace the transformative power of a disciplined mind. 🌟💪

Happy training!

06/16/2023

06/16/2023

This is so important right now with the current state of Dressage and showmanship in the Dressage ring.

Georg Theodorescu was not just as a great trainer and teacher, but also as a standard bearer of civilised riding, indeed civilisation itself…
"When horses are young, the number one thing to remember is that they are children. Of course they have to get used to the weight of the rider, and that is more than enough for that age. They have to get the equilibrium, the balance, with someone on their back. The minute the rider gets on, the horse has lost his balance. Okay, he is alright in walk - but how is the canter and the trot? And everyone expects this poor young horse to dance, and it is much too early."
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2022/03/georg-theodorescu-dressage-is-not-just-a-sport/

05/25/2023

Gerd Heuschmann on the importance of developing the topline: “This, in my opinion, is where the problem starts – with a 3 or 4 year old horse, with an the inexperienced rider on this young horse in a rather short topline. A very nice looking topline, but the muscle system is untrained so what happens? The neck ligament is loose, there is no tension developed in it, so it doesn’t help to carry the rider’s weight. When the horse has only been ridden for four or five months, the muscle system is weak.” Stefan Wolff, Balkenhol protégé, demonstrates what we are looking for:
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2021/01/top-tip-with-gerd-heuschmann-toplines/

05/17/2023

Reiner Klimke told us:
"Contact does not mean that by pulling the reins we will have it. The horse should step into the contact and establish an outline corresponding to the respective pace; an outline within which it can best develop its power. This is the aim of stepping into the contact. The rider's legs, weight and hands bring the horse into a form within which it can carry itself so that it can move most comfortably. Then it will be able to move, when it is muscled up, to the best of its ability." Pic taken by Werner Ernst Read more on good contact:
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2021/10/contact-what-is-good-contact/

04/06/2023

From the Cavalry Manual:As the straightness improves, the throughness of the horse will improve as well. The pushing capacity of the hindquarters can now go its way through the horse up to the mouth and cause the horse to give to the pressure of the bit, bend the neck and chew on the bit.It would not be correct to achieve this going through the poll by brutally pulling the neck and head of the horse. Instead it must be the result of the hind legs pushing towards the quiet still hand. This is the only way to fix the neck to the wither. And only if the neck is fixed to the wither it is possible to link forehand and hindquarter. Read more about this important concept
:https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2020/07/the-development-of-the-german-training-scale/

03/24/2023

Find out more about the German Training Scale, with Christoph Hess:
“'Losgelassenheit' means suppleness combined with looseness and the complete absence of any tension. It is the prerequisite for any advancement in training. Together with regularity, it is the primary goal of the initial, familiarising, phase.” Dorothee Schneider illustrates.
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2018/02/understanding-the-german-training-system-with-christoph-hess/

01/08/2023

Why trainers PUSH horses TOO FAST

Klaus Balkenhol explains, "Although breeders have created a better horse, the market has created a demand for a stronger, healthier, more powerful horse. It's easier to sell a horse that looks
like a carefully developed eight-year-old, and not like a three- or four-year-old just beginning his career. If you force it, you can get a three-year-old to physically look like a developed eight-year-old. Too many colts remain stallions which, if approved, promise breeders higher prices as three-year-olds. Now 250 to 300 young stallions are presented each year, when only 40 or 50 will be approved.
Few breeders have the sense to geld the yearling stallions and leave them on the pasture to mature naturally. Instead, yearling stallions are brought into a stall, fed too much grain, and at three, look like six- or seven-year-olds. They have muscle mass, but not enough bone structure to support it. They look mature from the outside but aren't . . . and when started to work, degeneration sets in. Competitions also create pressure to push horses too fast as competitions are now scheduled throughout the year without any breaks."

Common Mistakes In Pushing Too Fast
Tightening the noseband: "A horse resists by sticking out his tongue. Tightening the noseband too much puts pressure on the nose and on the poll. If it is necessary to tighten the noseband very tightly, then something has gone very wrong in the basic training of the horse. The horse cannot be relaxed, the first step on the training scale," warns Klaus.

Specializing too early: "Drilling every day in the indoor arena is too intense for the young horse. It's very important, especially in the first two years of training, not to specialize the young horse. Training should include a variety of activities, including trail riding, which is good for the mind as well as building strength with hill work. It should include jumping, either free or low jumps under saddle, including small natural obstacles on the trail, and cavaletti. A variety of work will allow the horse to stay mentally fresh and to enjoy his work. Only when the horse is happy can dressage become art."

Not checking tack frequently: "Saddle and tack need to be checked constantly for proper fit and adjusted as the horse's body changes with growth, and as his fitness improves with the
training. If the noseband gets too low, for example, and the skin between the noseband and the bit is rubbed and becomes sore, this causes the horse discomfort and loss of relaxation.
Regularly check for sharp edges and bit problems in the horse's mouth and teeth."

Working too long: "The goal of our training is to build the horse's mind and his muscles. Suppleness and relaxation require adequate muscle strength. strengthening requires both contraction and relaxation. Blood flow and oxygenation occur when the muscle relaxes. If the muscle is kept in a constant state of contraction, it loses power and strength, and actually becomes smaller.
Frequent rest periods, especially for a young horse at a free walk on a long rein, are necessary. The rest periods are not for a rider's fatigue, but to allow the horse to stretch and relax his muscles. The rest breaks will give you a completely new horse. This is the systematic gymnasticizing of the horse."

Riding when the horseman is tense: "Horses are particularly sensitive to the rider's mood. A rider shouldn't ride if she is under undue stress or doesn't have the time to ride. If the rider has a bad day, give the horse a rest day or go for a relaxing trail ride; don't work in the arena. The horse mirrors the rider's mood."

Not praising the horse enough: "The horse must perform from joy, not subservience. Praising a horse frequently with voice, a gentle pat, or relaxing the reins is very important to keep the horse interested and willing. If the horse offers piaffe, for instance, because he's excited, praise him for it. You shouldn't stop the lesson at that point nor make a big deal out of it. If you don't want piaffe, quietly urge him forward into trot, but you should NEVER
punish him for offering the piaffe.

12/30/2022

Thinking about dressage today:
More than twenty years ago Dr Reiner Klimke stressed the real art of dressage: “The horse should be happy and going softly with invisible aids. To achieve this the trainer must be very patient and disciplined. The aim is to keep your horse proud so that he accepts you as master. Don’t sit on him but influence him. The horse must carry us easily and only then will you achieve self-balance.”
“The judges have a real responsibility to the sport - their responsibility is not that their own ideas become reality. Exactly what we have in our dressage rules, everything is described there, and if you want to change the rules, then the changes have to be recorded.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2020/09/from-the-archives-reiner-klimke-the-way-forward-for-dressage-judging/

12/09/2022

12/09/2022

12/08/2022

Kyra Kyrklund is one of the world’s great masters of the highly collected movements – piaffe and canter pirouette in particular. Plus she is a great communicator:
“Before asking for collection, you must teach short steps. Teach with the hand and whip, no leg, and shorten the steps until there is nearly no trot at all. As dressage riders we should all become better at mathematics!”
Kyra explains rides between two markers and counts the strides - 13 steps. Then she rides the same distance in short steps counting as she goes – 19 steps. Now, she puts the leg on, and rides it in nine long steps... Find out more:
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2022/01/kyra-kyrklund-developing-collection/

11/12/2022

10/04/2022

Only the balanced posture will allow the horse to be comfortable, mentally and physically. A rider in the wrong place, and not in balance, or stiff, will prevent his horse from relaxing, keep the horse from developing and muscling up harmoniously. Any exercise, any training, becomes difficult, if not impossible.

Overall
Upper body close to vertical
Thigh/torso angle open, almost flat
Shoulder/seat bones/heels on the same line
Pelvis rocked, belly button slightly pushed toward horses ears
Lower back supported, flat, and even lightly arched
Head straight, in the line with the torso, neck with no stiffness
Eyes toward the ears of the horse, slightly higher
Shoulders low and relaxed
Arms falling naturally near the body
Angle of arm rather open
Wrist rounded, nails facing, hands half closed, and fingers relaxed
Legs loose, falling naturally and vertically, never sticking to the horse or squeezing
Thighs aligned with torso (thigh/torso angle as open as possible)
Knees not tight, slightly open
Legs (calves) loose and soft
Ankles limber heels neither up or down, but free
Feet parallel to the body of the horse, simply resting in the stirrups on the first third of the foot

This posture is not static, or unable to change. It has to adapt to the speed and the actions of the horse; it has to always be limber and free, the vertical line of the upper body adapted to the degree of collection of the horse.

Each rider, depending on their size, build, muscles and degree of relaxation will make adaptations, taking into account also the build, age, training and the problems of each horse. The essential is, while respecting these principles, to be in harmony with the horse and to always control the balance of the horse/rider.

09/25/2022

DISCOVER the 4 LINE TECHNIQUE To Finding The Perfect Spot For Your Saddle Every time! Without expensive tools and just a piece of chalk.

06/09/2022

Some helpful visuals for proper riding.

06/06/2022

04/29/2022

Everyone can learn a little something from this. Have a great day. ☺️

The great Theodorescu Legacy, carried on by Monica, current German dressage coach. Her father told us:
"You can't just send his weight to the back of the horse with your hand, because you don't know if the horse is strong enough to take the weight. You must know the horse exactly, to know when he is strong enough. If someone takes me into the indoor school, and says 'here's 100 kilograms weight, lift it up', he can hit me until tomorrow morning, I cannot lift it up. It's not because I don't want to, I can't…”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2022/03/georg-theodorescu-dressage-is-not-just-a-sport/

04/16/2022

Christoph Hess talks about one of the essential basics:
“Give the horse the feeling of freedom when you sit on it, always the feeling that it can move forward. Most riders all over the world use their hands to try and control their horse, the neck starts to shorten and then it all starts to go wrong.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2020/07/christoph-hess-talks-about-the-basics/

03/09/2022

German team coach, Monica Theodorescu tells us:
“For me there is no ‘modern’ or ‘classical’ riding, there is good or bad riding, or correct riding. That’s what I try to tell everybody, don’t go crazy, we tried that and it didn’t work. One of the many things my father (the late Georg Theodorescu) said was every exaggeration is wrong – that I use as a principle, it’s probably for life also, but for sure it is true for the horses.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2022/03/monica-theodorescu-on-the-secret-to-winning-medals/
Pic is Monica at Aachen with Grunnox. THM suggested to her she should leave Grunnox's beautiful mane unplaited: "I would if you think I will get more points..."

02/28/2022

Christoph Hess emphasizes that we should work with the horse:
“The horse always tries to run away, that is part of his nature. When the rider uses the bit to stop the horse, that is the rider’s first wrong move. We must always give the horse an open door. When we hold the horse with our hands we take the horse out of its mental and physical balance, and that is the beginning of disharmony between horse and rider.” Carl and Wannadoo demonstrate
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2020/07/christoph-hess-talks-about-the-basics/

02/11/2022

02/05/2022

A good read about seat, what it is, and position, what is correct. Enjoy.

01/22/2022

01/10/2022

Classical dressage trainer Charles de Kunffy shares insight on developing your dressage horse and progressing toward collection.

01/05/2022

From the German Cavalry Manual - Shape/frame for dressage:
The best shape of neck and head is the shape that forms when the neck heightens freely out of the wither, and the upper line of the neck builds towards the poll in a soft bend, of which highest point is the poll itself. The head should be held on a straight line from forehead to nose. Such a frame/shape is the right one to allow the rider to best have an effect on the hindquarters. This state of “aufrichtung” (the horse having his poll at its highest point) should only be asked from the horse for short periods of time, and only in halt or in collected gaits. In higher tempo the rider must allow the horse to lengthen the bent neck and to slightly push the nose forward as well. Dr Reiner Klimke and Mehmed - Werner Ernst image
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2019/10/the-classical-tradition-the-training-scale-part-four-how-old-are-our-principles/

01/03/2022

Christoph Hess:
“Relaxation is very important. All over the world we see riders who can control tension and produce a spectacular test, BUT they are not able to show a supple horse.”
“Contact is about stretching through the whole body. Is the movement starting behind, swinging over the back and to the horse’s mouth? The rider has to feel the horse’s hind legs in his little finger.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2018/06/christoph-hess-dressage-is-harmony-and-balance/

12/30/2021

The great rider of the Spanish Riding School, Alois Podhajsky, had this to say about the half halt (or half parade):
The half-halt may be described as a 'call to attention' to prepare the horse for the next command of his rider. It can be employed to shorten the stride, improve the contact and collection, and give notice to the horse than an exercise requiring greater proficiency is about to be demanded.
The half-halt will help the horse to carry himself better and take a lighter contact with the bit. It may be used as a corrective, especially with a horse that is inclined to lie heavily on the reins.
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2016/05/the-half-halt-as-elusive-as-a-unicorn/

11/22/2021

Why we should ride young horses forward and down...

It is a commonly accepted training principle that we should encourage young horses to have a low head carriage. But why is this?

The muscles of the horses back are still immature at 3,4 and even at 5 years old. This is a combination of being developmentally (age related), and physically immature, in the sense that they lack the muscle condition which comes from years of training-induced exercise. Of course the maturity of their muscles will come naturally with time, and as we work them through groundwork and under saddle. But how can we get to this point, while protecting these fundamentally weak muscles and avoiding musculoskeletal injuries further down the line?

By utilising the passive ligament mechanism, we can allow the horse to support the back and carry the weight of the rider with very little muscular effort. This allows the epaxial muscles of the back to be free to perform their primary functions in movement, rather than acting as weight lifters.

The passive ligament system of the back is primarily composed of, well ligaments, the nuchal and supraspinous ligament to be exact.

The nuchal ligament is a strong, collagenous structure, originating at the extensor process of the occiput (the back of the skull), forming attachments to the cervical vertebrae, before inserting on the spinous process of the fourth thoracic vertebrae. Here the nuchal ligament broadens in the region of the withers, before continuing as the supraspinous ligament running along the top of the spinous processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and terminating in the sacral region of the spine.

This creates an inverse relationship between the position of the head and neck and the balance between flexion and extension of the spine.

Generally speaking, lowering the head induces flexion in the thoracic region (the back is lifted) and conversely, raising the head creates extension in the thoracic region (the back hollows/drops). This is because the elongation of the strong and elastic nuchal ligament created when the head is lowered, creates a forward traction on the high spinous processes of the withers, and travels through the supraspinous ligament to lift the thoracic region of the spine. Comparatively, shortening of the ligament raises the head.

This system has provided an evolutionary advantage to the horse, as while they are grazing, the weight of the thorax and abdomen is supported passively by the ligament with very little muscular effort over long periods of time (up to the 16-19 hours per day they can spend grazing in the wild). Equally, because of the stored elastic potential energy in the liagement when it is stretched for the head to be at ground level, the horse can quickly raise its head to gallop away at the first sign of a predator.

Furthermore, lowering of the head and neck, stretching downwards and forwards, straightens out the natural S curve of the horse's spine. This lifts the bottom of the S curve, the cervico-thoracic junction and the ribcage, which creates lightness in the forequarters when the horse is moving. Further back, flexion in the thoracic region, increases the spacing between the dorsal spinous processes as the most dorsal aspect of the spine is stretched out. This posture is particularly therapeutic for horses with kissing spines.

In fact, the degree of flexion of the back is most marked between the 5th and 9th thoracic vertebrae, but is also significant between the 9th and 14th. Consequently, the arching and lifting of the back takes place directly under the saddle and therefore works to support the rider.

This is particularly useful in young horses; it allows the young horse, whose muscles are not mature enough to carry the rider, the chance to support its back and lift the weight of the rider by moving the head-neck axis rather than using active muscle contraction.

This means that the horse can use its muscles solely for movement; creating a loose, swinging back, free of tension, and suppleness in the gait.

Here we have the opportunity for us to slowly develop and condition the epaxial musculature of the young horse. Which will create a foundation of strength and suppleness of the back and the core to support more advanced movements later in their career.

Comparatively, if this system is not used, and the young horse is pulled into a shortened outline, it is the Longissimus Dorsi muscle which takes up the role of supporting the weight of the rider. But theLongissimus Dorsi is not designed for weight carrying, it is primarily a movement muscle.

Muscles act in the direction through which their fibres flow; the Longissimus Dorsi works in the horizontal plane, originating in the sacral and lumbar region of the spine and inserting through the lumbar, thoracic and ending in the cervical region. The Longissimus Dorsi primarily acts to extend and stabilise the entire spine, while also acting unilaterally to induce lateral flexion of the back. You can see the Longissimus Dorsi in action when watching a horse moving from above; the large muscle contracts alternately on each side of the back in the rhythm of the gait to stabilise the movement.

Once the Longissimus Dorsi is required to lift the weight of the rider, the muscle becomes blocked and stiff. Muscles are designed to work through a process of contraction and relaxation; held too long in contraction (to carry the weight of a rider, or support a shortened outline) and the Longissimus Dorsi will fatigue. This will lead to muscle spasm and pain within the muscle. Not only will the horse lose the strength to carry the rider, but they will also lose the natural elasticity of the back which will reduce the fluidity of their gaits.

Over time with greater overuse and fatigue, the Longissimus Dorsi muscle will atrophy, requiring the recruitment of other muscles, such as the Iliocostalis, to take up the role of stabilising the back and supporting the weight of the rider. Other muscles which are equally not designed for weight lifting. And so the cycle continues and the performance of the horse suffers.

With this knowledge in mind, we can understand why it is so essential to make use of the passive ligament system, by striving for that forward and down head carriage. Furthermore, that we also allow our young horses regular breaks, working on a loose rein to allow our horse to come out of the outline, stretch out, and reduce the risk of fatigue.

I always marvel at the intricately designed systems of energy conservation to create efficiency in the horse's way of going. It is our role as a rider to have an awareness of and make use of these systems; to allow our horses to go in the most efficient and beneficial way for them possible, upholding their standard of welfare.

Image credit: Tug of War, Gerd Heuschmann