ReinDancellc

10/07/2025

Great article about straightness…..

Crookedness has many disadvantages. It leads to an uneven rein contact and uncomfortable gaits. Crooked horses often don’t go on the bit, and they can’t perform certain movements, such as half passes and flying changes, or they can perform them only in one direction. They may also be able to bend only in one direction, but not the other. But the most serious problem is that crookedness can cause lameness in the long run because the horse uses his legs unevenly.

When a horse is crooked, the hind legs don’t follow in the footprints of the front legs, but they are moving slightly off to one side. Some horses get crooked by drifting with their shoulders to one side while the hind legs stay more or less on track. Others seem to keep their hindquarters off to the opposite side while the shoulders stay on the line of travel, similar to the way most dogs run. When you watch them directly from behind, you can see both hind legs and one front leg (looking from the front, you see both front legs and one hind leg).

Either way, the horse will lean onto the front leg that is visible from behind. The extra weight that is placed on that shoulder comes from the diagonal hind leg, which is now “idling” next to the body, instead of participating equally in the work. This also leads to a slight permanent bend in the direction of the idling hind leg, so that the crooked horse is shaped like a banana. The inside of this permanent bend is traditionally referred to as the hollow side. I sometimes call it the concave side. The other side is traditionally referred to as the stiff side. I sometimes call it the convex side.

Consequences
Crookedness creates an uneven weight distribution in the horse’s body: one side of the body has to support a larger percentage of the combined body mass of horse and rider than the other. This has a number of serious consequences:

* The front leg on the stiff/convex side (on the outside of the permanent bend) has to support the largest share of the body mass. This leads to excessive wear and tear. In the short run, it can cause soft tissue damage (especially to the suspensory ligament) when the horse has to perform demanding athletic work. In the long run, it can lead to navicular syndrome or arthritic conditions like ringbone.

* The hind leg on the stiff/convex side tends to take shorter steps because the hind leg on the hollow/concave side doesn’t support the weight long enough for the hind leg on the stiff/convex side to travel far enough forward through the air. It touches down too soon, which cuts the weight bearing/flexing phase of the stride short. This diminishes its range of motion: its upper joints can’t flex enough, because there is not enough time before it has to start extending/pushing again. The rider feels this as stiffness and a sense of hardness under her seat bone on that side.

* The hind legs are the horse’s shock absorption system. When all hind leg joints flex and extend sufficiently, the gait becomes smooth and comfortable to sit, and the horse’s back lifts and transmits the forces of the hind legs from back to front without any blockages. If the upper joints of a hind leg don’t flex enough, on the other hand, the shock of the impact of this leg on the ground is not absorbed properly any more. Then the lower joints suffer because they have to absorb the entire impact of the leg on the ground. Unlike the hip and stifle, the hock and fetlock are not embedded in large, powerful muscles that protect them from damage. That’s why the hock on the stiff/convex side may develop spavin, and the fetlock joint can develop wind puffs.

* If the upper joints of a hind leg don’t flex enough, the horse falls onto the forehand, and the back is not supported. It drops and braces underneath the rider. This can create back problems, such as kissing spines.

* The uneven weight distribution that results from crookedness is a lateral imbalance as well as a longitudinal imbalance. Imbalance always leads to bracing in horses as well as humans, because otherwise the horse (or the rider) would fall down. Chronic crookedness/imbalance leads to chronic bracing.

* Muscles grow or atrophy in accordance with their use. The muscles on the side of the body that has to support a larger share of the body mass will have to work harder than the muscles on the other side. That’s the reason why you can often see larger, bulkier muscles on the shoulder and croup of the stiff/convex side.

* This uneven use of the musculature can lead not only to an uneven development of the left and right side of the body, but it can also cause habitual bracing and muscle blockages, especially in the hips and poll.

* If the back doesn’t lift because it is not supported by both hind legs, it will drop and its muscles will atrophy so that the spine sticks out in more extreme cases. �

Conclusion
�Crookedness leads to an uneven distribution of the weight and an uneven distribution of the work between the left and right side of the horse’s body. Some muscles, joints, and tendons are not participating enough in supporting the weight and moving the body through space, so that other muscles, joints, and tendons have to do more than their fair share of the work. It’s logical that the overused joints, tendons are likely to suffer damage from the excessive wear and tear in the long run. - Of course, there are always horses who stay sound until their 20s, although their riders never did any straightening work with them. Different breeds and different individuals are susceptible to injury to varying degrees. But regardless of breed and individual conformation, the chances of a horse staying sound and being comfortable in his or her work are much greater if we work on diminishing the misalignment of the skeleton and the resulting asymmetrical use of the musculature with gymnastic work as much as possible.

Absolute symmetry is not possible for either the horse or the human, but we can try to diminish the asymmetries in order to avoid excessive wear and tear on the horse’s joints and tendons and to eliminate muscle blockages as much as possible - for the benefit of the horse and the joy of the rider.

28/06/2025

The collage of many pictures might be a bit much, but each one makes an important point. I grew up in the frozen northeastern US where people put sandbags or cement blocks in the back of their pickup trucks for better traction in the snow. That same principle applies to horses when they jump. Jumping horses can use all the help they can get when they jump, including having the rider's weight over and close to their center of balance as they take off.

The last thing a horse needs as they prepare to jump is to have their rider leap suddenly up onto their neck, way ahead of their center of balance. It's like throwing those sandbags through the truck's back window onto the front seat just as the truck starts to drive up a slippery frozen hill.

The red dots indicate the centers of balance of a typical horse and human. The skeletal drawing shows how when riding we want to merge our center of balance with the horse's. As we sit deeper our center drops, and as the horse engages, their center rises. This is how we join in establishing unity of shared balance and movement with our horse.

The US Cavalry rider is helping his horse by keeping his center of balance close to his horse's. The rider at middle left with their butt over the pommel is disrupting their horse's balance in the jump.

The evolution of the crest release in Hunter Seat Equitation to the point now that riders are placing their weight so far up on their horse's, with their butts over the pommel, is an example of how humans impose their desire for style on horses while they ignore what horses need. The up-on-the-neck jumping position is also dangerous.

Understanding how the biomechanics of how horses and riders merge their centers of balance in unity, or fail to accomplish this, is necessary to increase a riders skill level. This knowledge allows a rider to see past trendy styles so they can help their horse work more effectively. This understanding also keeps a rider safe.

24/06/2025

This young lady has a birthday today ! Piccolina is 21!
My ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

07/05/2025

For those horses that only gets 2 hours of daily turnout… he really gets 22 hours in the stall minus work time…

21/04/2025

Officially back outside 24/7! 🙌

Piccolina is happy! I’m happy! Harold is happy! 🌭 🐶💃🏻😃

28/03/2025

They W-I-L-L N-O-T D-O I-T.

Will not do what? Use active walks for strength training as an. add-on to their regular training schedules. Eventers, show jumpers, dressage riders, whoever could gain benefit from having stronger equine athletes.

What are you talking about?

Well, this---In 1974 Jack LeGoff had a shallow bench of advanced 3-day horses to send to the World Championshipd to be held in September at Burghley. He had six riders and six horses, zero extras if one got hurt. He wanted to maximize their fitness, because cross country day, back then, would be over 17 miles long, and would require one hour and twenty minutes of trotting and galloping.

So he used vigorous long walks three days a week in addition to the normal schools. So say we did 45 minutes of flat work in the morning, which, with warmup and cool down might take an hour, give or take. Then, in the afternoon, say Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, he would have us saddle up again after lunch, and go hike around the open hills at Wylie. About one to one and a half hours, as I remember, each walk day.

Walks do not stress horses much. They are highly unlikely to cause injury. They build base strength and create muscular development. They are a win-win.

But virtually NOBODY does this, Most human sports teams now employ strength coaches because when technique starts to fail, raw strength can create that winning edge. Why would human horse trainers not want stronger horses?

But does ANYONE grasp this in 2024? Or, if they do, do they make the effort to actually do it?

There’s a hidden gorilla in the room, actually more of a train than a gorilla, It is called the Excuse Train. Nobody wants to admit being lazy, so they dig up reasons to deflect.

“I don’t have time.” That’s a big one.
“I don’t have a place to do it.”
I don’t have enough help.”

But the real reason is usually more basic, six words. “I don’t want to do it.”

Everyone wants an edge. Strength is an edge. There’s a reasonably safe and straightforward method to add strength, Take Jack’s advice or deny it----.

-

18/03/2025

Quality Control Officer checking out the new load of hay from Eastern Hay and Grain Eastern Hay and Grain… Piccolina approved.

08/03/2025

05/02/2025

Why French Classical Training?
And within that - why the Ecole de Legerete?

In my last post I wrote about my personal preferences and how they don't imply I dislike other people's choices.

This is obviously with the continued caveat that there are some things humans to do horses in the name of training which I can't tolerate. You know - side reins; sticking their legs in bungees and then whipping them to create passage ; hyperflexion; normalizing riding behind the vertical; draw reins and any other crazy contraptions. You get the gist. That stuff.

However, mostly, with regard to those of us interested in ethical, horse respectful, mindful training - it is a matter or preference and taste. And for a variety of reasons this approach appeals to me.

Here are some aspects of the French school as translated though the Ecole de Legerete which have, and continue to, win me over. You may find some of these are familiar to you, even if you find yourself training in a different tradition. And to be clear, these are my translations of what I have learned. In no particular order...

- A belief in the horses incredible capacity to learn. That if we use our brains it enables them to use theirs. We are both thinking creatures; we can just forget that we are. This approach enables us to think through solutions, negating the need for force.

- A recognition that balance is a huge deal for horses and that understanding how to help a horse with that may be the solution to many of your problems.

- Using the bit and the hands as a precise, precious and incredible means to communicate and become a source of relaxation and comfort.

- Balancing out the need for slow with the need for go. A horse will benefit from changing their balance through slow, precise work. They will also benefit from using their body in positive tension through the power of neck extension and go.

- The exquisite ongoing conversation between balance - relaxation - impulsion provides many routes to solutions for very different horses.

- One aid for one response is something I learned from a horsemanship perspective and which is also a tenant of Legerete. How horses understand anything other than this is a little beyond me.

- No opposing aids. This is a big one as so many of us were taught to use our hands and our legs at the same time in a way that means the horse has to say no to one or both. When we live with horses and see what utter geniuses they are, it really makes sense to make sense to them.

- Developing a gymnastic program which is individual to the horse. What exercises does your horse need, how and when? This means schooling your horse is never a drill, it is always an interesting, ever developing two way dialogue . I have to set my timer so I don't spend too long in the school these days as it is infinitely fascinating.

- It is not the circle which schools the horse, it is the aids. When I first heard Philippe Karl say this I had to go away and have a big think. Endless circles are a pointless endeavor if your horse does not have the cognitive understanding of what that entails, And this understanding in turn helps us to provide him with the physical capability.

- The aim is that our aids get lighter and more intuitive and the horse offers more and more in response. This for me is a joy and I suspect is infinitely preferable for the horse than, 'More legs, more legs'.

- I just do like the way the horses look. I enjoy seeing horses who can move freely, who are more like ballet dancers than body builders and who are interested in what's going on with their rider.

And teaching as many people as I do - who often come to me initially because things have gone awry with their horse - I have so many answers for which I am infinitely grateful. And I believe the horses are too...

04/02/2025

This…

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

19/01/2025

Dear human,

Do you ever think about the life that I live?

The hours of each day that I spend outside of your view?

Out of sight out of mind — meanwhile my reality really does continue.

Whether you think about me or not, while your life goes on, in your home or out with friends

Here I am, I still exist.

You see, a few hours of turnout may sound like a lot to you, but of much not does my life consist.

In your world, you see an abundance of choices, of paths you may take.

But my reality is much different than you may see, with 18 or more hours spent staring at the same 4 walls.

Not much of my life exists beyond stalls.

Yes, when I see you, it’s the highlight of my day.

Your presence provides an escape from the monotony of my life

But for your entertainment, confinement and isolation is a price I must pay.

Horses of years past, ancestors of mine, built the world you now enjoy, but this didn’t come without their strife.

Sometimes I feel like nothing more than an oversized toy.

Like a luxury vehicle, kept in the safety of a garage, patiently waiting, till you should come and play next.

The constant barrage of needs unmet leaves me frustrated and yearning to be heard.

The lines between love and neglect are often blurre

My such cries fall on deaf ears, for if my behaviour is unwanted, it is ruled as naughty.

The lines between love and neglect are often blurred.

For I know that you love me, in your own little way.

You don’t act with ill will, it’s ignorance at play.

And it’s no wonder that this is how it has become because most every horse loving child eventually does succumb

To a misguided perception of what the horse is to be

Its no wonder this happens, it’s almost a prophecy

These children grew up, with so much love in their hearts

Only to be delighted by the grimacing faces of carousel mounts or gaping mouthed horses, miserably pulling at carts.

They stood no chance, their impressionable minds shaping like the softest of clay.

While from their riding instructors, they are simultaneously told that the horse must always obey.

Before they know it, an adversarial relationship has been created.

Where I, the horse, is now an enemy, whose disobedience is a force that must be defeated.

It’s a war that I never signed up for, one to which I was conscripted.

And, thus, the horse must serve a sentence for a crime never committed.

As our wrongdoings are manufactured, by human misunderstanding .

Our pleas to be heard ignored, drowned out by the demands that we must be submitted.

For actions that the humans label as bad, for wrongs for which we deserve to be acquitted

When we say “no, I’m scared” or “ouch! That hurts!”

It is mistranslated by humans as an attempt to thwart a fictional power structure, one we never agreed to.

Where the horse is a foe, one who vies for power and control, one whose defiance must be defeated.

Empathy is extinguished, the energy reserves for it have been depleted.

And so, I find myself trapped, in a world where my voice goes unheard.

Where I’m told I have such thick skin, that I cannot feel it when spurred.

Where they say that I love my stall, that I am a diva who likes being alone to focus on myself

So that when in competition, I can give it my all.

Many parts of me are personified, but not the parts that matter.

My attempts to be seen and heard for who I am feel like useless chatter.

No one listens, so I go quiet and retreat inward. Feeling too much, being too much is all too exhausting.

I fear the damage on my mind and body the this stress might be costing.

They like me better, anyways, when I am not myself.

I am always too much, or not enough, when I tried to hold an opinion.

So, to you, my dear human, I offer you my puppet strings.

You’ve been holding them so tightly, anyways, and my continued fight does not come without emotional stings.

But, dear human, before I must go, please hear me in a final plea:

Loving me is not enough, if I may put it so simply.

For when that love is a selfish love, where your ambitions and goals are always first,

It leaves me no choice but to be stuck within a curse, where my need to feel seen and understood is not a priority.

Particularly when it conflicts with your goals, it seems like it is much too complicated for you to see we have souls.

But, my dear human, I leave you with this:

I know that your love for me really does exist.

If you can do me only one single favour, please let it be that you’ll continue your learning.

Even when it’s difficult, uncomfortable or hard. Even if it challenges what you’ve always believed.

Please do this for me, dear human, otherwise for your understanding, I’ll forever be yearning.

But if you accept my one simple task, from this stress, I’ll find myself forever relieved.

— original poem by me

See the spoken word poem and short film here: https://youtu.be/7AeCJt8wIJc?si=9vdmHBqzFOW4WWRs

16/01/2025

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. - Klaus Blakenhol

📸 Max & Maxwell: Equestrian Photography