October November 2012
Left: The canter
pirouette with the
quarters nicely under
and the horse in
complete self carriage
- low behind and up
in front. The inside
rein (and especially
the curb) is hanging
virtually loose (too
often you see riders
hanging onto the curb
rein). The horse has its
attention directed to
the rider with a quiet
tail. All of this is a
result of trainingthis
horse from Long and
Low to Elevation.
Centre: Good example
of Long and Low and
Descente de Mains.
The rider is letting the
horse stretch the top
line in between warm-
up exercises.
Right : Nice moment.
The horse is seeking
the hand of the rider
by stretching forward
with a relaxed/loose
top line. This horse has
been worked correctly
with nicely developed
rump and loin muscled
behind the saddle,
which are counter
balanced by a well
developed neck.
not possible as the neck has not stretched forward yet and muscles near the jaw do not allow the
jaw to `let go' as the glands near the jaw are squashed.
Indeed one cannot expect the horse to be `on the bit' rather the opposite should be true. Instead,
the neck must be encouraged to be long and the nose to be pointed forward, as if it is chasing a
figurative carrot on a stick. It is important that the rider or trainer takes some time to straighten
the neck first before beginning to create the beautiful arch in the neck at a later stage in the
training. If not enough time is taken to straighten the neck, the horse is likely to carry its head
with a thick gullet.