PURPOSE OF TRAINING

Training is the art of getting a horse to do under instruction that which he does naturally and joyfully at liberty.

Whatever the specific type of work being sought, training must be carried out without restraint to achieve the harmonious development of the physique and ability of the horse.

Correct training methods will render any horse mentally stable and safe for use by Man through the development of his suppleness, dexterity, stamina and balance under saddle, all evidenced by the horse’s willingness to comply, no matter what the end use.

Principles

The main difficulty encountered when dealing with horses is how to GUIDE them, to get them to do what we want, when we want ; not muscle, beat, restrain or imprison them into submission, but educate them to man’s ways by instilling discipline – a co-operative way of behaving - so that they become WILLINGLY obedient.

Before compliance can be achieved, a horse must first acquire confidence and trust, remaining happy and forward in his attitude by understanding what is being asked of him – for horses who understand will give willingly.

Means

A trainer must first obtain the horse’s undivided attention – through persistence.
Premature restraint in any form causes anxiety, only too often interpreted by many of us as ‘ill will’. Rebellion, defensiveness, stiffness, crookedness and reticence are all results of poor basic handling.

Initial handling indelibly imprints a lasting impression in the horse’s psyche which will influence all of his future behaviour.

Because they are creatures of flight, horses register even the minutest of our actions and do not understand mood changes and excesses of emotion, often evoked in us because we have expected something from the horse that he has neither understood nor been fully prepared for, nor accepted. To lose one’s cool for another’s lack of understanding will neither improve their intelligence nor make them comprehend any faster. Apprehension and fear must be recognised as such and reassurances applied rather than punishment, even inadvertently, which only increases the apprehension.

Any action, good or bad, is an action of training, and a knowledgeable trainer will always attempt to facilitate the understanding rather than resorting to any form of violence or restraint.

Progression

The unschooled horse has first to be :

1) DOMESTICATED
· Tamed to accept handling, leading and general co-operation
· Acclimatized to being boxed, removal of liberty
· Immobilized for grooming, farrier, vet

2) GROUND SCHOOLED
· Work in hand
· Free work : on the flat, trotting poles & low gymnastics
· Line work : Longe and eventually long reins

3) MOUNTED WORK (Initial)
· Introduction to tack
· Rider weight and movement
· Acceptance of parameters

4) MOUNTED WORK (Primary)
· Acquisition of confidence through balance
· Introduction to elementary aids
· Straightness and obedience
· First cross country sorties, alone and in company
· Conditioning over varied terrain

Dressage proper

The word “dressage” means “training”. It is a French word which means the education of animals.

Without the psychological part of a horse’s education, the physical will only amount to a series of reflex actions.

A trainer must know exactly what is to be achieved, what he is looking for and what it should feel like, constantly seeking to develop and improve his own knowledge of the requirement for the job by:

• Gaining an understanding of a horse’s psyche
• Understanding the mechanism of each gait and learning to become part of its motion
• Understand balance and straightness, the distribution of the horse’s body weight over the feet within each different motion/gait, finding the centre of balance of the masse (horse/rider combined) through true self carriage
• Understand and maintain forwardness, activity, mobility and regularity, without any signs of tension or stiffness.
  

The horse’s language is Motion
His willingness is Trust
His security is Balance
His acceptance is Suppleness

The Trainer is the coach.
The horse is the student.
Teaching means convincing.

Only by taking the necessary time to fully understand the ‘student’ will a ‘teacher’ acquire the necessary feel to become a truly tactful rider in the truest classical traditions.

If a horse does not learn, it is not because he is a particularly stupid animal ; it is because we have not reached him ! We must look first to ourselves for improvement, learn to recognise facts rather than putting one’s own interpretation onto a situation.

Horses are very willing to please – but very self-protective, which once evoked, errects barriers to understanding.

Listening is an art – and horses listen only too well.
To succeed in our training progressions, WE must learn to listen equally well !

“A teacher must never let their presentation of the facts be guided by their personal opinions, but rather let their opinions be guided by the facts” (Unknown)