Feature article originally published in the August 2010 issue of the Equine Journal, www.equinejournal.com; by Lisa Kemp, www.NoBizLikeHorseBiz.com

Natural horsemanship and classical dressage methods might seem worlds apart, but the best practitioners of each possess qualities that include respectful care of and consideration for the horse, communication grounded in the language of Equus, and thoughtful techniques based on step-by-step principles and common sense. A training foundation like this can benefit any equine, but it’s particularly helpful for oft-sensitive Baroque breeds.

Common Sense and Sensibility

Peter van Borst is a lifelong horseman and trainer and is the U.S. representative of Interagro Lusitanos. He feels it’s crucial to ask for movement in a way that allows the horse to respond in a natural and beautiful manner and for everything to be grounded in reason.

“I grew up in the southwest of Ireland, where horses were the significant part of daily life, even in the 1960s and ‘70s. You saw people working and training horses with common sense then, because they couldn’t afford to just go out and buy new horses all the time,” recalls van Borst.

Since horses were worked in the fields daily, and foxhunted several times weekly, keeping them sound required a practical approach based on familiarity, awareness, and consistency. It was a lesson van Borst learned early on, and it allowed him to successfully train horses for stressful roles in both live theater and the film industry, including the renowned Siegfried and Roy show in Las Vegas. He says the best trainers today have that understanding and “feel,” no matter which equestrian discipline they train in.

“Across the board, the most successful trainers you see have a touch for it. You have to be a very aware person to do this, constantly willing to adjust your approach according to each individual horse, and prepared to get knowledgeable help when you need it,” he says.

Seek First to Understand

Natural dressage trainer, Mark Russell, is the author of Lessons in Lightness: The Art of Educating the Horse and a proponent of what he refers to as artistic dressage. Russell feels that when we refer to “natural” training methods, we’re really trying to communicate with the horse from his own point of view. “There’s always a conversation going on between teacher and horse; the more adept we get at our understanding of equine conversation, the more natural we can become.”

Part of Russell’s training method involves what he calls “presentations.” “A presentation is basically a request. We’re presenting an idea to the horse in a way that he can have a general idea what our request is, and our goal is to allow him the space and time to figure it out,” he says.

Novice horses need novice-level requests, much the same way that grade school children focus on flashcards and spelling bees instead of reading college textbooks; and, learning happens one step at a time. “Unfortunately, there are often monetary issues in terms of equine development, so speed is often of the essence in training,” says Russell. “But, with training in a natural way, there shouldn’t be an external time frame in what we’re doing.”

In the Horse’s Own Time

No matter what career they’re being prepared for, horses learn through release: release of the request or the pressure of being asked to perform. By giving them the release from our request, over time, the horse develops an understanding of what we’re asking for, which can then be guided and developed.

Often, the trainer must adjust the request to how quickly or slowly a horse learns and what he’s ready for physiologically. While it takes more time and effort at the outset, undoing the damage caused by pushing a horse that isn’t ready can take even longer.

“If my horse doesn’t understand, and indicates so by his reactions and movements, I’ll bring the presentation down to the smallest increment of what I’m ultimately asking for,” says Russell. He also slows down with horses that are quick learners, or those that try really hard. “Those are horses that might try to fulfill your request even if they’re not yet ready, and they can easily get injured.”

Russell points out that whether the training is classical or natural, time and the trainer have to be on the horse’s side. “Everything has to be presented to the horse so he develops in his own time frame, and every horse is unique.”

It’s in the Way You Move

Identifying positive training directions for Baroque breeds can be as easy as watching the activities they enjoy in the pasture, so schooling can be as enjoyable for them as it is for us.

“Iberian horses can have a lot of fun doing under saddle what they already enjoy doing physically. I try to keep things within that parameter so it’s fun for them,” says Russell, who feels it can be like going to the gym or a yoga class for us. “It might take longer to accomplish these movements when you’re doing things incrementally, but in the long run, when the horse understands and is also physically capable of giving you his optimum movement, there will be much more joy of expression, like a dancer.”

Van Borst agrees, pointing out that despite some beliefs to the contrary, competitive dressage can be as natural as any equestrian endeavor. “I’ve seen horses doing piaffe standing at the gate waiting to come in. I’ve seen stallions doing it watching a mare walk by, and I’ve watched turned-out horses doing passage all around the field because they felt good, snorting with tail in the air,” he exclaims.

He adds that many top proponents of natural training methods have been reaching out to the dressage world. “We’re now seeing some of the natural trainers bringing on board the classical and competitive dressage trainers, working together to educate horses into the more advanced levels of movement, softness, and responsiveness.”

Let’s Go Back to the Basics

Within a classical dressage approach, the foundation for a horse is a “reasonably lengthy” process, according to van Borst.

“The first year or two, it’s a matter of relationship. You’re building communication and building up physical strength, toward what you’re looking for,” he says, echoing Russell’s philosophy that the needs of each individual horse must drive the approach. “You have to consider what their capacity is, what their strength and endurance are. Some horses you can ride for 45 minutes or an hour and some only 15 or 30 minutes before you have to stop, because they just won’t absorb more. Then, you have to be willing to just go ride in the woods and relax.”

Van Borst says he disagrees with anyone who says he or she has the only training methods that work. “It’s wrong when someone says there’s only one way and this is it. My life is around horses; everything I have is from horses, and I have too much respect for them to make it that simple,” he says.

What’s a Baroque horse owner to do? For the good of the horse, these trainers recommend spending time learning about and emphasizing fundamental basics within the classical equitation realm and supporting them with logic and common sense. Some of those fundamentals to gain knowledge of include: groundwork, introduction of equipment, and gymnastic development of the Baroque horse’s physique.

With All Six Feet on the Ground

Feeling fortunate to have grown up around the old European stud grooms and trainers, van Borst says they would longe each horse on the ground for three to six months before ever sitting in the saddle. He says it’s a skill that takes nearly as much time to master as learning to ride.

“You have to be able to influence and control the flexion, motion, collection, and direction of the horse, essentially with a pair of hands, a voice, body language, and perhaps a whip to touch a horse here and there, in substitute of a leg later on,” he says.

While he still uses groundwork extensively in training, van Borst says it takes time and skill. “A lot of people think working from the ground is about walking next to the horse and hitting the legs with the whip or a bamboo pole. That couldn’t be farther from the reality of the situation; you have to be just as aware, and perhaps, have even more feel and intuition about what’s going on than you do while in the saddle.”

Getting in Your Gear

As far as equipment goes, Russell says Baroque breeds can often be more sensitive to new gear than the average horse, so new items should be added incrementally over time. “I’ll hang a bridle on them and let them get used to it. Or, I’ll put reins on without using them, because just the added weight could cause the horse concern,” he says. “How the horse feels about those changes will give us our format for how we’ll work that day, because I always want to give that horse the best possible scenario at that point.”

Determining what tack or accessories to add requires both experience and knowledge, since, as Russell points out, the goal is to allow a horse to understand and develop without using any pain or discomfort to induce a response. For this reason, he frequently starts horses in hackamores and uses a mild full cheek snaffle bit in both early training as well as on educated horses; he feels this type of bit allows the horse to find his own natural balance.

Fitness for the Job

The physical development and comfort of the horse in training are just as important as the mental aspects, according to Russell. In his view, it’s the gymnastic development of the horse’s body, and managing both relaxation and the flow of energy, that set “artistic dressage” apart from natural horsemanship or competitive dressage methods.

“For me, equine ergonomics is truly a critical factor in developing a horse, such as being aware of body shape, position, and movement,” he says, pointing out that the spine is the most critical part of the horse’s body.

“It affects all movement of the horse. How the hind legs engage, how the temporomandibular joint works or doesn’t work; even stiffness in the neck affects movement a great deal,” he says. “I’m constantly working on flexion of the skeleton and muscles, not putting on my ‘training accessories’ to try to create a movement, but looking at how to release, how to shape, and how to develop a horse gymnastically.”

You Need to Give, to Get

Training Baroque horses using natural and classical methods requires as much from the trainer or rider as it does from the horse. Paying attention to the correct fit and use of equipment, learning how to interpret nonverbal messages and body language of the horse, and being aware of and managing one’s own internal energy and body language are just a small portion of what’s necessary in order for the whole plan to work.

There’s no magic pill when it comes to schooling horses. Van Borst notes, “Horse training is an artistic endeavor, like being an opera singer, or a writer or a painter. You begin with some natural talent and desire, and then you train and work at it until you get better and better.”

By Rick Larson, reprinted with permission from the Horseman’s Yankee Pedlar, February 2007

How should you feel softness?

Spending considerable time blending the benefits of natural horsemanship with the theories of classical dressage, Mark teaches a greater truth about the so-called soft feel or ‘lightness’ and what it should mean to both the horse and the rider.

In his view, too many people equate softness merely to the rein. While this is one display of softness, Mark cautions riders that it is a mistake to focus on just the horse’s response to rein.

“For both the horse and the rider, it is a lot more involved than most people think,” Mark said. “Teaching lightness to the aids isn’t difficult once the rider understands how to move the horse forward in ways that efficiently use his energy. Softness in the rein and head position are results of suppleness throughout the horse’s entire body, and then, depending on the discipline and level of training; the horse’s strength to hold balance more toward his haunch. In my book and in my clinics I teach what I call a circular movement of energy. This is crucial to softness in the rein.

From Mark’s point of view, the exercises that supple and strengthen the horse must start in his jaw and work progressively back down the spine – until you reach his hind fetlock. Once you have suppleness from front to back, you can then ride the horse’s energy forward in a soft or unrestricted manner. Mark says, “When I talk about a soft feel, that is what I mean – the softness is through the whole horse. Riders get hung up on the rein and the head. To get beyond that requires faith in the concept of lightness and preparation. That is what riding in lightness is all about.”

An Imbalance Can Lead to Evasion

“You don’t want the horse to feel it necessary to evade through the vertebrae of the neck or back,” Mark said. “This happens when the horse is forced through stiffness and/or when he is unbalanced. When you ask a horse to release to pressure he must be able to articulate the spinal column up, down, and sideways – what ever it takes to find the release. If a horse is less flexible on one side or one leg when we ask him to shift then energy will be blocked. This causes the horse to evade or shift onto a stronger leg. If you don’t release that stiffness early on, then the horse becomes more crooked instead of less crooked.”

“For me, the job of a rider is to straighten the horse and equalize the flexibility through the shoulder, the spine, and the haunch. Both horses and riders have different muscle tone and flexibility from one side to the other – it is just a matter of degree. In addition to changes from side to side, the horse’s conformation or condition of the back is paramount. The connection between the shoulders and the pelvis must be strong enough to carry the rider in an educated balance. If you just develop a ’soft feel’ in the rein – when you don’t have the support of the back, the horse can’t fully engage. This is why I stress the softening and strengthening exercises that work the whole horse – not just in the response to the rein. Lightness has to come as a package to be correct.”

“You have to remember that the horse is rarely wrong. He only does what he thinks the rider wants and what he knows how to do,” Mark said. “Prepare the horse and then ask correctly. Add giving the horse time to develop mentally and you have an ideal training program.”

Relaxation to Get to Straightness

Relaxation in both horse and rider makes it easier for the horse to become straighter; both vertically and longitudinally. Straightness facilitates equal or proper development of strength and suppleness. Add impulsion and you have all the ingredients to introduce a soft feel.

In his book, Lessons in Lightness: The Art of Educating the Horse, with Andrea Steele, published by The Lyons Press, Guilford, CT, Mark describes the flexions he uses for both ground work and mounted work to encourage the horse to relax and yield. Mark explains, “I teach horses how to relax [during schooling], not by force but by positioning them for a release to pressure. A horse’s innate response is to brace or push against pressure. Teaching them to yield instead is the first step to building softness.”

“I emphasize the release of the TMJ (temporomandibular joint) because this is the key to unlocking and aligning the entire spine. I teach small manipulations of the skull to release the head at C1 (first cervical vertebra) and C2 (second cervical vertebra). These joints control head movement front to back and side to side. Once the horse is supple to a different range of motion, they will look for that position and the subsequent relaxation it brings. I have found that when riders understand the horse’s ‘body mechanics’ at a deeper level they are encouraged to seek out more and more lightness in their horses. It is impossible to explain these complex issues in a short article. But horses want to be comfortable, so when you guide them to find these specific positions they will form the necessary muscle memory and relax into the position. That is when you can introduce your legs, your seat, and the rein aids, and [the horse] will respond with softness to all the aids.”

Adding Impulsion

Once a horse learns to yield to pressure the rider must think about a truly forward gait. “To me,” Mark said, “impulsion is not driving a horse forward with your lower leg. It is allowing the horse forward [because he is perfecting the freedom of forward energy flow within his body]. The rider must now be as relaxed as the horse so as not to impede this natural flow. Both horse and rider must think forward. The circular flow of energy comes through the horse, up through the rider, and back into the horse. When it is right, it feeds off itself and is intense power – much more harmonious than driving force. ”

In contrast, a soft feel, without sufficient energy is an empty sensation to both horse and rider. It is a little bit of style without any substance and easily identifiable because the horse will roll up in a ball without momentum.

Don’t Throw Him Away in the Pursuit of Softness

Mark warns, “Efforts to release the rein can go too far. The rider must be supportive as well. This nuance is part of the ‘art’ that makes teaching lightness elusive for many riders.” While rein aids in some stages of training can consist of bigger movements – such as allow the horse to take the rein all the way down [to the ground]. Progression requires the length of, or freedom in the rein be narrowed. To be clear, there comes a point in the training when you can’t drop the reins. If you do you not only throw the horse away physically, you lose him mentally as well. “The way to get around this,” he continued, “is to soften your hands to allow the reins to slip just a little bit. In a novice horse it might be an inch or two. In a more educated horse it might be a fraction of an inch. They may only need to feel a lengthening of one finger and take that as a reward. Allow the softness in the rein to be a function of relaxation in your body. Don’t throw him away. You can be supportive without a weighty contact.”