APRIL 2006 • VOLUME 8 • ©HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine

Cross Country Jump by Dwain D Snyder

Lengthening Laterally or An exercise to release the topline.

As mentioned in the Training Exercise: Rebalance at the Wall - Collection and balance is "the ability to move in any gait, in any direction at any time". Challenging our horses and their balance.

Doing the above exercise of Rebalancing at the Wall, we are provided with an added opportunity to create even more benefits for the horse other than the fabulous rebalancing to the hind end.  It seems so fortunate that we can find within one exercise so many different benefits to the horse.

We frequently hear about releasing our stretching the topline and the benefits there of. Although we also hear a lot of controversy about the methods employed in achieving the stretching of the horse.

One of our frequent challenges as riders is to achieve this rebalancing to the hind end. But even more so, it can become a challenge to find an effective and safe way to encourage our horses to stretch. To release through their topline.

It is perhaps no surprise really that we can find a release of the topline through the exercise of "Rebalancing at the Wall." After all any exercise that helps us, help the horse find a better balance through his hind end, has the foremost ingredient of finding success in releasing the topline of the horse.

As the horse begins to bascule and as he begins to carry more weight on his hind end, the basic components of finding a really good stretch within the horse, are at hand. Because we start with the bascule and the increased weight on the hind end, this provides us with some reasurrance that the stretch that we achieve will not compromise these components.

So how can a good stretch be initiated by the horse within this exercise?

Once the horse has begun to establish a change in balance and has begun to free his front end up to go into either direction at the same time with less weight on the front end, this enables us to look for a stretch that begins from the grounded hinds and a stretch that reaches throughout the entire equine body.

A stretch that begins from the back end. A stretch that goes from back to front, a stretch that does not compromise the balance of the horse.

A horse can stretch longitudinally. Think of looking at the horse from the side and seeing him lower his head and neck. Or the horse can stretch laterally. Think of looking at the horse from above and turning his neck and head an shoulders, either to the left or the right.

It is the moment of change of going from straight to turning that we can begin to access a lateral stretch through the horse through this particular exercise.

While asking for  a change in direction we mentioned that it will be helpful to keep  a nice long leading rein helps open up some room in the front for the horse to step into with no backward traction.

You repeat this exercise again, waiting each and every time for her to commit to a direction before you request the opposite. Your request should be decisive and imperative. Soon you will find that she will not predetermine a direction: she will travel straighter and longer, not anticipating the turn, but also doing this with her balance more on her hind end, prepared to go into either direction simultaneously. When she gets to the point of starting to balance more on her hind end you might see a change in her carriage, and also have the opportunity to really get her to extend her topline.

Remember, this may be your first opportunity to show her this possibility: a training moment not to be missed.

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