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June 2008 • VOLUME 34 • © HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine
Collection, suspension and elevation (‘uphill-ness’) whether on-line or in the saddle, in general can be achieved in 4 ways:
1. By asking the horse for it. This involves setting up a signal, an aid, a ‘half halt’, a postural change...that the horse understands as a direct communication, and so he makes the change. He will make the change immediately, and it is possible he may make a change in this moment that is bigger than he can sustain.
2. By doing a transition or some sort of maneuver that will cause the horse to make the desired change. He will make a change to regain and sustain his best balance possible for him on this day. You don’t necessarily use a signal, just choose to do a particular transition or pattern that will help him maintain his balance and lightness. If you do this well, you will notice a difference before the end of the ride.
3. By investing in correct posture and gymnastics in such a way that over time he develops more carrying power. This is the sort of change you don’t necessarily notice every day, but you will notice his capabilities increasing and your friend that hasn’t seen him in a month will notice a big change.
4. By getting out of the way and removing any reasons you may have given him to lose his balance or prevent him from finding his best balance.
Of course ideally you are doing each of these four. Knowing when to focus on which is a long answer that involves knowing the current state of your horse’s biomechanics, the end goal, and what is important for your horse to develop next in order to achieve that goal. This requires experience and conscious experimentation. Here is what is important to me in general:
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