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Piaffe in the Pillars. Painting by Ludwig Koch. |
Tapestry depicts horse and rider in the Capriole. |
Pirouette by George Hamilton c. 1700. |
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Mary Stuart in the Piaffe, Sidesaddle. |
Capriole in the Pillars, 1890. |
William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle |
Equestrian Portrait of Henry IV (1555-1610). King of France before the Walls of Paris, 1594. |
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Queen Isabel of France by Velasquez |
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The Dressage Blog
March 15, 2009
On the Bit 11.0
©Thomas Ritter 2009
Wilhelm Müseler gives a very reasonable and very concise explanation of the horse on the aids in his book. It goes straight to the heart of the matter and should be memorized by every rider, because it is so true and can prevent the rider from getting stuck in dead ends and detours.
Wilhelm Müseler (1977):
“What does a horse look like when it is on the aids?
“This question is only addressed here, because it is often asked in similar ways. It must not lead to a description of the horse in his best possible posture. If one does this anyway, one has to realize that one tempts the majority of all riders to trick or force their horses into this posture that was described as the best one. This is where the greatest danger lies for the rider! The buzzword of the long necks has replaced the buzzword of the posture. The posture has to vary according to the training level, the tempo, the movement, and the horse’s conformation – the correct answer can therefore only be: “So that you have the feeling that there is perfect harmony between horse and rider.“
“The question: „What does a horse look like when it is on the aids?“ can therefore not be answered by merely describing the posture of the horse by itself, because in order for it to be on the aids there has to be a rider.
“But if one describes only the posture of the horse, as it is so often done, then one should at least not limit the description to the head and neck, because one should never forget – this cannot be said enough – that the rider does not have a wooden horse under him. One cannot work individual pieces of the horse separately from the whole horse as with a wooden horse, and one cannot judge the whole horse by looking just at individual pieces.“
Müseler really hits the nail on the head. One must not assume that there is only one ideal posture that fits all horses and all circumstances. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the majority of riders seem to think. That’s why there are so many professionals and amateurs alike who try to force every horse into the same frame, the same headset, without ever stopping to think about the horse’s conformation, training level, or the gait or the exercise they are trying to ride at the moment. To underscore his point, Müseler shows an empty picture frame to demonstrate what the horse on the aids should look like, and he has a drawing of a little wooden toy horse as a reminder that any mechanical pursuit of a superficial form that ignores the horse’s individuality is doomed to failure.
The reality is that the details of the horse’s posture on the bit are determined by the angles of the hind legs, the shape and position of the croup, the length and texture of the back, the shape of the withers and the neck, the poll, and the head of the horse, as well as the gait, the stride length, the degree of collection, and the movement one is currently riding.
A horse with straight hind legs and a high croup will look different from a horse who is sickle hocked with a level croup. A horse with a long, arched neck that is set on high will look very different from a horse with a short, thick, straight neck that is set on low. A green horse will look different from a fully trained horse. The frame of the same horse will be different in the piaffe than in the extended trot, etc.
It is part of the rider’s education to learn to take all of these factors into consideration in order to be able to see and feel the right overall posture for each horse and each moment. Of course, that is not so easy to do and requires much studying on and off the horse, much reflection, and much trial and error. It is much easier, as Otto von Monteton wrote, to say: “the head is not vertical.” That requires no knowledge, no understanding, and no experience in training horses. But as soon as the rider stops giving the practical functionality the highest priority in his riding and starts mechanically emulating a superficial form, the training has already failed, because then the horse will no longer really be on the aids, he will no longer be balanced, he will no longer use the right muscles, he will no longer be truly supple, he will probably no longer be very safe or reliable to ride, and he will probably not stay sound in the long run due to the incorrect muscle use.
To be continued…
Feel free to e-mail me with questions and comments.
Thomas Ritter
Previous Entries
March 15, 2009:
On the Bit 11.0
March 14, 2009:
On the Bit 10.0
March 10, 2009:
On the Bit 9.0
March 9, 2009:
On the Bit 8.0
March 6, 2009:
On the Bit 7.0
March 3, 2009:
On the Bit 6.0
February 24, 2009:
On the Bit 5.0
February 23, 2009:
On the Bit 4.0
February 21, 2009:
On the Bit 3.0
February 19, 2009:
On the Bit 2.0
February 16, 2009:
On the Bit 1.0
February 11, 2009:
Conformation and Posture
February 08, 2009:
Westphalen Memorial Competition c. 1912 Follow-up
February 06, 2009:
Work Space
February 04, 2009:
Narrowest Track Follow-Up
February 03, 2009:
The Principle of the Narrowest Possible Track
January 31, 2009:
Westphalen Memorial
January 30, 2009:
Turn on the Forehand Follow-Up 3
January 29, 2009:
Turn on the Forehand Follow-Up 2
January 28, 2009:
Turn on the Forehand Follow-Up 1
January 26, 2009:
Tao Te Ching (64)
January 24, 2009:
Turn on the Forehand in Motion
January 22, 2009:
Accepting the Bit
January 20, 2009:
Reclaiming Classical Dressage
January 18, 2009:
Welcome!
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