In the last blog entry I posted a very interesting piece by Col. Hans von Heydebreck in which he warns the readers of the pitfalls of riding incorrectly forward-downward. In some circles, riding forward-downward is seen as a cure-all that is applied indiscriminately with every horse and for every problem the rider encounters. However, as every exercise, it serves a specific purpose, it affects certain muscle groups, there are certain criteria that have to be observed during its execution, and it has certain negative side effects, if it is done incorrectly, at the wrong time, with the wrong horse, or for too long. No exercise can solve all training problems, and no exercise should be used all the time. All exercises will harm the horse and the training if they are done incorrectly, at the wrong time, with the wrong horse, for too long, or too often.
The advantage of riding correctly forward-downward is that it stretches the back and top line muscles, and that it helps to loosen the underneck muscles. In order to achieve the gymnastic benefits, the rider has to meet several requirements. The top line muscles will only stretch correctly, if the abdominal muscles contract. The optimal interaction of contraction and release is only possible when the horse is balanced. If the horse loses his balance, then some muscles stay contracted without releasing, and the top line won’t stretch properly. Balance requires a certain engagement of the hind legs under the body mass. If the hind legs are dragging behind the horse, he will be on the forehand, the abdominal muscles won’t engage, and the back and top line muscles won’t stretch.
The engagement of the hind legs requires a certain minimum tempo and energy level. If the horse doesn’t go forward enough, the hind legs will not engage, the horse will remain on the forehand, and the stretch will be prevented. On the other hand, if the tempo becomes too fast, or if the energy level is too high, the horse will push himself onto the forehand, with the same negative side effects. If the thrust of the hind legs is insufficient, the horse may put his head on the ground, but without the necessary lifting and swinging of the back, and the purpose of the exercise is missed. If the horse is too agitated, if he thrusts too much, or if he rushes, he will typically invert and stay above the bit. This reveals two more prerequisites for a correct forward-downward stretch: The horse has to be relatively relaxed, and thrusting and carrying have to match each other. If they diverge too much, the horse cannot stretch – at least not correctly.
Another prerequisite for a good stretch is a certain degree of suppleness. A horse that is stiff in his underneck, shoulders, and hips, will probably not stretch, either, because these contractions make him invert.
The rider must also be aware that there are some body types that tend to stretch pretty easily, whereas others need more preparation, before they start stretching. There is a general rule of thumb that if the rider runs into problems with a certain movement or exercise, it does not improve by practicing it more, but that the best way to overcome the problems is to find out which muscle group is not working properly, which joint is not moving with the full range of motion, and to supple and strengthen the respective muscle group. Afterwards the issue with the movement will be gone. Otto von Monteton (1877) addresses this in his wonderfully opinionated way: “The craft says the horse is supposed to learn this and that. Therefore, I have to practice it. The art says: What is the main obstacle that is preventing the horse from executing this or that? That is what he has to overcome first. As soon as the obstacle has been overcome, the horse will be able to execute the movement. You see that the former does not require any knowledge at all, whereas you never stop learning in the latter.”
Applied to the forward-downward stretch this means that there is no point in riding around, waiting for the horse to stretch, if he is inverted, because it will not happen by itself. Instead, the rider has to do some preliminary work first. He has to balance the horse, find the right tempo, the right alignment of the hips and shoulders, and then scan the horse’s body for stiff, braced muscles. Once these stiffnesses have been removed through other gymnastic exercises, the horse will stretch. For this reason, it’s not always possible to start the ride with forward-downward stretching. Sometimes it can only come at the end of the ride, once balance and suppleness have been achieved. And then it will further improve the suppleness. Until that point in time, riding around, waiting for the horse to stretch would only cement the imbalance and stiffness. In other words, it would have the opposite of the desired effect.
The most important factors to watch are the consistency of the tempo, the engagement of the hind legs, and the lifting of the withers. If the horse speeds up during the stretch, then he falls onto the forehand and the benefits of the exercise are gone. The same thing applies if the hind legs start dragging and the withers drop. Finally, the horse’s nose has to stretch forward, so that it does not get behind the vertical.
Feel free to e-mail me with questions and comments.
Thomas Ritter
