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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
June 26, 2009
Accepting the Weight
©Thomas Ritter 2009
You often hear trainers talk about the horse having to “accept the bit”, but I very rarely hear anybody saying that the horse has to accept the rider’s weight with his haunches. However, this is just as important, and in a way it’s almost a prerequisite for the acceptance of the bit. This acceptance of the weight consists of a certain yielding of the hind leg joints under the combined body mass of horse and rider. As long as the hind legs try to get rid of the rider’s weight by pushing the croup up and bracing against the seat, the poll and neck will be braced against the reins as well.
In order to get the horse to accept the weight, the rider has to engage his/her core muscles and connect his/her hips and elbows with each other, while the surface muscles and the hip joints remain relaxed, so that the weight can flow through the horse’s hind legs into the ground. This is extremely important. The rider’s weight must not get stuck in the middle of the horse’s back, because it would suppress the back and disconnect the hindquarters from the front end. The weight has to connect through the horse’s legs to the ground. If the rider’s core muscles are not engaged, and if his/her hips are tight, or if the glutes and hip flexors are stiff, the seat will be wobbly, and the horse can very easily push the rider forward, out of balance. When that happens, neither the driving aids, nor the rein aids will go through any more.
When the hind legs start to soften and to accept the weight by flexing the hip and hock joints, the acceptance of the bit will also improve.
Feel free to e-mail me with questions and comments. Read some of the feedback we've received on our Letters and Testimonials page.
Thomas Ritter
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