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More Quotes of Theodor Heinze
"The rein effects:
As a preliminary remark it has to be stated that the side of the horse or rider that is closer to the middle of the arena is called the inner side, if the horse is positioned this way. The other side, which is closer to the wall, is called the outer side, if the horse is not positioned that way. In general, during the artistic gaits the horse’s head position always determines the inner side, whereas the opposite side is called the outer side. Consequently, one distinguishes an “inside rein” and an “outside rein”.
The highest principle is the rule that: “The reins act only in the direction in which they are squeezed”. They affect the entire horse machine, the head, the neck, the shoulders, the front legs, the back, the loins and the hindquarters in the same direction and to the same degree in which the actions of the rider’s hand are communicated to the bars of the horse’s mouth. If the hand moves forward-upward, the reins affect mainly the front end. The horse’s head and neck are raised that way. If the hand rises backwards, this rein pressure affects the front and hind end simultaneously by elevating the front end. The back muscles flex a little and lose some of their stiffness, the loins lower, and the croup flexes in the stifles, hocks, and fetlocks. It consequently lowers; in the technical terminology: “the haunches flex”. If the hand is led toward one of the horse’s shoulders, the rein pressure acts mainly on this one. The shoulder is either brought in or out, depending on the movements of the hand.
The bit pressure is communicated to the entire hind end or to a single hind leg in the same direction in which the bars receive the bit pressure. If both reins are squeezed backward uniformly, the horse will bring his head and neck back, and as long as the bit pressure is identical on both bars, the horse will step back in a straight line. However, if the bit acts more upon the right bar than the left, the horse will bend his head and neck to the right, push his left shoulder out, and step to the left with his haunches, by crossing with his right hind leg over its left neighbor. If the right rein acts alone, the horse will bend his head and neck excessively to the right, fall out with his shoulders, drift to the left with his haunches, and without the active support of the outside, now left, rein, he will rotate clumsily around his own axis and finally trip over his own feet. This test, which illustrates the following rules, can be made with any bridled horse, mounted as well as dismounted, if you stand in front of the horse and hold both reins close to the bit and move either both reins back simultaneously, or just one by itself.
According to this proof, the inside rein acts predominantly on the horse’s inside. It indicates his head and neck position; it guides by introducing turns. It leads the inside shoulder out. It contributes to the bend of the rib cage. It prevents the inside hind leg from coming in too much. It lowers the loin muscles and puts the horse onto the haunches, which is why it has to execute especially the halt transitions, the reinback and the airs on the haunches: shoulder-in, renvers canter and redopp.
The outside rein affects predominantly the outer side of the horse and has to support the inside rein actively with its cooperation, because it elevates the neck and flexes the poll, or it raises and brings the head in. It maintains the position, i.e. the correct posture of the horse’s head and neck by determining the degree of the poll and neck bend, as well as the lines of the turns, whether they are tight or wide, angular or round. It leads the outside shoulder in, determines the gait and the croup. It prevents the haunches from falling out, and brings them in. It executes especially the renvers and travers at the walk and the school trot, and has to be regarded as the main rein in all jumps and airs above the ground. It is only the cooperation of the other rein that enables the proper effect of each rein, because the correct rein conduct and thus the true contact – a term which will be explained shortly – can be produced only through the closest cooperation between both reins. Whether the reins are held in both hands or just in one hand does not matter: both reins must always harmonize and support each other closely." (1889)
"About the aids
The term “aids” refers to the impressions that the rider makes on the horse’s body and mind, which serve to communicate the rider’s will to the horse, addressing the horse’s sense of touch, hearing, and vision. The aids are subdivided into noticeable and unnoticeable ones, or strong ones and light (gentle, soft, hidden) ones.
Among the noticeable ones are:
- The click of the tongue, which is produced by arching the tongue upward to the palate, followed by a sudden withdrawal with a slightly open mouth. The click of the tongue is used to wake up the horse in the gaits, to collect, and to draw his attention to the stronger aid or punishment that would follow if he ignored it. However, the tongue clicking may not be used too often, because the horse becomes gradually indifferent to the constant sound of the tongue, and because it is annoying and indecent, especially in the presence of other riders, whose spirited horses become even more agitated by it. It is also considered an indecency when a person on foot wants to help and support a rider with uninvited tongue clicking.
- The voice. It is used with a calming tone, with or without stroking or gently patting the neck, the shoulder, or the loin with one hand. With a strict or admonishing tone the voice is raised with naughty, unwilling horses, in order to prevent further antics and to let them know with determination that otherwise a serious reprimand is not far away.
- Swishing with the birch switch is also an activating aid which is applied by keeping the right hand next to the left one, moving the switch lightly and swiftly from side to side above the horse’s neck. The rule is to start with a soft noise that gradually swells in order not to startle the horse.
- Dropping the whip gently onto one shoulder or the other is an encouragement for the horse not to lag behind with the one shoulder or the other, which is why this aid is also applied in the side saddle for the canter depart.
- The touch of the lower leg, the most prominent aid, is used to drive the horse forward, to speed up his gait, and to balance him.
- The feel of one lower leg is applied to prevent the wobbling horse from leaving the track, or to ask him to move in the opposite direction, if the pressure is sustained. The lower legs have to be applied so that the shinbones are closer to the horse’s belly than the calves, because if the latter is the case, the legs have to be rotated outward too much, twisted, and the spurs come too much underneath the horse’s belly. Following the principle of the balance of the horse’s body, according to which the center of gravity is supposed to fall underneath the rider, and the rider forms the lever to maintain the horse machine in balance and to set it in motion, the lower leg aids are best applied at the saddle girth, always gradually increasing and in a screwing motion. Only in exceptional cases are the lower legs applied in front of or behind the girth, which will be explained in due course.
- Touching the horse’s forearms beneath the elbow with the toes is also a driving aid. One uses it to activate the front end, to make the horse who is behind the bit accept the bit, etc. Touching the forearm with the toe is used especially with young, untrained or spoilt horses, in order to ask one shoulder or the other to reach forward more regularly. However, the aid of the toes against the forearms is to be applied and to be allowed only in exceptional cases.
- The touch of one or both spurs is used to make the horse more aware of the calf pressure. This aid is applied with lowered toes, but not with the toes turned out, because otherwise the spurs touch the too ticklish areas underneath the belly and the horse would be provoked to kick and to engage in other antics. This aid should only be used rarely as well, as it is very effective when it is applied sparingly. However, used too often, it can easily produce the ugly habit of tail swishing.
The unnoticeable aids are the following:
- The subtle movements of the hand that have already been described and which a skilled rider has to apply on a well trained horse.
- The pressure with both thighs and knees, which encourages the sensitive horse to go forward.
- The pressure of one thigh and knee is applied to keep the horse on the straight line, when he comes in too much with one hind leg, or to ask him to move sideways, if the pressure is sustained.
- Pushing the hips forward, together with a slight backward inclination of the torso and the pressure of both knees (depending on the horse’s lesser degree of sensitivity both calves squeeze with a screwing motion and gradually increasing intensity during this excellent aid) collects the horse, if the hand resists at the same time. An excellent, extremely effective aid for the skilled rider!
- The pressure by the ball of the foot onto both stirrup irons. This is applied in order to keep the horse on a straight line or to activate the gait.
- An increased pressure into one stirrup, on the other hand, brings the horse who had started to wobble on a straight line back onto the track, and the sustained pressure on one stirrup makes him step sideways. However, the aids of the knee pressure and stirrup stepping require the most sensitive horses, whereas on insensitive horses they remain without the desired success."
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