“Going forward has nothing to do with speed. Going forward is the permanent readiness to step forward freely and naturally, that must still be present even in the rein back. Rushing and pushing also take a forward direction, but they are not the same as going forward naturally, just as sucking back and jigging are not going forward. Rushing backward is not a real rein back, either.”
-Udo Bürger, 1959
“Ride more forward!” is probably one of the most frequent instructions dressage riders hear from their teachers. Unfortunately, riding forward is often misunderstood as riding fast (by teachers as well as students). However, true “forward” begins with the horse "thinking forward”, which means that his first instinct should be to take a step forward (not sideways or backward) whenever you apply a driving aid. The forward motion comes from the extension of the hind legs pushing the body mass up and forward. This can be done at a slow speed or at a fast speed. It's independent of the gait or the stride length or the tempo. The horse should have a forward-thinking attitude even at the halt and the reinback, so that he is ready to take a step forward at any given moment.
What makes "riding forward" by generating a more powerful push from the hind legs “tricky” is that we need the horse to be in balance, i.e. the landing hind leg has to catch the body mass that the pushing hind leg sends forward. This means that the hind leg that touches down under the center of gravity has to flex its joints and act as a shock absorber before it extends again and sends the body mass forward as well. The more the horse pushes by engaging his extensor muscles in one hind leg the more he has to use his flexor muscles in the other hind leg to catch and support the body mass. If you create too much pushing power, the flexor muscles won't be strong enough to catch the body mass when it lands again. In that case the horse loses balance, gets rushy, and probably leans heavily on the reins. If you don’t generate enough pushing power, the energy of the hind legs won’t reach the bit and consequently can’t be recycled back to them by the seat and reins.
“Never increase the urge to go forward at the expense of balance. Never increase the balance at the expense of the urge to go forward. Alas, how easy is this to say, and how difficult is it often to draw this line correctly!”
- Otto v.Monteton (1898)
For practical purposes, the hind legs have to push enough that the horse moves forward and reaches for the bit, but not so much that they overpower the flexor muscles. That's why with younger horses or rehab horses you often have to start with a smaller gait (less pushing power) to help the horse balance flexion and extension of his hind legs.
When you have established a good balance between pushing and carrying and the horse relaxes and starts to lift his back, you can gradually ask for a little more power, a little more push.
Initially, many horses will get a little heavier because the flexion of the hind legs is still the same as before. As soon as you ask for more flexion of the haunches with your seat and with some stirrup stepping or half halts, the horse will find a new balance at a higher level of pushing and carrying and become light again. With this strategy you can fully develop the horse’s gaits over the course of several years.
Most horses have stronger extensor than flexor muscles, i.e. they push more than they carry with their hind legs. With these horses you have to reduce the pushing power at first so that it matches the carrying power.
Other horses tend to suck back and get behind the aids because they are not pushing enough. With them you have to create more push at first.
Thomas Ritter
