It’s not often I write about the specifics of riding in this column. Part of the reason is because we’re already
showered by numerous descriptions in every horse publication of how to deal with each conceivable aspect of riding. Another reason is that this column is more about philosophy, observations and news in the dressage realm than about teaching riding.

A recent article in a European horse publication, however, made some interesting points about “contact” that I thought are worth sharing.

Few things are as much written, discussed and taught as the “connection” with the horse’s mouth, and yet it remains a fairly nebulous concept. It’s in effect a secret relationship between the rider and the horse that can be observed and judged and commented on to a point. But, in reality, only the two of you know the truth.

“No hand without a seat” is an axiom that never loses its validity, and the quickest way to a good seat is on the torturous longe line, riding without stirrups or riding bareback to acquire the balance and ability to remain within the center of gravity at all times.

We start by concentrating on the rider’s seat before expecting to improve on the hands and the connection
between the horse’s mouth and his hind leg. Hard, insensitive and unsteady hands are sometimes not a conscious problem, and therefore it can take a while to correct them.

Inexperienced riders often lack the strength in their backs and abdominal muscles to sit upright and have a tendency to fall forward. The tension in their shoulders and arms then transfers to the hands and makes them stiff.

Often, the rider is under the impression that by moving the bit back and forth in a sawing motion he’ll put the horse “on the bit.” What the horse will do instead is to swing his head back and forth and avoid the contact altogether, or he stiffens at the poll and leans into the bridle, becoming heavy and leaving the hind legs out behind him.

Only when the horse relaxes and “lets go” in the poll, starts to carry himself with his hind legs and becomes weightless in the hand, can the novice rider get a glimpse of how it really feels when a horse is on the aids.

Love The Longe

There’s no short cut to a good seat. Even accomplished riders need a refresher course on occasion, and it’s back on the old longe line.

Many years ago we had a training session at the U.S. Equestrian Team headquarters in Gladstone, N.J., with the then national dressage coach. Ten riders from all over the country, most of them already experienced as USET team members, stared in disbelief at the coach as he declared that before our lesson we would each be longed by another participant.

There were some longe line lessons from hell taking place, but they were productive and the horses were grateful during the lessons to have more supple riders with quieter hands on board. And we have all heard of the years of longing going on at the Spanish Riding School in Austria before the apprentices are allowed to ride on their own. Well, those boys sure can sit a horse!

There’s an additional way to produce a more educated hand: Allowing the rider to experience sitting on a horse that has already developed collection and self carriage and can work on his own without needing the rider to bring him into balance.

A helpful hint from a horse with well-developed self-carriage can open up a whole new door to better communication. Riding with a bridged rein can help you stabilize the movement of your hands, but too much of that can imprison the hand motion and create a “dead” hand, which stiffens the horse’s mouth, and that’s not desirable.

When it comes to “good” hands, we don’t mean absolutely immobile hands, since that can create a tight, dry and hard mouth.

We once had a girl from Europe working for us and riding our stallions while I went off for one of my training sessions in Germany. She had a lovely position on the horse and a very still hand. When I came back after six months, one of the stallions had a mouth like a rock, and the other one never went forward again. Feeling hands with supple wrists and fingers are far more important than immobile hands. That’s why a flexible hand that may not be optically completely still can sometimes produce a softer, chewing and more “alive” mouth than the hard and stagnant variety.

Another problem can be that the rider simply is afraid to let go. That’s often the case with cheeky and lively horses who are so forward that they worry the rider and make him ride with the emergency brake on.

The rider is pulling the horse from front to back. The horse responds by pulling forward and cannot soften the grip. Neither can the rider, and they end in a deadlock. The rider has to take the initiative to be the first to test the waters by easing up on the pressure after a half-halt and see if the horse will stay with him. Giving does not mean drop the ball, just leaving room for the horse to go forward.

Catch And Release

Speaking of half-halts, there’s at least one article in every dressage magazine explaining the ins and outs of this, the most important training tool we have.

Yet, as a judge, I often see riders go through an entire test without ever attempting to use a single half-halt to help the horse with its balance or signal to him that he should get ready to receive an aid.

Klaus Balkenhol, the coach of the U.S. dressage team, had an extensive article about the half-halt in the August issue of Dressage Today, where the concept was explained in clear language. He points out the importance of timing the half-halt, which is something you learn from doing them over and over until they generate from your muscle memory and instincts, rather than your brain. And he said that he always tells his students: “The secret is in the giving.” So, we are back to that.

The good rider’s seat, connected through the hand, serves as a balancing bar in a ballet class. The horse tends to lightly touch the bit to push himself back into balance when he loses it. It’s not a heavy feel, but rather like a searching for the bit. Once you have a “feel” of the horse’s mouth, it’s as if you were out fishing and a tiny fish is caught on the line pulling against it. It’s not uncomfortable, just a sign that somebody is home on the other end.

And it’s important that the connection is not broken. When fishing, there are big problems when the contact is lost. Either the fish got away, or he’s coming at you. In riding, the emptiness in front indicates that the horse has escaped, just like the fish, and is behind your aids. When the contact varies between heavy and nothing, it’s as annoying as when your cell phone checks out. After a number of times of the rider saying, “Can you hear me now?” the horse hangs up.

Some blessed individuals have an innate feel for how the right connection can be maintained and preserved at all times, but most of us have to work on it. Things like the proper length of the reins, the amount of engagement attained by the driving aids and how to maintain the poll as the highest point are all challenges we go out to face every day as we mount up.

Anne Gribbons

Swedish-born Anne Gribbons moved to the United States in 1972 and has trained 12 horses to Grand Prix. Her trainers have included: Col. Bengt Ljungquist, Harry Boldt, Herbert Rehbein, Dr. Volker Moritz and Klaus Balkenhol. As an instructor, she’s coached four riders to U.S. Dressage Federation gold medals and seven to silver. She began writing Between Rounds columns in 1995.