19/08/2023
Fin tekst om mulige årsaker som kan føre til problemer med bittkontakten i ridningen 🤓
I once rode in a lesson with an Olympic coach who told me that there were three things that could not be “fixed” in a dressage horse. He told me that one of these things was contact issues.
Anybody who has ever had a horse with serious, deep-rooted contact issues knows how disheartening and frustrating it can be, so I can understand why someone would say something like this.
Thankfully, I believe differently. From a very young age I have been educated by professionals who still believe that training dressage horses is a skill and an art and a huge part of this is problem solving.
Of course, a major factor leading to contact issues that will never be resolved by even the best training, is physical discomfort.
Dental problems, ill-fitting tack, mouth sores, pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, back and even in the limbs or feet can all lead to resistance or avoidance in the contact.
All of these things need to be addressed before it will start to be more clear what the cause of the contact issue is.
Once you’ve determined that the horse is healthy and comfortable, you can be fairly sure that the issue is coming from the riding and/or the horse’s lack of proper training.
For the purpose of this post, I’ll skip my thoughts on properly starting a young horse, but focus on trouble shooting for the horses who have developed contact issues later in life.
There are a handful (no pun intended) of riding related reasons that a horse may be having contact issues.
The first and most obvious is the riders hands. Rough or unsteady hands, sudden movements or gripping the reins tightly can create discomfort for the horse and hinder proper connection.
If the use of harsh hands are intentional, this is improper training. Incorrect or harsh training techniques can lead to resistance or contact issues that horses will associate with the bit. Discomfort or pressure, leads them to evade or resist the contact.
If the harsh use of the hands is NOT intentional, we chalk it up to inexperience or a lack of sensitive feel on the riders part. Inconsistent rein aids, unintentional tugs, or sudden movements can confuse the horse and lead to resistance.
In this same vein, inexperienced riders that may be lacking sensitive feel and mismatched aids can also cause confusion for the horse. If the riders leg and seat aids are not in harmony with the rein aids, these conflicting aids can cause inconsistencies and contact issues.
I would classify most of these rider issues as “mental factors” for the horse. Poor riding results in confusion, frustration or fear for the horse. Harsh hands and confusing aids will cause a horse to loose trust in the rider and the horse will then avoid or resist the connection.
This next set of “causes” are more closely related to the training rather than the riding.
The first is as simple as a lack of education about the reins. Horses that haven’t been properly educated about the rider’s aids and the meaning of the reins, will generally struggle to understand how to respond to contact cues.
The next is tension or stiffness. Horses that are tense, stiff or lacking suppleness in their body may struggle to maintain a soft, consistent connection. Tension makes it difficult for the horse to seek the bit and move with fluidity.
Lack of engagement is another issue that can cause contact issues. Horses that are not properly engaged may lack the necessary impulsion and balance to maintain a correct contact. Engagement of the hindquarters is crucial for carrying the weight and seeking the bit.
The last is as simple as the training progression itself. Progressing too quickly through the training stages without establishing a solid foundation can lead to contact issues. Horses need time to develop the strength, balance, and understanding required for a correct connection.
Addressing contact issues involves a combination of proper training, a lot of rider education, addressing physical discomfort, and building a trusting relationship between horse and rider. Working with experienced trainers and professionals (ones that do believe these issues can be fixed) can help identify the root causes of contact issues and develop effective strategies for resolving them.
PC: Bethany P Photography