Footloose Farm LLC

09/28/2024

Why do biomechanics matter?

No one uttered this term to me, in all my years of riding and lesson-taking, until I was well into my 20's. I heard lots of other words: contact, responsiveness, connection, rhythm, impulsion, suppleness. All of them felt like these ethereal concepts that had multiple meanings depending on who you talked to. They also had varying degrees of importance or ranking in terms of what you need first before the horse can offer the next thing, depending on who you talked to. I still see this all the time, and hear about how frustrating it is from other horsepeople trying to do the best they can.

Biomechanics are the physical relationships and structural laws that govern how living things move. Biomechanics are the HOW in all of those aforementioned ethereal terms. They are vital in understanding how to correctly develop a horse for riding. This is the first reason why biomechanics matter.

The second reason is because horses weren't designed to be ridden. I cannot overstate how important this is to understand if you want to ride horses and ride them well: horses were NEVER designed to be sat on. The horse is born with a specific set of biomechanical tools available to him, and they serve him very well...when they are needed.

The thing is, those tools were designed for maximum efficiency if the horse's life is in danger: used for brief moments, blips in between long stretches of calm. Those exact tools can cause injury, unsoundness, and degeneration if used every day, day in and day out, for years.
. . . . . . . .

I want you to look at these two photos.

The top horse is using what nature gave him (and what work with humans helped him turn into long-standing patterns in movement). The bottom horse has been given new tools and taught how to use them to move in ways that preserve soundness, not encourage degeneration.

The top horse is moving in a way that directly ties into the same sympathetic nervous system responses that kick in when a horse is in danger. The bottom horse is demonstrating all of the power potential the nervous system makes available when the horse is in danger, but accessing it through relaxation and completely different biomechanics.

The top horse is using the ground to support his weight in movement, putting a lot of pressure on his joints. The bottom horse is doing a lot of that supporting himself by virtue of his posture, putting significantly less strain on his joints.

You may have already figured out this is the same horse. These photos were taken approximately two years apart.

I guess what I'm getting at is this: the way to develop the bottom horse isn't to simply take the top horse and add contact, impulsion, responsiveness, ride circle after circle, do pole and hill work, etc. Whatever you apply to the ridden horse will only reinforce what is already in him.

You must teach him, literally from the ground up, a new way of moving, a different biomechanical perspective. Some horses will come by this easier than others, but not a one is born knowing how to put all of these things together on their own when the human asks it. Not a one.

We have to show them how.

PC: Mandy Helwege. Thank you for permitting me to share your lovely boy.

09/25/2024

09/21/2024

The movement of your horse’s hind legs can be broken down into the following three phases; thrust, reach, and carry.

Each phase is important and each one impacts the next, e.g. the more weight the horse takes during the carry phase, the more power he can produce in the thrust phase.

This knowledge is useful because it helps you in timing your aids and influencing the horse.

👉 EXAMPLE 1

During a leg-yield, the horse’s inside legs are required to step in front of and across his outside legs.

Therefore, if you apply your inside leg aid at the same precise moment as your horse lifts his inside hind leg (into the reach phase), then you can encourage the horse to step further under and across with that leg.

This will give you a greater degree of crossing during the leg-yield and a more sweeping stride.

👉 EXAMPLE 2

If you want to encourage your horse to take more weight behind, then apply your half-halt just as the horse’s inside hind leg is coming down to the ground (the carry phase).

At this moment, you can encourage your horse’s inside hind leg to take more weight.

👉 EXAMPLE 3

The horse’s canter stride starts with the horse’s outside hind leg. Therefore, to make a smooth transition from trot or walk into canter, apply your canter aids as your horse’s outside hind leg is in the reach phase.

This means that as that hind leg touches the ground (the carry phase), instead of it being another step of trot or walk, it will be the first step of canter.

This also encourages the horse to reach further under with that hind leg, producing a more uphill transition.

Give it a go!

09/16/2024

Yes! Yes! Yes! This is why riders need to use judgement, gut feel and be like a parent. No one can rule out pain when it comes to an animal that can't talk.

I hear this phrase ALL the time and every time I do my heart breaks for the horse in question.

It is a very big misconception in the industry that pain can be ruled out in the horse.

What leads to this statement can also vary drastically from person to person.

The horse might have had a quick muscle palpation, they might have just been scoped for ulcers, or they might have had a very extensive (and expensive!) veterinary work up over days or months.

Regardless, you cannot rule out pain. You might not be able to find a source, but you cannot rule out pain.

Ask any human who has not received an immediate diagnosis for their pain or not been listened to regarding their own health concerns.

Pain does not have a blood test or a specific color or feel.

Pain can be obvious, it can be concealed, it can be complex, it can be poorly understood.

There are certain things, like gastric ulcers, that can be definitively ruled in or out as a SOURCE of pain with a gastroscopy.

But it is the horse’s behavior that says whether pain is or isn’t present. And unfortunately, very often pain in the horse is not a simple thing to diagnose and cure.

When a trainer, owner, rider, or vet says “we have ruled out pain” it is often an invitation to train the horse with harsher methods to overcome performance or behavioral problems.

If the horse refuses to do something, doesn’t cooperate, struggles with tasks, has a change in behavior, or exhibits behaviors that have been scientifically studied to indicate pain in the horse (such as the equine discomfort ethogram and ridden horse pain ethogram)….ALWAYS keep in mind that just because it can’t be located, DOES NOT mean a horse is not in pain.

09/08/2024

Yes! This why exercises can get you in trouble. Knowing the dressage and good posture before you do a ton of exercises is so important.

Be mindful of your choice of training exercises. Never ride around mindless. Avoid empty miles on a stiff, crooked, unbalanced horse, as they damage the legs.

09/08/2024

Don’t ride the horse every day. Sometimes, just work him in hand, at the longe line, the double longe line, or long reins. The more time he can spend doing gymnastic work without the weight of the rider, the safer it is (particularly when bringing the horse back from an injury).

09/05/2024

09/05/2024

Love this!!

Sometimes we are asked about how to structure a training session, or how to build the horse’s training over the years. There are several basic principles that you can follow in structuring the training of your horse in each ride, as well as longterm, through the years. Training should always revol...

09/04/2024

In our courses, we have a mantra for changes of direction: Shift the weight, Change the bend, Turn the shoulders. This is an absolutely essential movement pattern that is repeated many times during a training session and that is critical for carrying out well balanced changes of direction.

Balance is dynamic, not static

Balance is not a static, equal weight distribution of the horse’s weight over all 4 “corners" of his body, but it is the ability, to redistribute the weight quickly and smoothly from any one corner to any other, or from one side to the other, because only then can the horse move smoothly in a small space.

If a horse is not able to redistribute his weight easily, he will become stiff and clumsy and you feel like you’re having to manoeuvre a large ship around a small swimming pool. By contrast, when the horse is truly balanced, you feel like you’re sitting on a ball that you can roll in any direction any time.

Pay close attention into which corner or side of the horse's body the weight has to flow when you’re riding combinations of turns and lateral movements. Good examples are zizags, shoulder-in > half pass/leg yield, shoulder-in > turn on the haunches, Leg yield > turn on the haunches, shoulder-in > counter shoulder-in on a circle.

Ride these exercises as always at first. Then ride them again and emphasise your weight shift and the rotation of your pelvis. Observe your horse’s reaction to them.
Shifting the weight plays an important role in every change of direction, every simple lead change, every flying lead change, as well as in certain combinations of lateral movements. It is also an integral part of functional straightness. A crooked horse will prefer to support himself with the same front leg at all times, which will make all turns, all changes of direction, and all lateral movements more difficult in one direction than the other. He will lose his rhythm in changes of direction, invert or curl up, the flying changes will be late behind at least in one direction, the combinations of lateral movements won’t flow smoothly, etc. When he is able to shift his weight easily from one side to the other and from front to back, he will able to stay round and light in all turns, transitions, and lateral movements.

Rocking the weight back and forth between forehand and hindquarters with the help of stirrup stepping sequences lifts the back and the withers and relaxes the poll and the underneck muscles.

Rocking the weight back and forth along a diagonal pair of legs through stirrup stepping sequences can strengthen and relax the back, as well as improve the diagonal footfall sequence in horses that tend to trot or piaffe in four beats.

Conclusion

Weight shifts occur all the time and are one of the central factors that determine whether a turn, a transition, or movement is performed smoothly and lightly.

Since many horses seem to find weight shifts difficult, it is worth practicing them in a variety of exercises. Often, the underlying issue is a lack of body awareness by the horse. In that case, it makes sense to explore the weight shifts on the ground first, so that the horse only has to support his own weight, not that of the rider.

It also makes sense to study these weight shifts slowly at the halt or the walk so that the horse has time to really think about his legs: which one is next? Where does it have to go? Which leg(s) need(s) to support my weight so I don’t fall down? When the weight shifts become easy for the horse at a slow gait, we can gradually practice them at higher gaits as well.

Dr. Thomas Ritter
www.artisticdressage.com

Subscribe to our email newsletter to get thought-provoking articles (like this one!) about the art of dressage delivered straight to your inbox: https://ritterdressage.activehosted.com/f/47

Check out our upcoming courses and challenges in our store: https://courses.artisticdressage.com/store

New videos added daily to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ArtisticDressage

09/04/2024

To supple the horse you may have to ride lateral movements in the walk for a while, and only ride larger arena patterns on a single track in the trot, until the horse has developed enough strength and stamina to do lateral work in the trot as well.

06/20/2024

This is the basis of my program with all my students and horses

I thought I would talk a little bit today about the difference between using a lateral movement and performing it in a competition or in an exhibition. There is a general tendency among dressage riders to have a somewhat rigid view of lateral movements and to evaluate them only as a judge in a competition would do. There is also a tendency to ride lateral movements mostly down the long side of the arena, and to stay in the movement for the entire long side. And while there is nothing wrong with that, it is only scratching the surface of the gymnastic potential of lateral movements.

These movements were not (only) invented to evaluate a horse’s training, but they also have very valuable gymnastic properties that can be used to improve the horse’s balance, straightness, suppleness, and collectability.

In order to take full advantage of the gymnastic effects of the movements, it is often better to ride them only for a few strides as part of a compound exercise in order to engage or flex one hind leg.

And I have found that smaller angles are often perfectly sufficient, and sometimes even more effective than the familiar versions on 3 or 4 tracks.

Biomechanics background

The angle between the horse’s body and the line of travel depends on the horse’s ability to collect, because in a true lateral movement (i.e. excluding the leg yield) the horse needs to bend laterally to maintain his alignment. The steeper the angle, the more the horse has to bend and to collect.

The bend in a lateral movement is actually equivalent to the bend on a circle of a specific diameter. That’s why the Spanish Riding School in Vienna used to ride a volte in the first corner of the long side before a shoulder-in, haunches-in, or half pass. The volte helps to establish the bend, which facilitates the initiation of the lateral movement. As you transition from the volte into the lateral movement, you maintain the same bend.

If you look at a photograph of a horse in a shoulder-in with the hind legs on the first track and the front legs on an inside track, you can’t easily tell whether this is the beginning of a circle or whether the horse is in a shoulder-in. If the horse follows the direction of his front legs without changing the bend in his body, he will move onto a circle whose radius corresponds to the degree of his lateral bend.

If you look at a photograph of a horse in a haunches-in, it could be the last stride of a volte, with the front legs back on the first track, and the hind legs still on the line of the volte, or it could be a haunches-in (depending on the moment of the footfall sequence in which the picture was taken).

The steeper the angle of the horse in the lateral movement is, the smaller is the corresponding volte. The smaller the volte, the more collected the horse needs to be. This is perhaps the reason why lateral movements were not introduced in German competition tests until Medium level, because a 3-track shoulder-in or haunches-in with an angle of approximately 33 degrees is the equivalent of a volte that may require a higher degree of collection than a lower level horse is capable of.
If you ride a lateral movement with a steeper angle than the horse’s ability to collect allows, the horse won’t be able to bend in his body enough, which results in the haunches or shoulders leaving their line of travel. In other words, the horse gets crooked, and one of the hind legs no longer steps under the body, so that the movement loses its gymnastic value.

In order to determine the steepest angle the horse is capable of in a lateral movement, you could ride the smallest volte the horse can perform on a single track. If you stop with the hind legs on the first track, you get the steepest possible angle of the shoulder-in. If you stop with the front legs on the first track, you get the steepest possible angle of the haunches-in.

If you want to ride a lateral movement with a steeper angle, you can try to ride a volte whose diameter corresponds to the lateral bend of this angle, and it will become obvious very quickly whether your horse’s degree of collection is sufficient for a volte of this size, or whether it is still too early. For instance, if the angle of the shoulder-in you are trying to ride corresponds to a 6m volte, you will need an FEI level horse to be able to bend and to collect accordingly. But if your horse is only able to perform a 10m volte or a 12m volte, he won’t be able to bend as much as would be necessary to keep all four feet aligned in the lateral movement.

What to do with a lower level horse?

So where does that leave you with a lower level horse? You can either postpone introducing lateral movements altogether until the horse is able to collect enough to perform a “proper” 3-track shoulder-in or haunches-in, or you risk making your horse crooked if you insist on the 3-track angle anyway, even if he isn’t able to trot or canter on a volte of the corresponding size yet.

But how is the horse supposed to develop collection without being able to take advantage of the gymnastic effects of the lateral movements?

There is another option, and that is to ride lateral movements with the angle that corresponds to the diameter of the circle that the horse IS able to perform correctly - even if it’s only a 20m or 15m circle. I call these shallow angles homeopathic doses, and over the years I have started using them more and more, even with horses who were able to collect enough for a full-fledged lateral movement.

Using lateral movements, rather than performing them

I also moved away from “performing” lateral movements as an end in themselves, as if I were riding a competition test, a long time ago. Instead, I like to use them for gymnastic purposes, and depending on what I am trying to achieve, I don’t necessarily need a steep angle, and I don’t need to stay in the lateral movement for an entire long side. From a gymnastic point of view it’s often sufficient to move the front legs or hind legs only on hoof breadth or even half a hoof breadth sideways. The important thing is the correct alignment of the horse’s feet and the bend through the body.

Let’s take a look at what the individual lateral movements “do” for the gymnastic development of the horse.

- The shoulder-in can be used to bring the inside hind leg more under the body, i.e. closer to the outside hind leg and closer to the front legs. Hind legs that move close together are a prerequisite for collection, as the Duke of Newcastle discovered.

- The counter shoulder-in can be used to bring the outside hind leg (in terms of the arena) more under the body. It also draws the horse’s attention to the rider’s outside leg and rein, and it helps to control the outside shoulder better and to maintain a good connection between the shoulder and the base of the neck.

- The haunches-in and half pass can be used to flex the inside hind leg with the help of the combined body mass of the horse and rider. They also draw the horse’s attention to the rider’s outside leg.

- The renvers can be used to flex the outside hind leg (in terms of the arena) with the help of the combined body mass of the horse and rider. It also draws the horse’s attention to the rider’s outside rein (in terms of the arena).

All lateral movements mobilise the hind legs, and they bring them closer together as well as closer to the front legs. Lateral movements in which the horse is bending AGAINST the direction of travel (shoulder-in, counter shoulder-in) mobilise the hind legs mostly in a lateral direction. Lateral movements in which the horse is bending IN the direction of travel (haunches-in, half pass, renvers) mobilise the hind legs also in a vertical direction. They require greater flexion of the inside hind leg.

If you have never thought about lateral movements in those terms, try walking them on foot and observe how your “hind legs” are moving, which one has to support the body mass, and which one is advancing the body mass more. Then do the same thing in the saddle at the walk so that you have time to pay attention to the details.

Developing suppleness, straightness, and collection

From the theoretical background in the last segment you can extrapolate the gymnastic potential when you combine lateral movements with each other, or with voltes, corners, and turns on the haunches.

If you want to supple and strengthen a hind leg you need to bring it underneath the body first so that you can flex it with the help of the body mass. Looking at the information of what the individual lateral movements “do”, you can quickly see that combinations of shoulder-in and haunches-in, shoulder-in and half pass, or counter shoulder-in and renvers are quite useful, because the shoulder-in and counter shoulder-in bring the hind leg that is on the inside of the bend more under the body, and the haunches-in, half pass, or renvers flex it.

Combinations of shoulder-in and volte or shoulder-in and turn on the haunches are also valuable for the same reason, because the volte as well as the turn on the haunches flex the inside hind leg too.

These combinations are often most effective if you stay in each lateral movement only for a short distance (3-6 strides) and alternate between the engaging lateral movement (shoulder-in, counter shoulder-in) and the flexing lateral movement (haunches-in, half pass, renvers). This is much more effective than staying in any one lateral movement for a very long time.

As I mentioned above, it’s not necessary to ride the lateral movements with a steep angle. Sometimes the shallow angles actually seem to be more effective to me than the steeper ones. You can feel the effects of the lateral movements even if an observer can’t see that you’re riding a lateral movement, but you and your horse can feel the bend and the increased engagement in your body.

Conclusion

While there is nothing wrong with practicing lateral movements on 3 or 4 tracks, if the horse is able to collect to the necessary degree, you can expand your gymnastic toolkit by exploring the entire range of angles between the horse’s body and the line of travel from 0 degrees to 45 degrees (4 tracks). Try to find the angle that seems to have most beneficial effect on your horse’s balance, suppleness, and straightness. Experiment with riding lateral movements on a variety of different round lines and straight lines. Feel the effects of a lateral movement in which the hind legs have to cover a longer distance than the front legs because they are on a slightly larger circle than the front legs. And explore the effects of lateral movements in which the hind legs have to cover a shorter distance than the front legs because they are on a slightly smaller circle.

Try “stacking” different lateral movements and observe if there is a cumulative effect in terms of balance, straightness, lightness, and permeability for the aids.

Dr. Thomas Ritter
www.artisticdressage.com

You can also read or share this article from our website here - https://www.artisticdressage.com/blog-content/using-a-lateral-movement-vs-performing-it

04/19/2024

Riley Walske was a rider at Footloose Farm LLC and my working student for several years. I miss her, but am very proud of her. Wishing her all the best as she begins her next journey to get into vet school!

My name is Riley Walske and I have been lucky to train Sock It Frenchman, AKA Tex and Shes A Hancock Jewel, AKA Opal. I am currently a senior studying Animal Science with an equine emphasis in hopes to go to veterinary school. This is my second time taking the class and I am continuing to learn a lot about the animals and the industry. Tex is a 2022 chestnut quarter horse gelding and has overall been a joy to work with. He has a smart head and is always willing to learn. My favorite thing about this gelding is that he never seems to have a bad day. He comes out and always tries his best. Tex has shown me that he has the ability to do many great things. He is a lot different than the horse I trained last year and has taught me how to be adaptable and find different ways to teach so that he and I can understand each other. Opal is a 2022 blue roan quarter horse mare and is smarter than any other horse I have had a chance to work with. My favorite trait about this horse is that she thinks her way through everything you throw at her. You can always see her mind turning. This makes everything you do with her incredibly fun and it has taught me a lot about how I need to use my body language to communicate with her. This is a mare that loves to learn and be working. She has taught me a lot about how a horse wants a job and it has been a joy giving her one.

04/14/2024

03/18/2024

Very good thoughts

Myth Busting Monday: they don't get it in the wild so they don't need it

I’ve heard this one said about a variety of things, from stalls to shoes to blankets to grain or supplements, teeth floating and more. Let’s take a moment to consider why this just isn’t true.

First of all, let’s not kid ourselves. The wild is a very harsh place. People often have a romanticized idea of what it is like to live in the wild. But nature is not kind to those who aren’t strong. Horses with weak feet, who develop illnesses, who can’t get a balanced diet, who have bad teeth or who get injured likely won’t survive. It’s harsh, but it’s true.

Horses in the wild experience things like being hungry, thirsty, cold, or in pain. There is no one to help ease those sufferings for them. They just have to deal with it.

We can, and should, offer our domestic horses a much different way of life. Blankets or stalls when they are cold, treatment when they are sick or injured, a balanced diet, are just a few of the things we as humans can provide for our horses if needed.

Another thing to consider is that our horses live much different lives than their wild cousins. Horses in the wild do not live in small pens, or wear saddles or bridles, and horses in the wild aren’t ridden. This different lifestyle can mean our domestic horses have different needs. Maybe your horse needs extra grain to build muscle or a supplement to keep his joints healthy or shoes to protect his feet, all so that he can do the job that you are asking him to do.

And lastly, through selective breeding we have bred domestic horses to be much different than wild horses. Certain breeds may have much different needs than wild horses due to their very different genetics, conformation, and predisposition to certain conditions.

When trying to decide if horses need something there is often no one size fits all answer. It’s best to look at the individual horse. Not all horses need shoes, but some do. Not all horses benefit from blankets or some time in a stall, but some do. Different horses will have very different grain and supplement needs.

What all horses do need is proper medical care, species appropriate lifestyle (time spent free outside with other horses and a forage based diet) and a human who is willing to listen to their needs and act appropriately, recognizing that each horse is an individual and will have unique needs.

03/11/2024

Yes!

Myth Busting Monday: My horse doesn’t need fancy training. I’m only going to trail ride.

This is something that I hear pretty commonly but I’m going to completely bust this myth. In fact I’m going to make the argument that if you plan to trail ride, it is even more important that your horse does have “fancy” i.e. biomechanically correct training.

Think about it. In an arena the surface is generally completely level and the footing is soft, even, and forgiving. On a trail however the surface will be uneven and changing. The horse may have to go up and down hills or inclines, navigate different surfaces, some which may be much less forgiving, and maneuver around obstacles.

Therefore I would argue that it’s incredibly important for the trail horse to understand how to move in a healthy way. This means developing a posture and musculature that can support the weight of the rider. It means teaching the horse how to be balanced through his body and how to coordinate his body so that he can navigate the more challenging terrain (even a relatively level grass path is more challenging than a groomed sand arena).

This “fancy training” is going to keep your horse healthy and make his job easier and more enjoyable. It’s going to reduce the strain on his body, reduce the likelihood of injury, and increase overall longevity.

Another thing to consider is that out on the trail the environment is less predictable. It is more likely that you will encounter things that will scare your horse. Plastic bags, funny looking signs, dogs running up to you, bikes coming up from behind, deer jumping out of no where, cars, and more are all possibilities when you leave the arena.

So I would argue that it’s very important to take the time to develop a strong partnership with your horse before you hit the trails. You want your horse to really trust that you are going to take care of him that way if something does happen he will look to you to take care of him and keep you both safe. You also want to develop good, clear communication with your horse, so that he feels confident in listening to your direction even if something happens that causes him stress.

And what about the rider? Does the rider need “fancy training” if all they plan to do is trail ride? Yes!

Remember how we said that working on varied terrain is more challenging for the horse? You can make that a little easier by ensuring that you are a good load for the horse to carry. Learn how to sit in a balanced way and move in harmony with your horse.

An unbalanced, stiff rider puts so much more strain on a horse’s body and mind than a balanced, soft rider. We all owe it to our horses, regardless of discipline, to work to become better riders for them.

And remember those unpredictable situations that may come up? A balanced, secure rider is much more likely to be able to stay with the horse and maintain control of themselves in the event that something does happen. This greatly increases the odds of both you and your horse staying safe.

Now you certainly don’t need to become an upper level dressage rider before you can hit the trails. But the foundation of dressage is to develop a horse that is balanced, able to support the weight of the rider in a healthy way, and has the strength and coordination to move in a way that reduces the strain on his body. Dressage also promotes a rider who is balanced and able to sit securely and move in harmony with the horse, reducing strain on the horse and increasing safety for horse and rider. And lastly dressage promotes partnership and communication with the horse.

And these are skills that we should absolutely develop before heading out to the trails.