In the following article SA Horseman, with the input and knowledge of Chrystine Good, director of Beaulieu College Equestrian Academy, will attempt to make “schooling” a little more interesting and to explain why it should be an essential part of preparing a horse and maintaining him for his given task in life.

When starting schooling, the horse must physically and mentally accept the rider’s presence, weight, leg, seat and rein contacts, including basic language. Acceptance opens the door to partnership, trust and agreement. The horse should be comfortable with all tack and given acceptable contacts by the rider or trainer on the ground.

The horse needs to be mentally calm in order to avoid the detrimental effects of tension. This will allow a natural and unrestricted basis for progress and performance. Calmness brings confidence, which in turn will allow the mental flexibility necessary for training. Once the horse has learned to accept the rider, the establishment of acceptance and calmness must go hand-in-hand.

Forwardness and straightness

A horse that thinks forward, whatever the speed, is willing to respond to the rider’s forward aids. Note that forwardness has nothing to do with speed. A horse that pulls and wants to run away at any given opportunity is not forward – he is untrained and not respecting the rider’s aids.

As the horse works forward from the aids, he becomes more focussed. When ­forwardness is combined with acceptance and calmness, the horse has the mental ­foundation to fulfil its physical potential.

In training, straightness refers to the equal and even development of both sides of the horse in each pace and the precise positioning of the forehand and quarters. This produces symmetry to the work, which will maximise the power of the horse and allow the forehand and quarters to follow the same track on a curve or straight line, giving precise control of direction.

Simple school movements such as ­circles, figures-of-eight, serpentines, loops and turns and the requirement for the horse to be “straight” throughout and ridden accurately when schooled, are the equivalent to “pilates” for horses. The horse becomes more supple and better balanced.

Engagement of the hind quarter

When starting basic schooling, it is more important to worry about what a horse is doing behind than in front. A horse should be moving forward easily and happily, with even strides, tracking up or over. If one were to watch the horse when walking, his hind feet should be placed well over the prints left by his front feet (over tracking).

When the horse is trotting, his hind feet should track over or at the very least on top of the front tracks (tracking up). If a horse’s hind feet are short of the front feet, he is ­under tracking, which means that he is not using his hindquarter sufficiently. This may not be possible for a horse with a very long back and short legs.

Riding on the bit

The term “on the bit” is a little confusing, as it implies leaning or resting on something. It should rather be “into the bit” or “seeking the contact”, as this is exactly what should be ­happening. A contact should be maintained on the reins at all times (flapping reins serve no purpose), without pulling.

As the horse starts moving more freely in a relaxed fashion, the rider can ask a little more at a time and the horse will slowly start ­relaxing into a frame and work happily ­forward, ­seeking the contact. To try and pull and saw to get the horse to drop his head “onto the bit” is not the answer. All that will happen is that the horse will slow down, lose impulsion and stop ­working from behind.

The horse’s outline will develop as he ­acquires self-carriage and is able to “sit” and engage his hind-quarters. Contact is one of the most essential criteria for horse training and ­reflects the acceptance of the bridle and the rider’s hands. Engagement comes when the horse works freely ­forward from the rider’s aids with activity and ­impulsion and without resistance “seeking the contact”.

A supple, balanced horse can begin to ­lower his croup and step under his body, ­raising his weight off the forehand, so that he is ­“uphill” and engaged. As the rider ­establishes rhythm and controls tempo, the horse begins to ­display more cadence in his steps and swing over his back. Self-carriage comes from the horse, ­working through from behind into the rider’s hand and ­accepting the contact.

Riding circles and figures

Remember when riding a circle, that it is round (not egg), pear- or amoeba-shaped – and does not have corners or straight sides. When riding a circle, make sure that the horse’s neck is not bent to the outside. Try to keep his neck straight at first, as too much bend to the inside will cause the horse to drift to the outside and the circle will soon collapse into a pear or an egg.

The easiest is to draw a square/diamond ­inside the circle in your mind (or physically put down cones or markers) and ride the horse to each of the four points, touching the outside of the circle. At each point, correct the horse and make sure that everything is still on track – ride a quarter circle at a time, until the whole circle is completed.

Make sure both reins are the same length. Keep the contact on the outside rein. Beware of pulling/hanging on the inside rein and ­giving with the outside rein. The outside rein is there to balance the horse and maintain rhythm and speed. The inside rein is there to allow the horse to soften to the inside.

The rider’s inside leg should be on the girth and the outside leg a little further back to ­prevent the horse from swinging his hind ­quarters to the outside, so that he tracks straight.

Always remember to do an equal amount of work on each rein and never start a young/green horse on any circle with a diameter of less than 20 m. Once the horse is ­performing well on a circle, figures-of-eight and ­serpentines can be introduced.

Impulsion, activity and tempo

It is important not to confuse activity and speed. A horse working off the ground with elasticity in its steps and impulsion (energy) forward, is not necessarily going fast. ­Activity refers to the energy and engagement in the steps (how hard the horse is working). Speed over the ground is in relation to the size of the steps and the tempo, which is the speed of the rhythm.

In schooling the horse, we hope to make our riding experience more comfortable and safe for both horse and rider. Correct ­schooling will enable the horse to build ­muscle so that he can work more easily and conserve energy to increase stamina. All horses can benefit from work that makes them more flexible, forward-going and ­balanced. SAH