Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage

We can deduce the following:

  1 - Bringing the forelegs under the horse puts it on the forehand (+ 131kg)

  2 - Even with an equivalent engagement of the hindquarters, bringing the forelegs under the horse puts the horse on the forehand (+ 75kg). The overbent attitude is halfway between the natural posture and an extension of the neck and increases the weighting of the forehand by around 30kg. In this situation the extra weighting of the forelegs reaches 105kg.

  3 - Overbending encourages the horse to bring its forelegs back and pushes the centre of gravity forward.

Under these conditions, the extra weighting of the forehand can reach 205kg.

  4 - Balance is only improved if the weight bearing foreleg remains vertical whilst the hindquarters engage. The horse is then in a "horizontal balance".

This expression is used wrongly to designate a horse in a lengthened frame. In this case its silhouette may well be horizontal, but its balance is not. A horizontal balance is a minimum condition for a correct piaffe.

  5 - Beyond a horizontal balance the horse is really "on the haunches" or "uphill". These are the conditions required for a genuine piaffe: with the haunches lowered and with all the joints flexed from the back to the hocks, the horse can propel itself upwards bearing less weight on its shoulders. It jumps from one diagonal to the other as if free of gravity (N.B.: the natural balance is now reversed).

  6 & 7 - Going even further, the horse sits even more on its haunches.

As the weight moves back, the horse gradually sits on the hindquarters and approaches a pesade.

Variations of the weight-bearing base for a horse in different positions:

Dh designates the distance from where the hindleg comes into contact with the ground to the plumb-line of the centre of gravity (in whatever units), Df is the same distance for the foreleg. The first drawing shows a horse standing naturally in a ramener position. In cases 1 to 3, the horse shortens the weight bearing base to different extents using the forelegs and the hindlegs. Drawing 3 also shows the shifting forward of the centre of gravity in an overbent horse.

In cases 4 to 7, the horse shortens its weight-bearing base only by increasing engagement of the hindlegs under its body - to a point where all of its weight is over the haunches and the horse lifts into a pesade.

This sketch shows the weighting of the forelegs according to the different positions of the head and neck.

The piaffe results from a raising of the forehand with the weight-bearing foreleg remaining vertical. and a lowering of the haunches with distinct and active engagement of the hindlegs under the body. A genuine piaffe is therefore excellent proof of both balance and impulsion. a sign of accomplished schooling.

However, in "top level" competition we regularly see horses winning with a "piaffe" that has the forelegs coming well under, with a low poll, hindlegs that are scarcely engaged or not engaged at all, and the forelegs moving with very little elevation. (Without mentioning gait irregularities, ataxic gaits, swishing tails and grinding teeth.) These "piaffes" correspond to cases 1, 2 and 3. They put the horse more on its shoulders than before it had done any dressage at all. This is anti-collection: a perversion of balance that leads to a complete distortion of a fundamental classical air. And yet these are outstanding horses ridden by dressage professionals: flagrant proof of failure which discredits all of their work and which should be unacceptable!

How can we explain the promotion of such poor imitations?

  Either we admit that "collection" is no longer an objective of dressage competition.

  Or that judges do not know what a genuine piaffe really is.

  Or lastly, that they are complicit in a system that is in a state of cultural failure, whilst being powerful and lucrative.

In the end, there is one certainty: the big losers in this business are riding in general and the horses in particular.

False piaffes

Today we regularly see "top level" competition winners on horses that "piaffe" leaning over their forelegs, with a low poll, hindquarters that are scarcely engaged or not engaged at all, and front legs without any elevation.
These sketches were based on photos showing top level riders of various nationalities.

Otto Lörke
Photo: Cadmos archieves

General Decarpentry
Photo: Cadmos archieves

Etienne Beudant
Photo: Cadmos archieves

Nuno Oliveira
Photo: Villalva

Josef Neckermann
Photo: Bürger archieves

Liselott Linsenhoff
Photo: Czerny

Richard Wätjen
Photo: Tiedemann

Alois Podhajsky
Foto: Kerschner

Otto Lörke
Photo: Cadmos archieves

True piaffes

Piaffe is excellent proof of balance and impulsion and is a sign of accomplished schooling. It results in the raising of the forehand, with the weight-bearing foreleg remaining vertical and a lowering of the haunches with distinct and active engagement of the hindquarters under the body. The photo on the bottom right shows Otto Lörke in a pesade, an air in which the horse shifts all of its weight back towards the rear and ends up on its hindquarters.

Please note: all of these horses have their head distinctly in front of the vertical and their poll the highest point.

An unschooled horse reacts to the rider's weight and the tension in the reins by hollowing to a degree. This posture corresponds to a shortening of the top-line muscles and an extending of the bottom-line muscles.

Generally, a young unschooled horse reacts to the rider's weight and the tension in the reins by hollowing to a degree. The poll opens, the neck hollows, the withers drop and the haunches trail behind, to varying extents. This posture corresponds to a shortening of the top line muscles and a stretching of the bottom-line muscles. All of which is a long way from the roundness we need for collection.

In gymnastic terms this is the first problem to be solved, since supple extension of the top line is the cornerstone of a correctly schooled horse. Collection or good jumping style depends on this.

Today, virtually all dressage specialists drop the poll and bring the head behind the vertical to make the horse go "round" and make it "give its back". By copying these "champions", both teachers and beginners are all overbending their horses.

This deserves some in-depth study.

The champions of overbending: Today, virtually all dressage specialists lower the horse's poll and bring its head behind the vertical, some to an extreme degree. These photos were taken in the warm-up ring at international competitions. Photos: Toffi

  Cervical ligaments

The upper ligaments are subject to extreme and prolonged stretching, leading to tearing of fibres, separation at the insertions, inflammation, etc.

The neck is bent sharply in the middle and loses its muscle tone.

  Parotid glands

These are subject to extreme compression without any adaptive process, which leads to their gradual distortion. Very painful inflammation and irreversible induration are frequently the consequence.

  The eye and the ear

The following information is taken from the remarkable book by Dominique Olivier La Vérité sur L'équilibre (The Truth about Balance) (Editions Belin). In order to adjust its posture and adapt its movement to all requirements of balance, just like man, the horse has three points of reference:

  The ground- of which it has a tactile perception through its feet. It coordinates its movements to maintain the mass above the weight-bearing points.

  The environment- that horses understand through their vision, assessing everything at a distance and therefore anticipating their reactions. However, we know that the binocular visual field of the horse only has a very limited angle and it can only see a long way when its head is lifted high, with the poll open (alert posture).

  Once the horse is overbent it only has limited sideways monocular vision and binocular vision that only just allows it to see where it is putting its feet. It is made to move blindly, or almost.

Thus separated from their environment in this way, this is why many of these horses lose all expression and look as though they are autistic.

  Gravity- which is perceived by...