Teach your horse COLLECTION | Part 1 - The Fundamentals 

Hello Charlotte, Can you tell me a little more? Is your horse surging and slowing down? Is it at all gaits, or just a specific one? Thanks 👍

@zacharias.horsemanship thank you so much for replying! That is so nice of you! In the walk she doesn't do it as much. It is more of an issue in the trot. She would speed up in certain areas of the arena (not necessarily towards the gate). She tends to get worried, so the longer I let her trot without asking her to do anything, the more she tries to anticipate what might be coming. She is also really sensitive to the leg. I have been doing the collection exercise you explained (squeezing the legs) and it is getting better.

Thank you! I appreciate the support 👍

I believe it's because classical dressage is heavily influenced by maneuvers performed on the backs of military horses. And they required the elevation for many disciplines. If you look at the way Lippizan horses are trained at Spanish riding school for jumps such as the courbette or capriole, no low-headed horse could perform those stunts. Same with jumpers and fox hunters. They need to be elevated to get over the fences. The best way a horseman once said it to me was to "look where the prize is at and that's where the horse's head will be." The modern western horse is influenced by the cowhorse who needs to be relaxed, quiet and visually unobstructive through the herd. Reining horses need their head there for balance often. I personally think that things could use to relax a little for the horse in some English disciplines. But that's just my big fat opinion. I admire skilled riders and trainers and their phenomenal horses across all equestrian sports.

@@zacharias.horsemanship Thank you so much for such a detailed and well thought out reply! Really appreciate it.

Thank you! It sounds like she's just gotten to where she anticipates what's going to happen next and thinks that moving is the right answer once you're in the saddle. The horse I'm riding in this video actually has a tendency to want to walk off as soon as I step on, so we're working through that right now. I don't make a big deal out of it honestly. The secret is to give them the opportunity to make the mistake, then correct it after it happens, instead of trying to hold them to be still. So I'll step on, assume he's going to stand patiently, and when he inevitably walks off, I'll gently pick up, back him up back into our previous position, and set my hand down again. I'll do this as many times as it takes for him to wait a moment. Then I'll walk off when it's my choice, maybe make a few small circles, then stop and stand, repeating the process over again. However, I don't allow them to paw while they're waiting. I usually take my foot and bump them pretty abruptly on the shoulder they're pawing with, or get their attention some other way. Hope that helps! Keep me posted!

@@zacharias.horsemanship Thank you this has really helped a lot! She does often walk off the second I step on and I didn't know how to fix that but your advice really worked! She figured out that it's a lot easier to stand still for me to get on than to do it over and over again lol, and she's stopped pawing for the most part!

Yes, you can, but as you said, it's really a small change and you do have to learn to know how it feels. When I'm attempting to help a rider feel the back rise during collection, I have them do it at a standstill because it's more obvious when there are fewer moving parts. This is for the rider only. I don't spend a lot of time standing still and asking my horse to lift his back in the collection process. I really should make a video to answer your question because it's a little more complicated than I can outline in a comment. Thank you for watching and let me know if there's anything else I can clarify for you!

@@zacharias.horsemanship Okay! Thank you so much!! I will try that. 🙂

As I talked about in the video, the spur is never making contact with the horse while I'm fanning him with my legs at the walk. The reason I'm doing so much of that in this video is because I'm asking the horse to extend his walk before we start asking for collection. When you start asking for collection, often the horse will get a little confused about the cues and want to slow down in response to the reins, which will work against achieving collection. Notice how I don't do it at the trot and lope because the horse already has plenty of impulsion. Thanks for watching and good luck!

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply 🙏🏼 makes more sense. Appreciate it.

To clarify, are you saying she doesn't want to go forward? Often in these situations, I find the rider tends to beg the horse too much and the horse ends up getting even more dull. The answer is to ask the horse to go, then go back to a neutral riding position. Naturally the horse will want to slow down again. That's when I "tell" the horse she has to go. Bump, bump, kick, then spank the horse with a rein. After doing this a few times, I'll simply spank the horse with the rein every time she slows down without me asking her to. But I don't sit there and beg her the whole time. I always go back to an active relaxed seat instead of an active driving seat. And once I get a circle or two where the horse is carrying her own weight without me having to actively ride her, I go back to a walk and let them rest. Then I repeat the process. Hope that answers your question!

@@zacharias.horsemanship Thanks for the answer! I am currently working on mental collection from ground, that's where i find her actively looking for answers from me and relying on my commands too much, she is more on the sensitive side but very relaxed and soft on the lunge. She is just a bit clingy, always wanting an active command. But as i read from your comment you are recommending me to give more precise command and then go back to neutral? I've tried to do so but she seems to slow down every time i am not asking anything. :)

I sit on my pockets and release the contact of my legs on the horse's sides.

@@zacharias.horsemanship same here, you are much more subtle, I exaggerate my legs. Thanks