![]() In the double loop (green), try 10m circle at F, loop to quarter line and back to B, 10m circle at B, loop to quarter line and back to M and finish with a 10m circle at M. For example in the single loop exercise, try a 10 m circle at K, loop KXH, and 10m circle at H (pink). Within any of these figures, a 10-metre circle can be incorporated to increase the difficulty. Once you can perform these simple figures without the horse losing balance or changing tempo, ride double loops (red line): from K to the quarter line and back to E and from E to the quarter line and back to H. ![]() While going large, notice whether your horse is slowing down on the short sides and speeding up in the loops. Focus on maintaining a steady, unchanging pace and keeping the horse’s shoulders level as you change bend through the loops. Go large and on each long side make a loop to X and back – KXH (purple line) and MXF. What happens to the tempo when you circle or change direction? Concentrate on keeping the exact same tempo throughout the figures, without speeding up or slowing down. She suggests two exercises that riders of all levels can practice at home to improve the activity of the hind legs, work on rhythm and tempo, and improve their horse’s uphill balance.īegin with trot warm-up with three 20-metre circles in each direction, followed by a three-loop serpentine in each direction.Ĭount the rhythm of trot in sync with your horse’s steps: 1-2, 1-2, 1-2. In order to maintain both the rhythm and tempo while lengthening the stride, the horse must carry more of the weight behind and increase the energy and activity of the hind end.” ![]() “While the horse should maintain the same rhythm and tempo as the working gaits, but show longer, bigger strides, we too often see just faster steps and a quicker tempo. We say ‘more forward’ and the rider thinks ‘faster.’ What we should be saying is ‘more activity, more impulsion from behind.’”īanbury says the problem is particularly evident in the lengthened and medium gaits. “It is probably our fault a little as trainers, because we give the riders unclear instructions. “I see it every day riders making their horses fly around the arena at top speed, believing this is correct,” van der Schaft says. On his most recent visit in September, she asked him to weigh in on the topic. It’s the same in dressage when the horse becomes flat in its back and can’t engage the hind leg.”īanbury regularly hosts Dutch national team trainer Rien van der Schaft at Hill Haven for clinics. “Jumper riders know that if going too fast while lacking energy from behind, their horses will jump flat and pull a rail. In fact, what we are looking for is the energy and activity of the hind leg, or as they say in the French school, ‘amplitude,’ which I feel very well describes what we are looking for. “Speed alone should not be part of the equation. “The horse then finds it difficult to lift and gain control of the shoulders and it loses the ability to carry and maintain straightness and suppleness. Instead of stepping under, the hind legs often push out behind, which I call skating, and frequently the hind toes will drag,” she continues. “When a horse is pushed forward too quickly in a hurried rhythm, it loses that steady tempo. Tempo: the rate or speed of motion or activity pace. Rhythm: a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound. To understand the distinction, Banbury refers to the definition of each term: Instead, the rider must teach the horse to develop a slower, more balanced canter in a natural tempo until he is strong enough to carry himself.” Doing so creates an unbalanced canter at a quick, unnatural tempo, resulting in the loss of the clear three-beat rhythm. “For example, a horse that tends to break into trot from the canter should not be chased at speed to prevent the breaking. “It’s up to the rider to help the horse learn how to maintain the regular rhythm of each gait (four-beat walk, two-beat trot, and three beats at canter) at a tempo that is comfortable for the horse. “Each horse offers to travel in its own rhythm, but often the regularity of that movement changes, affecting the tempo or speed of that rhythm,” Banbury says. Alison Banbury, an Equestrian Canada certified dressage judge, grand prix rider and owner of Hill Haven Farm in Hillsburgh, Ontario, sees this issue crop up frequently in both the show ring and the lessons she teaches. A common misunderstanding of the difference between rhythm and tempo often results in horses being ridden more quickly, but not more correctly.
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