Question: My 18 year old Thoroughbred mare will not go round. I have tried training aids both on the longe and in the saddle, and she fights them all. I’ve had my vet check her and there is no medical reason for her resistance. How can I encourage her to change her frame?
Answer: Although horses are naturally built to carry themselves in a round frame, hundreds of different problems can make doing so difficult for them. Having your veterinarian evaluate your mare for possible physical causes is a good first step. Also consider asking a qualified equine dentist to check her mouth. For any horse to be soft, supple and comfortable on the bit, her jaw needs to be able to slide slightly forward and back. If your mare has any ridges or hooks on her teeth, they may lock her jaws together, making it very uncomfortable for her to be supple in her jaw.
Another possible problem is the type and fit of the bit you’re using. There are many nice, anatomically designed dressage bits on the market today. Ask a knowledgeable horseperson to help you evaluate your current bit and, if necessary, select a new one. It would also be worth asking an expert to help you evaluate the fit of your saddle. Poorly fitting saddles can interfere with and even cause pain in a horse’s back, and a relaxed, freely swinging back is essential for putting a horse on the bit.
Once you’ve ruled out possible physical causes, the remaining question is whether your mare is truly incapable of going round. If she were a young, green horse, my answer would be an emphatic “NO!” However, her age and past could be significant factor. She may have a long history of building “upside-down” muscling, either because she was encouraged to travel that way or she learned to do it to protect herself from rough, unforgiving rein aids. Or, she simply may have never been asked to go round and now might be too old to learn how. Dressage is like gymnastics or ice-skating. The earlier you start training your muscles to do it, the easier it is later on.
Whatever the possible reasons are for her resistance, be sure you’re giving her an honest chance to learn the basic building blocks to becoming round. A horse must be moving freely forward to go on the bit. Be sure that she understands the leg means “go forward.” To test that, ride at the walk, allowing your hips to swing in the rhythm of the gait, while keeping your legs relaxed at her sides. Then close your lower legs to ask her to accelerate, being careful not to use the reins to steady your own balance. With both your leg and rein aids, it’s important to avoid applying constant pressure, which creates more tension. Give the aid quickly and then release the pressure immediately to reward her for responding. If she doesn’t respond, squeeze your legs a little harder. If she still doesn’t respond, tap her with a whip just behind your leg. As soon as she speeds up, immediately relax the leg pressure, praise her and continue swinging your hips with the motion. Remember to always keep the leg aid this simple and clear, trying not to nag your horse too much or tighten your legs unconsciously to hold yourself in the saddle.
Then make sure she understands that rein pressure means “slow down.” Start at the walk with a soft hand, following the motion of her head. Then, without applying any pressure with your seat or leg, which might confuse her, close your fingers around the reins to gently resist the forward motion until she halts (be careful not to pull backward on the reins). When she does, praise her and relax the reins. Again, keep the aids very simple: soft, following hands and closed lower legs means “go,” while resisting hands accompanied by soft, nongripping legs means “stop.”
Most importantly, make it clear to her that she always has a “way out.” Horses don’t like to feel trapped by the bit; they need to know they can always fin a position where the pressure relaxes. Many people make the mistake of trying to “hold” their horses on the bit with constant, rigid rein contact. This cause horses to resist even more. If you reward your horse’s softness (even if it’s fleeting in the beginning) by relieving the pressure and praising her, she’ll want to repeat that good behavior.
Next, honestly evaluate your own qualifications for teaching your horse to go on the bit. Can you maintain your own balance without accidentally catching your mare in the mouth? Do you have supple arms and hands that follow her head and neck in every gait? Your shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands should all be as soft and supple as you eventually want your horse’s neck and jaw to be. Do you have good control of your legs and hands? Can you give rein and leg aids with tensing up in your seat? These ware all critical skills that you can work on in longe lessons with a good trainer.
Before she can learn to be round your mare needs to understand how to give to your lateral aids. Because the opening inside rein is so clear to the horse, and it can be used without adding the outside rein and making her feel boxed in, this is a positive way to teach her how to follow you hand without resistance. Start the walk, bumping her sides with gentle leg aids, if necessary, to ask her to go nicely forward. With your elbow bent and wrist soft, take an elastic contact on your inside rein, asking her to bend slightly to the inside. Just think of stopping the following motion of your hand for a moment, rather than pulling backward on the rein. At the same time, so as not to confuse her, relax the pressure on your outside rein. How much you relax it varies form horse to hors. More experienced horses may need you to push your outside hand toward the mouth only about a quarter of an inch, whereas green and/or sensitive horses may respond better to a clear loop in the rein.
As you ask for the bend, be careful to keep the walk tempo consistent. If she slows down or speeds up, add whatever leg or rein is necessary to make it clear that she must maintain the steady, forward pace. Meanwhile, keep your upper body balance in the middle of the saddle with a relaxed seat, so you don’t unconsciously create additional tension in her back and neck. Always think, “forward without tension.”
At first, ask her to turn her nose just slightly to the inside in response to your rein aid. You may need to repeat the aid several times before you notice any reaction. As soon as you do, reward her with your voice. In the early stages, letting go of the rein to pat her neck may not be useful, unless she’s an extremely nervous horse. Then let your hands follow the motion of her mouth again, without letting go of the contact entirely.
If she begins to turn to the inside instead of bending, add inside leg (again, in a bump and release motion) to encourage her to continue traveling straight and forward and to prevent her shoulder from falling in. Even if she does turn slightly to the inside, don’t try to straighten her with your outside rein (at this stage, this will make her feel trapped). The goal is merely that she follow your inside hand.
If she fights the rein pressure, don’t immediately release the rein but don’t pull harder against her, either. Different horses respond to different types of rein aids. If she fights a steady pressure, try to wiggle you wrist a little or move it as if you were whisking eggs. You may also need to open your hand a few inches to the inside away from her neck to make the aid clear. Whatever you try, always keep you hands soft, imagining that you’re holding something fragile that you don’t want to break or drop. Think of your wrist as the rubber doughnut in the side rein, which “gives” so she doesn’t ever feel trapped.
Try this exercise in both directions several times each day, being sure that your hands are always soft and supple throughout the rest of your rides, as well, so that your mare can develop confidence in them. Eventually, as she starts to trust that you will reward her by releasing the rein pressure every time she follows your hand, she’ll start to soften more and more in her neck and jaw. When you think she really understands how to yield to the inside rein, you can begin to pick up a soft connection on the outside rein as well. This will complete the circle between your legs, seat and hands, finally crating roundness. Don’t rush to this point, though. Until she learns that you will not trap her with your hands and that she can always find a place the “gives,” she’ll continue fighting you.
Training aids, such as side reins and draw reins, usually help in this education, even with very resistant horses. Every time a horse yields to their pressure, the reins reward them by going slack. Ask an experience trainer to check that the training aids you’re using are correctly fitted (they may be too loose), and to make sure you’re using proper longeing techniques. Although training aids used under saddles can be effective for experienced riders, I don’t advise nonprofessionals to use them while riding horses who really fight the contact, because this can be dangerous.
Be patient with your mare and remember that this is probably all new to her. Always approach her lessons in a positive, methodical way. Almost every horse will reward you with the right response, if you do everything correctly. If, however, she still doesn’t seem to be progressing after several weeks of your following this plan, ask a professional trainer to ride her for a while. If all else fails and she turns out to be one of the very rare older horses who, for whatever reason, truly is not capable of going round, be prepared to make peace with that and let her finish her years in the frame that she finds most comfortable.
US Dressage Federation bronze, silver and gold medallist Nancy Later has years of experience competing all levels, both in the United States and in Europe. In the last several years, she and her mare, Alexis D, have had many wins at the Intermediaire II and Grand Prix levels. Based at her Heartwood Farm in West Palm Beach, Florida, she also start young horses and instructs riders of all levels, including Jessica Rizzi, who qualified for the 2006 US Equestrian Federation/Markel National Young Horse Dressage Championships. Nancy also fundraises for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, through its Equestrian of the Year campaign.
