1.2 straightness training

So I realize I went straight into the mechanics of imbalance in the last post without really explaining what straightness training is. This is basically because I am using the blog as a form of homework, and module 1.2 talks more about how straightness training works and the pillars/tools which underpin it.



Four areas of straightness training
So far I have talked about physical imbalance, but straightness training is more holistic than that. Straightness training looks to balance four areas:

• physical - is the horse right or left bend (see previous post)
• mental - are they able to learn
• emotional - are they emotionally unstable
• spiritual - has there spirit been suppresses - learned helplessness

It is hard at this point to really know where Sofie's imbalances really lie. I know that she has some physical issues, and I think she is also quiet emotional at times with it - hence the melodramatic rearing and shoving when she gets uncomfortable. I think she has also been forced to do things in the past which can either make her angry or shut down, so I think I need to keep an eye on mental and spiritual.

Tonto def has a lot of physical problems, which effect him emotionally and can mean he is not always in a space to learn. I think his spirit is pretty strong atm as he spends most of his time at liberty with complete free will to do as he chooses.



Why straightness training
The first part of this particular module discusses why we should use straightness training - in a nutshell to balance the horse so that he can be the best horse he can be. It is probably worth reflecting at this point why I have chosen straightness training. I guess the first driver is to get my horses as sound as possible - help them physically. But I suppose I also want to improve my bond with Sofie, connecting on a mental/emotional/spiritual level. When I have worked with her on the ground I pick up huge waves of nervous energy - it would be great if, through straightness training, we become much more confident together.



Sequence of straightness training
Straightness training is a fairly methodological approach to training horses with a pre-defined order of activities which build on each other. The sequence goes as such:

1. standing exercises like forward down where the horse stretches its nose to the floor releasing its back muscles and lateral bending where the horse stretches the muscles down the side if its body
2. circle - where the horse is encouraged to bend and step his hind legs under his body
3. straight line - lfs - which stands for lateral, forward down stepping under (see 6 keys below) where the horse is encouraged to hold its frame whilst traveling in a straight line
4. shoulder in - where the horse moves on the straight line with its shoulders off the track, an increase in bend and learns to carry himself on the inside leg
5. haunches in - where the horse moves with its haunches off the track, again an increase in bend and asking more engagement from the haunches where the horse will need to step through with the outside hind leg to achieve this
6. roverer (I have no idea how to spell this!) - is the haunches in when the wall is the other side of the horse - more technical difficulty
7. half pass - is haunches in across the diagonal of the school with no wall involved
8. piroett - is haunches in on a very small circle
9. piaff - extreme collection
10. levar - sitting rear thing for the extra advanced strong horse (you can tell that I am not putting much effort into 9 and 10 as I don't foresee little fat Sof getting to these levels)

The thing about the sequence is each exercise builds on the first. The recommendation is that if you get an exercise 66% right, you are ready to move to the next stage. You can also up the anti by going up the gears, starting in walk and moving up to trot and canter.

I have a little confession - when I tried this with Sofie and Tonto in October I rocketed through steps 1 and 2, missed out 3 entirely and charged onto stage 4. No wonder both horses got utterly fed up with me - Tonto snarled and refused to play ball and Sofie started barging and rearing. Lesson learnt, slowely slowely catchy monkey. I can't see us graduating to trot anytime soon - plus it probably wouldn't be wise with Sofies ligaments anyway.

5  pillars of straightness training
There are five training pillars that you can employ for straightness training - and generally you approach them in the same order I think.

1. groundwork - first at stand still stretching muscles
2. lunging - getting the same strengthening exercises but now more independently and at a freer gait
3. in hand - working the horse from the ground but introducing independent reigns - the horse needs more muscle to have the necessary level of collectivness for in-hand work (eg slow gaits in in-hand canter)
4. ridden - the horse is now strong enough to take a rider - and the aids can be gently transferred from ground to rider by working in tandem
5. liberty - no physical constraints on the horse whatsoever - an advanced stage where you can really see the horses strengths, weaknesses and engagement with straightness training

I guess the pillars are used in this order for training a horse from scratch - obviously Tonto and Sof both have ridden experience so its not quiet the same. However, I think I am going to try and follow the same steps as they make logical sense in terms of strengthening the horse. They also fit with the straightness training sequence - it is easiest to to the standing exercises in hand and the circle on the lunge ect. I will be taking Sofie for ridden walks alongside the training - but I will work in the school with her on the ground at first. Tonto will probably never be ridden again due to his arthritis, but I will still try the groundwork part with him as it might alleviate some of his aches and pains.

6 keys of straightness training

There are 6 key areas for quality movement in straightness training

1. forward down - so that the horse engages his whole back
2. lateral bend - so that the horse can bend to either side
3. stepping under - so that the hind legs are balancing the horses center of mass
4. bending the inside hind leg - so that the power comes from the haunches
5. bending the outside hind leg  - so that the power comes from the haunches
6. bending both hind legs  - so that the power comes from the haunches

The first 3 are connected, the horse cannot step under without forward down as it can not engage its leg, and it cannot step under without lateral bend equally, the horse cannot do forward down without stepping under so they are all connected. The final 3 can be seen as additions to the first 3, but without the first 3 we loose the quality of the movement and so the exercise is futile. Half-holt is normally used to re-balance the horse, ensuring the the LFS are correct - light bulb moment!

It is funny how much of this I have tried to do before without really realizing what I was doing. I guess because I hadn't really thought about the underlying mechanics I missed the point of the exercise. The number of times I tried to do shoulder in with Tonto and though I was getting it right, but he was going along with a u-back and a false bend - curse you hindsight! 

Why collection

In straightness training we are ultimately working towards collection because the horse naturally carries most of his weight on the fragile front legs - which are not really that suitable for carrying the extra weight of the rider. By teaching the horse to collect and use his back legs, we are protecting the horse from injury, in the font legs and also in the back. In order to achieve collection we need to bend the hind legs underneath the horse, so that hips are lower than the shoulder and the base (the space the horse stands on) is shorter. This will transfer the weight of the horse towards the hind legs and free's up the shoulders and the front legs. Obviously this is quite different to the natural balance of the grazing horse so it takes time to build up the horses strength and flexibility.

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woot woot module 1.2 done :) I have to say, I am itching to get into some practical having done so much theory. Alas the next module is understanding the horse so I think i am going to have to wait a little while longer.

In other news I took Sofie (and Tonto) on their first hack since our winter break. Sof was so calm. What a special little lady she is.