By Manolo Mendez

Professor of Classical Dressage Copyright © 2004 Manolo Mendez and Australian Equine Arts

In the paddock or in the wild, we can see horses playing or challenging each other with a naturally collected outline and a flexed poll.  But a horse will hold this posture for moments only before returning to his most natural and comfortable stance - head and neck lowered and most of his weight on the forehand.  And when he does collect, he will also instinctively lift his back and use muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones all over his body to properly support this posture.

In training for dressage, one of the most damaging things we can do to a horse - especially a young horse - is demand an “outline”. A beautiful outline is something that will, if the training is correct, develop naturally over a period of years. To insist on it before the horse is ready can and does lead to premature breakdown in body, mind – and spirit.

A short neck destroys balance

Horses have evolved to carry most of their weight on the forehand for most of the time, and freedom of the neck and head is a crucial factor in being able to balance this weight.   A green horse has natural balance, but all that is changed when we expect him to carry a rider as well.  Now he must find a new balance.  This alone may take many months, depending on the horse, his conformation, temperament and natural ability.

 Training a horse to perform the higher movements with grace and beauty is not possible without conserving the horse’s natural balance.   For flying changes, pirouette, half pass, or any other advanced movement, the horse must have superior balance.  A short contact used to create a short neck and to force poll flexion will interfere with this balance. 

Take the fly change or the half pass, for example.  We should never have too much contact.  We should use the reins to gently guide the horse in the direction of the leading rein, then we should change softly, allowing the horse time to organise his legs and adjust all his vertebrae.  Superior balance becomes even more crucial for the Airs-above-ground, such as levade, courbette and capriole.  Interfere with the mouth, have the contact too short at the wrong time, and you will cause the horse to shorten his neck and thus lose his balance.

How short is “too short”?

Of course, training with too long a neck can cause problems, too.  If the horse is not encouraged to seek contact with the rider’s hands, to lift a little, he will never learn to carry himself in a way that will help him develop the muscles he needs.

But how short is too short and how long is too long?  How much contact is the right amount to allow the horse to work with his neck in the optimal position?  It depends on each individual horse and the level of his training.

In any type of training, the nose must be in front of the vertical AT ALL TIMES.  If we force a green horse to work with a short contact he will go behind the vertical in an effort to evade the pain we are creating in his mouth and neck.