Simple explanations for riding your horse on the bit and ...101 Tips for riding Your Horse on THe BiT Tip 70. What if your horse just doesn’t seem to understand how to come on the

Whenever

WhereverSimple explanations for riding your

horse on the bit and keeping him there!

101 Tips

for riding Your Horse on THe BiT

By Jane Savoie

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101 Tips for riding Your Horse on THe BiT

About The Author

Jane Savoie is one of the most recognized names in dressage, and

for a good reason. Her accomplishments and the breadth of her

influence are impressive. She has been a member of the United States

Equestrian Team and has competed for the US in Canada, Holland,

Belgium, France and Germany.

She was the reserve rider for the Bronze medal winning Olympic

dressage team in Barcelona, Spain. In addition, she has coached at

three Olympic Games in Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens

(2004).

Jane has written 5 books that have been translated into several

languages. She has also produced numerous training programs on

DVD.

Jane also travels internationally to give her popular sports psychology

seminars and workshops to riders as well as athletes in other fields.

www.janesavoie.com www.dressagementor.com

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Author’s note:

It seems like one of the biggest dilemmas for riders is how to put their

horses on the bit, and keep them there. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to

be that way.

How do I know this? At one time I was probably in the exact same

boat you’re in today. If the stars and the moon were aligned just right,

my horse would come on the bit for a few strides here and there.

But he would never stay consistently connected. And whenever

I added the smallest complication—like a canter depart—he’d

immediately hollow his back and chuck his head in the air.

Fortunately, I was able to work with some of the great dressage

masters like Herbert Rehbein, Robert Dover, and Susan Blinks. And

I learned from them that putting your horse on the bit doesn’t have to

be a big mystery. Once you know the ingredients that go into putting

your horse on the bit, the process is simple.

So I’ve compiled a list of my top 101 tips to help you ride your horse

on the bit. These tips are my answers to your most frequently asked

questions on how to put your horse on the bit…and keep him there.

Enjoy the ride!

Jane

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Table of Contents

Tip 1. Change your expectation that putting your horse on the bit is

hard.

Tip 2. There’s no mystery to putting your horse on the bit.

Tip 3. What does it look like when a horse is on the bit?

Tip 4. What does it feel like when a horse is on the bit?

Tip 5. Shouldn’t a horse feel light when he’s on the bit?

Tip 6. The expression “on the bit” also has a mental connotation.

Tip 7. The “Connecting Aids”

Tip 8. The heart of the connecting aids is the driving aids through

your closed outside hand.

Tip 9. If you can pat your head and rub your stomach, you can put

your horse on the bit.

Tip 10. The pressure of your legs and closed outside hand is steady.

Tip 11. The 3 ingredients of the connecting aids appear to be given

at the same time.

Tip 12. The connecting aids are light.

Tip 13. Say the words, “Add, add, add” out loud during the

connecting aids.

Tip 14. Use a verbal cue to remind you to soften at the end of the

connecting aids.

Tip 15. What about timing the aids with the hind legs?

Tip 16. The use of the inside rein is optional.

Tip 17. Squeezing and releasing on the inside rein has 2 minor

functions.

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Tip 18. What if squeezing and releasing isn’t enough to keep your

horse bending his neck to the outside?

Tip 19. Start to teach the connecting aids on a circle.

Tip 20. When and how to start teaching the connecting aids.

Tip 21. Why do you avoid teaching the connecting aids in the walk

in the beginning?

Tip 22. Do you ever give the connecting aids in the walk?

Tip 23. You must meet the 4 prerequisites before giving connecting

aids.

Tip 24. When you think about the 3 ingredients that make up

the connecting aids, think about the driving aids first and

foremost.

Tip 25. Never use your hands without first using your driving aids.

Tip 26. Your horse must go forward immediately from light driving

aids.

Tip 27. Teach your horse that your legs ask his hind legs to do the

same thing in a lengthening as they do during connecting

aids.

Tip 28. Find and maintain a regular rhythm and a comfortable

tempo.

Tip 29. The tempo doesn’t get slower during the connecting aids.

Tip 30. Your horse has to be supple enough to accept the connecting

aids.

Tip 31. What is the sequence of aids during suppling?

Tip 32. Aren’t my hands and arms supposed to be steady?

Tip 33. Don’t cross your hand over the neck when you use indirect

rein.

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Tip 34. Always use your leg when you use an indirect rein.

Tip 35. Alternate suppling with connecting aids.

Tip 36. If your horse stiffens against the outside rein, counter-supple

him.

Tip 37. If your horse is stiff in his poll, the connecting aids can’t go

through.

Tip 38. How can you loosen the poll?

Tip 39. Test to see if you’ve suppled the poll successfully.

Tip 40. Isn’t suppling the neck and poll riding the horse from front

to back?

Tip 41. Don’t straighten your arms after suppling.

Tip 42. Should you let the reins get longer after suppling?

Tip 43. What if your horse jerks the reins out of your hands?

Tip 44. What if your horse gets too long and low?

Tip 45. In order for the connecting aids to work, your horse must be

straight.

Tip 46. Describe flexion at the poll and how to get it.

Tip 47. Describe flexion at the jaw and how to get it.

Tip 48. You might have to tweak the connecting aids for an

individual horse.

Tip 49. What do you do if your horse falls on his inside shoulder or

loses his bend?

Tip 50. What do you do if your horse slows down?

Tip 51. What do you do if your horse rushes forward?

Tip 52. What do you do if your horse shortens his neck or gets

crooked?

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Tip 53. What if your horse understands the connecting aids but

ignores them?

Tip 54. How do you know which aid to “tweak”?

Tip 55. When your horse is on the bit, it’s easier to sit the trot.

Tip 56. What should you do if your horse is fresh at the beginning of

your ride?

Tip 57. If your horse slows down when you combine your driving

aids with your closed outside fist, use a lengthening to drive

him through your outside hand.

Tip 58. Why does maintaining the lengthening help?

Tip 59. In the beginning, giving the connecting aids feels

mechanical.

Tip 60. Do the reins get longer after the connecting aids?

Tip 61. The 3 ingredients of the connecting aids appear to be given

simultaneously.

Tip 62. Do your arms stay still during the connecting aids?

Tip 63. You won’t look busy when you give the connecting aids.

Tip 64. Don’t focus on the vibrating inside rein.

Tip 65. What if your horse looks to the outside?

Tip 66. Keep your hands in the “work area”.

Tip 67. Use the stretchy circle to see if your horse is honestly

connected.

Tip 68. Use the connecting aids to prepare for the “stretchy circle”

in dressage tests.

Tip 69. Uberstreichen also tests connection.

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Tip 70. What if your horse just doesn’t seem to understand how to

come on the bit?

Tip 71. Use leg yielding to help your horse learn to go through the

outside rein.

Tip 72. Magnify the 3 ingredients that make up your connecting aids

by “accelerating” onto a small circle.

Tip 73. How long should you expect your horse to stay on the bit

during each ride?

Tip 74. How long should you ask your horse to stay on the bit

between breaks?

Tip 75. If your horse feels “flat”, give connecting aids to make him

rounder.

Tip 76. What’s the difference between contact and connection?

Tip 77. What’s the difference between connection and collection?

Tip 78. Use the connecting aids to make your horse even in the rein.

Tip 79. Teach your horse to be supple on an inside rein and

connected to an outside rein on both sides.

Tip 80. Watch the outside of the neck to determine if he’s connected

into either rein.

Tip 81. Once your horse learns the connecting aids, they are shorter

than 3 seconds.

Tip 82. When do you add seat to the driving aids?

Tip 83. Layer the connecting aids like coats of paint.

Tip 84. What if your horse comes on the bit easily but doesn’t stay

there?

Tip 85. How often should you give the connecting aids?

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Tip 86. Give two sets of aids at once.

Tip 87. How long do the connecting aids last when you’re giving

two sets of aids?

Tip 88. How does the balance change as you move up through the

levels?

Tip 89. What’s the ideal length of the neck?

Tip 90. What’s the ideal height of the neck?

Tip 91. What is rollkur?

Tip 92. What’s the difference between behind the bit and behind the

vertical?

Tip 93. Your horse isn’t connected if you have loops in the reins.

Tip 94. If your horse comes behind the bit, teach him to go forward

through his body.

Tip 95. Is a horse in self-carriage if he’s behind the bit?

Tip 96. What if your horse “rolls over” the bit?

Tip 97. What else should you know about placing the bit in front of

your horse?

Tip 98. Use suppling to teach your horse to accept a contact with

your hand.

Tip 99. What about a horse that alternates from being above the bit

to ducking behind the bit?

Tip 100. How do you start collection?

Tip 101. Even if your horse pulls, you must connect him before you

collect him.


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CHAnge Your eXpeCTATion THAT puTTing Your Horse on THe BiT is HArd

When you expect something to be hard, it becomes a self-fulfilling

prophecy.

So, the first thing you want to do is change your thinking about

putting your horse on the bit. Decide that it’s as easy as doing a

transition from halt to walk.

You probably wouldn’t think twice if I asked you to ride from halt to

walk. You’d just close your legs, and your horse would walk forward.

You don’t even think about it. You simply give the aids on “auto pilot”.

With practice and repetition, the aid to put your horse on the bit

becomes as simple as doing a transition from halt to walk.

THere’s no MYsTerY To puTTing Your Horse on THe BiT

That’s how I want you to get your brain wrapped around this idea of

putting your horse on the bit. There’s no mystery. You just have to give

the right aid.

The aid is as simple, clear, and uncomplicated as closing your legs and

asking your horse to trot.

As long as you know the ingredients that make up that aid, you can

put your horse on the bit.

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WHAT does iT LooK LiKe WHen A Horse is on THe BiT?

When a horse is on the bit, here’s what he’ll look like:

• Hisentireoutlinefrombacktofrontlooksround.

• Hishindlegsstepactivelyunderneathhisbody,hisbackisupand

swinging, his neck is long and low enough to be in line with the

“power train” of his hindquarters, his poll is the highest point, and

his nose is about 5 degrees in front of the vertical

• Fromthesaddlehisneckiswidestatthebase(justinfrontofthe

withers) and becomes progressively narrower as you get closer to

his ears.

• Fromtheside,hisnecklookslongishandrelativelylowratherthan

up in the air and short. He’s “pumped” up or “blooming” at the

base of his neck. There’s no dip just in front of his withers.

WHAT does iT feeL LiKe WHen A Horse is on THe BiT?

When a horse is on the bit, here’s what he’ll feel like:

• He’soneunitratherthanajumbleof“disconnectedparts”.

• He’smorecomfortabletositonbecausehisbackisrelaxed.

• Introtandcanter,hefeelslikeabeachballbouncingalong.

• Hisback(behindthesaddle)isupandswingingratherthan

dropped and tense.

• Hisenergyisself-perpetuating.Thepowercomesfrombehind,

over his back, through his neck, and gets recycled back to his hind

legs. But if your horse, let’s say, is crooked and pops his shoulder

out, the energy is going to go diagonally across his body. Then,

you’ll have to use your driving aids again to recreate the energy.

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• Youfeellikeanythingispossiblewithinthenextstep.For

example, he can immediately go from trot to canter. Or he can

immediately go from working canter into a canter lengthening. Or

he can promptly do a canter depart.

If you’re not sure if “anything is possible” within the next step, ask

for one of those transitions. If it’s easy to do, then you know that your

horse is on the bit.

sHouLdn’T A Horse feeL LigHT WHen He’s on THe BiT?

Think of being on the bit as an isometric (passive resistance) exercise.

Something has to be pushing into something else.

Riders often mistakenly look for “lightness” at the beginning of

training.

However, not all “lightness” is created equal. There’s “good lightness”

and there’s “bad lightness”.

At the basic levels, bad lightness indicates a lack of connection. In the

beginning, your horse should feel somewhat “heavy”.

I put the word “heavy” in quotes because heavy doesn’t mean a

strong, downward, dead pull on your hands. It just means that when

you pick up the reins, you feel your horse’s hind legs in your hands.

Expect to feel ½ to 1 pound of weight in your hands.

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Think about it. You can have total lightness if you ride around with

loops in the reins. But there’s no connection from back to front.

Good lightness begins at Second Level and above when you start

collection. At that point, you’ll want the weight of the reins in your

hands. That’s a couple of ounces.

But keep in mind that your horse must be correctly “heavy” before

he comes correctly “light”. Another way to say that is that your horse

must be connected before he can be collected.

THe eXpression “on THe BiT” ALso HAs A MenTAL ConnoTATion

The shape of a horse that’s on the bit is as described above. But

being “on the bit” also means that a horse is mentally “on the aids”.

He’s willing, obedient, and ready to do whatever you ask without

resistance.

THe “ConneCTing Aids”

For the sake of clarity, I’m going to call the aid that you’ll be using to

put your horse on the bit the “connecting aids”.

The “connecting aids” are a combination of three ingredients that

you’ll maintain for about three seconds—the length of time it takes

you to inhale and exhale:

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Those three ingredients are the:

• drivingaids

• bendingaids

• reinofopposition

The driving aids consist of your seat and your two legs because any of

those aids drive your horse forward.

The bending aids consist of your inside rein which asks the horse to

look in the direction he’s going, your inside leg on the girth, and your

outside leg behind the girth. Each of those aids contributes to bend.

The rein of opposition is the outside rein. It’s called the rein of

opposition because it opposes too much speed from the driving aids

and too much bend from the bending aids.

When you marry those three ingredients--driving aids, bending aids

and rein of opposition for about three seconds, you give the aids to put

your horse on the bit—the “connecting aids”.

THe HeArT of THe ConneCTing Aids is THe driVing Aids THrougH Your CLosed ouTside HAnd

Let’s talk about the driving aids first. And to make things simple, for

now you’ll just use your legs for your driving aids.

Later on, when your horse is more educated, you’ll add your seat as

part of the driving aids. (See Tip 82)

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• Forthedrivingaids,closebothcalvesandcreateasurgeofenergy

as if your horse is going to do a lengthening.

• Amomentafteryoufeelhimsurgeforwardfrombehind,close

your outside hand in a fist to capture, contain, and recycle that

power back to the hind legs.

• Maintainyourclosedcalvesandclosedoutsidehandforabout

three seconds.

if You CAn pAT Your HeAd And ruB Your sToMACH, You CAn puT Your Horse on THe BiT

Putting your horse on the bit is as simple as patting your head and

rubbing your stomach.

Here’s why:

You close both legs to drive your horse forward as if you’re going into

a lengthening.

Then each hand does something different. (That’s where the patting

your head and rubbing your stomach comes in.)

Your outside hand closes in a fist.

Your vibrating inside hand keeps the neck straight and asks for flexion

at the jaw.

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THe pressure of Your Legs And CLosed ouTside HAnd is sTeAdY

When you close your legs for 3 seconds, think of squeezing toothpaste

out of a tube. Use a light, steady pressure rather than pulsing your legs

on and off.

Keep your outside hand closed the entire time. If you open and close

it, you’ll just be moving the bit in your horse’s mouth and flexing him

in the jaw.

The outside rein has a more important role than flexing the jaw.

(That’s the job of the inside rein.) The job of the outside rein is to

capture the energy that you’ve created with your legs, and recycle it

back to the hind legs.

THe THree ingredienTs of THe ConneCTing Aids AppeAr To Be giVen AT THe sAMe TiMe

The driving aids, bending aids, and rein of opposition seem to be

given simultaneously. However, if you had freeze frame photography,

you’d see the aids given in this order:

A. First, close both calves as if you’re squeezing toothpaste out of a

tube to create that surge of power from behind.

B. Next, close your outside hand (rein of opposition) in a fist to

capture, contain, and recycle the energy back to the hind legs.

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C. Finally, if your horse starts to bend his neck to the outside, give

three little squeezes and releases on the inside rein to keep his neck

straight.

D. After three seconds, soften everything. Go back to the original

light pressure of legs and hands you had before you started the

connecting aids.

THe ConneCTing Aids Are LigHT

Many people think the connecting aids have to be mega-strong. They

don’t.

If your horse is in front of your driving aids, close your legs just a

little bit stronger than the normally light contact you have with your

legs just draped around your horse’s sides.

Close your outside hand just slightly firmer than the light contact you

normally have with his mouth.

So, you’ll increase the pressure of your legs and outside hand ever so

slightly during the connecting aids.

That’s why you can give a million connecting aids, and nobody can

see you doing anything. They’re just gentle reminders to your horse to

come on the bit and stay there.

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sAY THe Words “Add, Add, Add” ouT Loud during THe ConneCTing Aids

While you’re learning how to give the connecting aids, it’s helpful to

have a verbal cue to remind you to use your driving aids before you

use your reins. So during the three seconds of the connecting aids, say

the words, “Add, add, add”.

The word “add” is a cue for you to use your driving aids and add your

horse’s hind legs. You want to “Add hind legs, add hind legs, add hind

legs through your closed outside hand.”

Remember that the connecting aids are an ADDITION of hind legs.

Once you’ve added energy from the hind legs, then you can recycle

that power with your closed outside hand.

Think of the connecting aids as having the same SURGE from behind

that you get when you’re asking for a lengthening or a medium gait.

Add that surge from behind, and then recycle the power with your

closed outside hand. Never subtract power by using your hands first.

use A VerBAL Cue To reMind You To sofTen AT THe end of THe ConneCTing Aids

You might also find it helpful to use a verbal cue to remind you to

soften at the end of the connecting aids. So you’d say something like,

“Add, add, add, soften”, “Add, add, add, relax”, or “Add, add, add,

give”.

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The verbal cue does several things. It:

• Remindsyoutokeepgivingyouraidsforthreeseconds

• Remindsyoutorideyourhorsefrombacktofrontbecauseyou’re

adding hind legs

• Givesasignaltoyourmindsothatyourmusclesfirecorrectlyboth

for the addition of hind legs and for the softening at the end of the

connecting aids

WHAT ABouT TiMing THe Aids WiTH THe Hind Legs?

Your horse can only respond to an aid when a hind leg is on the

ground—and specifically just before it pushes off.

So by giving the connecting aids for about three seconds, you’ll be

overlapping the moments when each hind leg is on the ground.

THe use of THe inside rein is opTionAL

If you hold the outside hand closed for three full seconds, your horse

might bend his neck to the outside. This usually happens more so

in one direction—generally when his hollow or soft side is on the

outside.

If you close your legs and outside hand in a fist, and your horse

doesn’t bend his neck to the outside, you won’t need to use the inside

rein. In fact, if you do use it, you’ll end up over bending his neck to

the inside.

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However, if he does start to bend his neck to the outside, you’ll need

to use the inside rein. Give a couple of squeezes and releases (which

is part of your bending aid) to keep him flexed to the inside.

sQueeZing And reLeAsing (ViBrATing) on THe inside rein HAs TWo Minor funCTions

The PRIMARY function of the inside rein is to prevent your horse

from bending his neck to the outside. If he bends his neck to the

outside, he isn’t straight. And he needs to be straight for your

connecting aids to work.

The secondary MINOR function of the inside rein is to move the bit

in the horse’s mouth. Moving the bit encourages your horse to chew.

When he chews, he flexes at the jaw.

It’s important to recognize you can flex his jaw with one rein. NEVER

squeeze and release, vibrate, or saw with both reins. That’s riding

from front to back.

You need to save your steady outside hand for it’s more important job

of recycling power back to the hind legs.

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WHAT if sQueeZing And reLeAsing isn’T enougH To Keep Your Horse froM Bending His neCK To THe ouTside?

Many times when you ride with your horse’s hollow side (his soft

side) on the outside, squeezing and releasing on the inside rein won’t

be enough to keep his neck straight. Instead, use an indirect inside rein

aid because it’ll be more influential than squeezing and releasing.

So, in this case, your connecting aids would be:

• Closebothlegs.

• Closeyouroutsidehandinafist.

• Givethreelittleturnsofyourwristwithyourindirectinsiderein.

• Soften.

sTArT To TeACH THe ConneCTing Aids on A CirCLe.

The reason it’s a good idea to start on a circle is because the shape of

a circle helps you with two of the three ingredients that make up the

connecting aids—the bend and the rein of opposition.

If your horse is straight on the circle, his spine directly overlaps the

arc of the circle. As a result, you have bend.

The outside rein limits and defines the size of the circle. So you’re

automatically using your outside rein in a passive way.

During the connecting aids, however, you’ll use the outside rein more

actively by closing that hand in a fist.

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WHen And HoW To sTArT TeACHing THe ConneCTing Aids

Don’t introduce the connecting aids to a very young horse that is just

beginning his training under saddle. When you’re starting out, you just

want your young horse to go forward in a regular rhythm and accept a

contact with your hands. His frame will look much like a hunter with

his topline parallel to the ground and his nose poked a bit forward.

When the basic work is done, you can introduce the connecting aids.

For some horses this will take a few months. For other horses, it might

take as long as a year. It takes as long as it takes. Horses don’t go by

human timetables.

You’ll know you’re ready to start when you feel confident that your

horse:

• Stops

• Goesforwardinaregularrhythm

• Turnsleftandright

• Issupplethroughhisbody

• Acceptsacontactwithyourhand

Generally, it’s a good idea to start in posting trot. Here’s why:

• Ifyousitthetrot,it’llbedifficultforyourhorsetobringhisback

up.

• Thetrothasmoreenergythanthewalk.

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WHY sHouLd You AVoid TeACHing THe ConneCTing Aids in THe WALK in THe Beginning?

The reasons you generally don’t start teaching the connecting aids in

the walk are:

• It’seasierforyourhorsetocomebehindtheleginthewalk.

• It’snotagoodideatodoalotofworkoncontactinthewalkwith

a green horse because your horse might feel restricted.

So, in the beginning, don’t ride your young horse in the walk on

contact for a long time because, of the three gaits, the walk is the

easiest gait to ruin. What I mean by “ruin” is that a regular walk can

become “pacey” or lateral.

Instead of hearing a regular rhythm of 1-2-3-4 with equal spacing

between each of the four steps, you’ll hear an irregular rhythm like

1-2…3-4.

Once you’ve ruined the walk, it’s hard to fix it so always err on the side of

being conservative about riding on contact in the walk with a youngster.

By the way, that’s why the Training and First Level tests no longer ask

you to show working walk. The people who designed the tests were

concerned that riders would restrict their horses too much. Instead,

you’re asked to show medium walk so you think about really riding

the walk freely forward.

So, when you start to teach your young horse connecting aids, do your

walk on a loose rein Then, just a stride or two before you trot, pick up

a contact with his mouth. Then, immediately ride forward in a posting

trot.

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do You eVer giVe THe ConneCTing Aids in THe WALK?

Yes. There are exceptions to every rule.

It’s okay to start the connecting aids in the walk if your horse:

• Hassomeeducation

• Isinfrontofyourleg

• Understands“contact”

By “understanding contact” I mean that he accepts a feel of your hand.

He doesn’t resist the contact violently by putting his head way up or

evade the contact by tucking his chin in so there are loops in the reins.

He accepts a straight line contact from your elbow through your hand

to the bit, and you can guide him with the reins.

In fact, if your horse meets all of the above requirements, it’s actually

helpful to start in the walk because you’ll have more time to think

about and apply the aids.

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You MusT MeeT THese 4 prereQuisiTes Before giVing ConneCTing Aids

The connecting aids WON’T work even if you give them perfectly if

you haven’t satisfied 4 prerequisites.

The prerequisites require that your horse:

• GoesForwardfromlightdrivingaids.

• HasgoodRhythmandTempo.

• IsSupple.

• IsStraight.

I’ll discuss these four prerequisites in the next few tips.

WHen THinKing ABouT THe 3 ingredienTs THAT MAKe up THe ConneCTing Aids, THinK ABouT THe driVing Aids firsT

It’s absolutely essential that your horse go forward immediately when

you close your legs. Otherwise, any “frame” you get will just be the

result of “hand riding”. Your horse will arch his neck and “pose” on

the bit, but he’s really not connected from back to front.

So, first check that your horse is in front of your driving aids by

asking for a lengthening. It doesn’t matter if your horse doesn’t

do a good lengthening. You just need to know that as soon as you

close both calves, he reacts immediately by giving you some kind of

forward response.

If he doesn’t, check out the steps for putting your horse in front of

your driving aids in Tip 26.

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neVer use Your HAnds WiTHouT firsT using Your driVing Aids

If you only use your hands when trying to put your horse on the bit,

you’re making one of the biggest mistakes you can make. By focusing

on the head and “getting the head down”, you just create an artificial

“head-set” because you’re riding from front to back.

You’ll also create a “head-set” if you separate your hands very wide

and use them like “human sidereins”. If you separate your hands and

pull down and back, once again you’re riding your horse from front to

back. Keep your hands together in the “work area”. (See Tip 66)

Putting your horse on the bit has nothing to do with “head sets”.

Physically, it’s a round silhouette that occurs when you ride your horse

from behind, over his back, through his neck, and into your hands.

(And at that point the energy can be recycled back to the hind legs)

Mentally, a horse that is on the bit is “on the aids” and anything is

possible within the next step.

When you’re working on putting your horse on the bit, remember to

always FIRST use your driving aids before you use your reins. You

want to create a surge from behind as if you’re starting a lengthening.

Then just as you feel your horse begin to lengthen, close your outside

hand in a fist to capture, contain, and recycle that power back to the

hind legs. You’ll only need to use your inside hand if your horse bends

his neck to the outside during the combination of the driving aids and

rein of opposition (outside rein).

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Always remember that using your hands BEFORE your driving aids

(or instead of your driving aids—YIKES!) is the same as picking up

the telephone before it rings. Why would you pick up the phone? No

one is there!

By the same token why would you use your hands to put your horse

on the bit before you’ve first driven him forward? You haven’t created

any power to capture and recycle back to the hind legs!

Your Horse MusT go forWArd iMMediATeLY froM LigHT driVing Aids

If your horse is slow to react or reacts half-heartedly to your legs, you

need to put him in front of your driving aids.

Here are the steps to put him in front of your driving aids:

1. Give a light leg aid

2. No response, half hearted response, or delayed response

3. Correct him by sending him forward

4. RETEST

5. 100% response (99.9% isn’t good enough!)

6. Praise

Let me explain those steps in a little more detail:

1. Give one feather light squeeze with both calves. A horse can feel a

fly on his side so it’s logical that he can feel a light aid.

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2. Your horse must react instantly and eagerly. If he doesn’t, DON’T

adjust your aid by repeating it or making it stronger. If you do,

you’re letting your horse train you!

3. Instead, correct him by chasing him forward. Before you actually

correct your horse for a dull or non-existent reaction to your leg,

consider his temperament. The easy-going fellow might need a

few taps with the whip or a few bumps from your legs to send him

forward.

But the sensitive soul might only need a brush with the whip to get

the same reaction. The point is to get a clearly forward, “hot-off-

the-leg” answer—not to terrorize him.

Also, if your horse is the type that bucks when you use the whip,

it’s better to bump him with your legs instead. First of all, you

don’t want to get bucked off!

In addition, if he’s bucking, he’s obviously not going forward, so

he’s missed the whole point of why you corrected him.

So, close both of your legs very lightly on his sides to ask for his

version of a lengthening. If he doesn’t respond (and he probably

won’t if you’re used to giving him strong leg aids), send him

forward for eight or ten strides by tapping with the whip or giving

him a couple of bumps with your legs.

Keep in mind that at this point, all you’re looking for is some type

of forward reaction. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a “pretty”

answer. It’s fine if he puts his head up in the air and rushes off.

None of those reactions matter in the beginning.

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Your only goal when you start this process is to get some kind of

enthusiastic answer that shows your horse is paying attention to

you.

While you’re sending him forward, maintain a light contact with

his mouth, but don’t give any rein aids. There’s no point in using

the reins to put him on the bit if he’s not “thinking” forward.

4. Once you’ve chased him forward, go back to a normal working

trot. Ask for the lengthening again by RETESTING with a light leg

aid.

Retesting by closing both calves lightly is the most important step

in the entire process. If you don’t retest, your horse only becomes

duller. That’s because you’ve only taught him to go forward when

he feels the whip or kicking. You haven’t taught him anything

about reacting to a light leg aid unless you retest.

5. Accept nothing less than a 100% response.

If his reaction to your legs is “better” or “pretty good” but not

wholeheartedly forward, repeat the whole process from the

beginning until he makes a 100% effort.

6. When you RETEST, if he responds by immediately going forward

energetically, praise generously. At this point it’s still okay if he

breaks into the canter when you do the retest —later on, through

repetition and reward, you can explain to him that you just want a

lengthening in the trot.

But for the moment, ANY forward reaction deserves to be

rewarded.

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TeACH Your Horse THAT Your Legs AsK His Hind Legs To do THe sAMe THing in A LengTHening As THeY do during ConneCTing Aids

Explain to your horse that since you close your legs in the same way

for both lengthenings and connecting aids, it means he should also

surge forward with his hind legs in both cases.

To help your horse understand that the way you use your legs is the

common denominator between lengthenings and connecting aids, do

the following “rubber band” exercise.

In this rubber band exercise, you’ll alternate between lengthenings and

connecting aids:

• Lengtheninpostingtrotonacirclefor7or8strides.

• Makesureyoukeepthebendwhenyoulengthen.

• Gobacktoworkingtrot.

• Startanotherlengthening.Afterthefirststeportwoofthe

lengthening, close your outside hand in a fist while maintaining

flexion to the inside. These are your connecting aids.

• Theconnectingaidslastsaround3seconds.

• Repeatthelengthening.

• Repeattheconnectingaids.

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find And MAinTAin A reguLAr rHYTHM And A CoMforTABLe TeMpo

Regular rhythm refers to the even spacing between the steps in each

stride of the gait. If you were on pavement, a regular walk would

sound like 1-2-3-4. An irregular walk would sound like 1-2…3-4.

A regular trot sounds like 1-2, 1-2, 1-2.

A regular canter sounds like 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3.

Tempo is the speed of the repetition of that rhythm. Find a speed that’s

comfortable for your horse. In other words, he can walk, trot, and

canter in good balance.

During the connecting aids, your goal is to keep the same rhythm and

tempo that you had before you gave the connecting aids.

THe TeMpo doesn’T geT sLoWer during THe ConneCTing Aids

Your horse’s tempo should NEVER get slower during the connecting

aids. The tempo should stay the same.

If the tempo gets slower in the trot, your horse is doing what’s called

a “swimmy” trot. It looks extravagant, but it’s very incorrect. That’s

because your horse is not connected. Every stride, his hind legs push

backwards, and his back goes down.

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Your Horse HAs To Be suppLe enougH To ACCepT THe ConneCTing Aids

When you give the connecting aids, a stiff horse will just “run into his

locked body”. Consequently, the aids won’t work.

Here are two suppling exercises to prepare your horse so he can

accept the connecting aids. The first one supples his body. The second

exercise, which I’ll discuss in Tips 37-39, supples his poll.

To supple the stiff horse’s body:

For the sake of defining just how much to bend your horse’s neck, I

call this exercise “+7/+1”.

I came up with that description to clarify just how much to flex or

bend your horse.

Here’s an explanation of the terminology:

• Whenyourhorse’schinislinedupdirectlyinfrontofthemiddle

crease of his chest, I call that a “0” or a neutral position.

• The+7referstobendingyourhorse’sneck7inchestotheleftor

right of neutral (0).

• The+1referstopositioningyourhorse’sheadoneinchtotheleft

or right of neutral (0). In that position, you’ll just see his inside eye

or nostril.

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THE ACTIVE AIDS1. Use an indirect, inside rein.

To use an indirect rein, start with the thumb as the highest point

of your hand and then turn your wrist so that:

• Yourthumbpointstowardthecenterofacircle.

• Yourfingernailspointuptowardyourface.

• Yourbabyfinger“scoops”uptowardyouroppositeshoulder.

• Yourentirefiststaysforwardinthe“workarea”butmoves

over toward the withers. (That hand comes very close to the

withers, but doesn’t cross over.)

• Assoonasyou’veturnedyourhandinthatposition,return

to a normal position with the thumb as the highest point of

your hand.

Here’s the timing of the use of the inside rein:

• Bendyourhorse’snecktoa+7threetimes.Turnthekeyin

the lock to bend his neck until his face is 7 inches (+7) to the

inside of a neutral position.

• Dothe“threebends”onerightaftertheother--veryquickly

but very smoothly.

• Straightenhisneckwiththeoutsidereininbetweeneach+7

bend.

• Makesuretokeepacontactwithyourhorse’smouthbefore,

during, and after you bend him. Don’t let the rein get loopy

at any time.

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2. Use an Active Inside Leg:

• It’sveryimportanttouseyourinsidelegatthesametimeyou

use your inside rein.

• Forexample,squeezewithyourrightcalfatthesametimeyou

bend your horse’s neck with your right wrist to a +7.

• Bydoingso,you’retellinghisrighthindlegtogoforwardinto

your right hand.

• Inthisway,youputyourhorse“through”therightsideofhis

body.

THE PASSIVE AIDS 1. Use a Supporting Outside Rein:

• Keepyouroutsidereinsteadyandsupportingtolimitthe

amount of bend in your horse’s neck to +7. If you bend him

more than +7, he might lose his balance.

• Don’tletyouroutsidehandgoforwardtowardyourhorse’s

mouth. If you do, his outside shoulder can pop out, and he

won’t be straight. Keep your hands side-by-side, and think of

your outside rein as a siderein.

• Assoonasyou’vebentyourhorse’sneckto+7,useyour

outside rein to straighten him so he ends up in a +1 flexion.

Important: Don’t keep him bent to +7 until he softens or

“gives”. That’s the wrong kind of “giving”. He’s just giving in

the jaw, and that’s not what you want! You want to connect his

“engine” to your outside hand.

2. Use a Supporting Outside Leg:

• Ifyourhorseisverystiff,you’llneedtosupporthimwithyour

outside leg to prevent him from swinging his hindquarters out

when you bend him with your inside leg and rein.

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• Makesureallfourofhislegsstayontheoriginallineoftravel.

Your horse’s neck is the only part of his body that comes off the

line of travel. If his hindquarters swing out, he’s just moving his

stiff body sideways.

WHAT is THe seQuenCe of Aids during suppLing?

The sequence of aids for suppling the body is:

Go on a circle, and establish a balanced working gait with a regular

rhythm and comfortable tempo (speed).

Next, supple your horse three times in a row.

Then leave him alone for 6-8 strides to give him time to react to

the suppling. During those 6-8 strides, make sure your contact is

elastic according to whichever gait you’re in.

1. In the walk and canter, your elbows open and close as if you’re

rowing a boat or you’re a jockey galloping down a racetrack.

2. In the posting trot, open and close your elbows like a hinge or

like you’re washing clothes on an old-fashioned scrub board.

You can even place your baby finger on your horse’s neck. As you

post, make sure your hands stay in contact with his neck. If they do,

you know your elbows are opening and closing.

Keep alternating between suppling three times and just riding straight

forward with an elastic contact for 6-8 strides.

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If your suppling has been effective, with each set of “three supples”,

your horse will lengthen and lower his head and neck. He’ll also feel

looser and softer in his body and more mentally relaxed.

Aren’T MY HAnds And ArMs supposed To Be sTeAdY?

People often worry that their hands aren’t steady enough so they

stiffen their arms an effort to keep their hands still.

In the previous tip, I explained how your arms should move in each

gait. The only exception is the sitting trot. Since you won’t be sitting

the trot until your horse is on the bit, you don’t need to worry about

this for now.

But once you do start to sit the trot, here’s how to make your hands

steady.

First, you need to realize that your horse is moving. And if you’re in

harmony with your horse, you’re going to move too.

However, the parts of your body that are in contact with your horse

should move. And the parts of your body that aren’t in contact with

your horse should be steady.

So, if the parts of your body that touch the horse (your seat and your

hips) aren’t flexible, supple, and mobile enough to move with your

horse, his movement has to leak out some place.

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And the movement usually comes out in your extremities. Your hands

might be unsteady. Your feet might flop left and right. Or you might

nod your head every stride. Any of that motion usually indicates that

your back is stiff or your hips aren’t loose and following enough.

So rather than forcing yourself to keep your hands steady, focus

on absorbing the movement through your seat and hips. The more

your seat and hips absorb the movement of your horse, the less your

extremities will bounce.

don’T Cross Your HAnd oVer THe neCK WHen You use THe indireCT rein

When you turn your wrist, come as close to the withers as possible

with your baby finger, but never cross over the withers.

The reason that you need to use each rein independently on either side

of your horse’s neck is that the action of the rein has to do two things:

• Theactionofthereinhastotravelthroughyourarm,downyour

back and affect your horse’s back.

• Theactionofthereinalsohastotravelthroughyourhorse’sbody

and affect the hind leg on the same side. If you cross over the

withers, you lose the ability to affect the hind leg on the same side

as your rein.

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ALWAYs use Your Leg WHen You use An indireCT rein

Many teachers don’t teach indirect rein because they’re concerned that

a student will start to use the inside rein to replace his inside leg when

asking for bend.

As long as you use your inside leg WITH your inside rein, the indirect

rein is a very useful rein effect.

ALTernATe suppLing WiTH ConneCTing Aids

If your horse is really stiff, alternate three “supples” as described in

Tips 30 and 31 with your connecting aids.

So, the sequence would be: Supple, supple, supple…Connecting aids

for 3 seconds. Repeat.

if Your Horse sTiffens AgAinsT THe ouTside rein, CounTer-suppLe HiM

If your horse stiffens against your outside hand when you apply the

connecting aids, do three “counter-supples” by bending his neck 7

inches to the outside (-7). Then try the connecting aids again.

So the sequence would be -7/0, -7/0, -7/+1…Then, give the

connecting aids for three seconds.

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if Your Horse is sTiff in His poLL, THe ConneCTing Aids CAn’T go THrougH

Not only must your horse be supple through his body, but also he

needs to be supple in his poll.

You’ll be able to tell if your horse is loose in his poll if he can flex

laterally to the left and right. And he must be loose in his poll in order

for the connecting aids to work.

If you’re not sure if he’s locked at the poll, ask yourself some

questions:

• Willheeasilyflextotheleftorrightwithonequickturnofyour

wrist, or does he stiffen against the action of the rein?

• Doeshetiphisheadonsmallcircles

• Doeshetilthisheadinlateralworkwithabendlikeshoulder-in?

• Arethetipsofhisearsthesameheight?

If he stiffens against your hand when you ask him to flex left or right

or tilts his head on circles and lateral work, you probably need to

supple his poll.

HoW CAn You Loosen THe poLL?

Here’s an exercise to supple your horse’s poll.

Start in the halt on the rail so you can check that you’re keeping your

horse’s body absolutely straight. If he’s straight, his body is parallel to

the rail from nose to tail.

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When you start to supple the poll, keep his neck parallel to the rail.

The most common mistake is to bend the neck. Your horse can bend

his neck and still stay locked in his poll.

Use an indirect rein to move his face only one inch to the left and one

inch to the right so you can just see his inside or outside eye and/or

nostril (this is also sometimes called position left and position right,

flexion and counter-flexion, or +1 and -1).

Remember, when you use an indirect rein, keep your fingers softly

closed around the reins. Then, turn your wrist as if you’re locking or

unlocking a door, turning the ignition key (right hand) to start your

car, or scooping a spoonful of sugar out of a bowl.

Don’t vibrate the reins while suppling the poll. That will just flex your

horse’s jaw and close the angle at his throatlatch.

When turning your wrist, keep your hands stay side by side. In the

moment that you turn your wrist, your fingernails face upward, your

baby finger points diagonally up toward your opposite shoulder, and

your hand comes quite close to the withers.

Once you’ve turned your wrist, return to your “starting position” with

your thumb the highest point of your hand. That is, don’t hold your

hand in the position with your fingernails facing up and your hand

near the withers.

Never bring your hand across the withers. Also, be sure you support

with the opposite rein so your horse doesn’t just bend his neck.

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If you’re next to the rail, you’ll easily be able to see if you’ve used

your opposite rein enough. If you haven’t supported with the opposite

rein, your horse’s neck won’t be absolutely parallel to the wall

anymore.

TesT To see if You’Ve suppLed THe poLL suCCessfuLLY

After you do the previous exercise, check to see if you’ve unlocked

your horse’s poll by doing the following test:

Pick either position left or position right (+1 or -1), and give your

hand forward toward your horse’s mouth to put a little loop in the rein.

If you’ve suppled your horse’s poll successfully, he’ll stay flexed in

that direction and not “boing” back with his face in the other direction.

For example, flex him left, and then give the left rein. See if he stays

flexed left without your hand.

Once you can do this at the halt, go to the walk. When you can do it in

the walk both to the right and to the left (flexion and counter-flexion),

ask in the trot. Once you can get the answer you want in the trot, go to

canter.

Don’t expect to get anything in a faster gait that you can’t get at a

slower gait. Also, if you have success in the trot, but not in the canter,

go back to the trot (or walk or even halt) until your horse passes the

“poll suppleness” test successfully.

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isn’T suppLing THe neCK And poLL riding THe Horse froM fronT To BACK?

If your horse is stiff anywhere in his body, you can drive for all you’re

worth, and the energy is going to stop where he’s blocked. Movement from

behind just can’t flow through. It’s like having a kink in a water hose.

Think about the training scale, which is your guideline for training

and problem solving. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the

training scale, the six ingredients are:

• Rhythm

• Suppleness

• Contact/Connection

• Impulsion

• Straightness

• Collection

Since suppleness comes before connection on the training scale, you

need to unblock, unlock, and supple the stiff horse so that you can

then connect him from back to front.

don’T sTrAigHTen Your ArMs AfTer suppLing

You don’t want to straighten your arms after suppling because the

contact won’t feel elastic to your horse. A straight arm is going to feel

rigid to him. And he’ll either pop his head up in the air or duck behind

the bit.

So never straighten your arms because you don’t want them to feel

rigid to your horse.

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sHouLd You eVer LeT THe reins geT Longer AfTer suppLing?

There will be some times that you’ll open your fingers and let a few

inches of rein slip through your hands (as opposed to straightening

your arms) both after suppling and after the connecting aids.

Try opening your fingers if your horse isn’t “solving the problem”.

For some reason, he feels claustrophobic.

Maybe he feels claustrophobic because he’s been ridden from front to

back. Maybe it’s because he’s been ridden in gadgets. Whatever the

reason, he thinks he can’t have a “falling down neck” or stretch his

neck forward and down.

So, sometimes after suppling or after connecting aids, open your

fingers and let him stretch just to say “Hey, the door’s open. You’re not

confined. You can put your neck down there, and go toward my hand”.

Occasionally, you might even have to go to the extreme of fluffing the

reins forward toward your horse’s mouth. And, in that case, you would

lose the contact. But you want to explain to your horse that, “You’re

free! The door is open.”

So, it’s okay to loosen the reins occasionally with a horse that just

isn’t getting it. By “it” I mean that he is, in fact, allowed to stretch

forward, down, and out with his head and neck toward your hand after

both suppling and connecting aids.

Once he understands how to change his shape, however, you won’t let

the reins get longer any more.

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WHAT if Your Horse JerKs THe reins ouT of Your HAnds?

Your horse should change shape within the length of rein that you give

him.

If he’s trying to jerk the reins out of your hands, it might be because

you’ve inadvertently rewarded him in the past by letting the reins

slip through your fingers after suppling or giving the connecting aids.

(Remember basic behavioral conditioning states that if you reinforce a

behavior, you increase the likelihood that the behavior that came right

before the reinforcement will be repeated.)

So, if you’ve always lengthened the reins, your horse is now going

to expect you to give him the reins all the time. He thinks that’s what

he’s supposed to do. And he’s just getting a little bit rude about it.

You have to explain to him that he’s not supposed to do that. Explain

it to him by bracing your back. Just hold your stomach muscles like

you’re doing a sit up, and close both hands.

By bracing your back and closing your hands, you give him

boundaries. If he tries to go beyond those boundaries, he’s going to hit

your hands, and “correct” himself.

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WHAT if Your Horse geTs Too Long And LoW?

The length of the rein determines the length of your horse’s neck. If

you allow your reins to get too long after you give the connecting aids,

you’re inviting your horse to get longer and lower.

Keep in mind that there’s good “long and low”, and there’s bad “long

and low”. Bad “long and low” occurs when the head and neck are

down, but the hind legs are trailing out behind.

Create good “long and low” with your connecting aids. Because

you’ve put your driving aids on first during the connecting aids,

you’ve driven the hind legs under. So when you allow your horse

to stretch “long and low”, his hind legs are in a good place. They’re

underneath him.

So, even though he’s stretching long and low, he’s still carrying

himself. He’s not plowing around on the forehand and gaining

momentum like a snowball going down a mountain.

To sum up, make sure you use your driving aids first. And then if you

feel your horse wants to get too low, define the limits of how low he

can go by limiting how much rein you actually feed out.

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in order for THe ConneCTing Aids To WorK, Your Horse MusT Be sTrAigHT

The definition of straightness is that the horse’s spine directly overlaps

his line of travel with his hind feet following in the tracks of his front

feet. So a straight horse is straight on lines and bent on curves.

I’m going to add a little something to that definition. Think that when

your horse is straight, he has his shoulders in front of your hips and in

front of his hips.

A rider often bends the horse’s neck too much to the inside on a circle.

As a result, the horse’s shoulders “pop out”.

To check whether or not you’ve bent your horse’s neck too much to

the outside, ask for counter-flexion (-1). As your horse counter-flexes,

take note of whether or not his shoulders slide over to the inside. (If

your horse is crooked while you’re tracking to the left and you ask for

-1 flexion to the right, his shoulders will move to the left.)

Once you learn the feeling of your horse’s shoulders being in front of

your hips and his hips when he’s in counter-flexion, go back to true

flexion (+1), and keep his shoulders in the same spot.

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desCriBe fLeXion AT THe poLL And HoW To geT iT

A lot of riders aren’t totally clear on the difference between flexion

at the poll and flexion at the jaw, and how to ask for each of these

positions.

Keep in mind that a horse can flex three ways–to the left, to the right,

and “in”.

I’ll discuss flexion at the poll in this tip and flexion at the jaw in Tip 47.

When a horse flexes to the left or right, he’s flexing at the poll. When

he flexes at the poll, you’ll just see his inside or outside eye or nostril.

For clarity while teaching, I call this position +1 or -1 because you’re

bringing his head 1 inch to the inside or the outside of where it would

be when his chin is directly in front of the crease in the middle of his

chest.

Ask for flexion at the poll to the left or right with an indirect rein aid.

To give an indirect rein aid, quickly turn your wrist so your thumb

points to the center of the circle, your fingernails point up toward your

face, and your baby finger points up toward your opposite shoulder.

As you turn your wrist this way, bring your hand very close to the

withers, but don’t cross over them. As soon as you’ve turned your

wrist, return to the “starting position” where your thumb is the highest

point of the hand.

Be sure you support with your outside rein as you ask for flexion so

you isolate his poll rather than bend his entire neck.

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desCriBe fLeXion AT THe JAW And HoW To geT iT

When a horse flexes “in”, he flexes at the jaw and closes the angle

at his throatlatch. You’ll use a completely different rein action to ask

your horse to flex “in” than the action you used to ask for flexion to

the left or right.

You ask your horse to flex “in” by moving the bit in his mouth. Be

sure you only use ONE rein to move the bit. If you alternately saw on

his mouth with your hands, he’ll just bring his face closer to his chest.

We often flex the horse’s jaw. In fact, his jaw must be flexed for him

to be completely on the bit. BUT, the danger lies in flexing the jaw

BEFORE you connect him over his back. If you flex his jaw first, he’s

not really connected. His face is just “in”.

The problem here is that you can fake yourself out. You might think

he’s correctly on the bit because he feels soft in your hand when his

jaw is flexed. But if you go to do something like a transition, you’ll

find out that he’s really not connected at all.

During the transition, he’ll raise his head and neck and look hollow

because all you have control over is a flexed jaw. He wasn’t honestly

on the bit to begin with!

Always ride your horse from back to front. Close your legs and send

your horse forward through your outside hand to get his back round.

And ONLY after you’ve sent him forward through your outside hand

should you flex his jaw as the final ingredient of putting him on the

bit.

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You MigHT HAVe To TWeAK THe BAsiC “ConneCTing Aids” for An indiViduAL Horse

You now have a formula to put your horse on the bit—the connecting

aids.

Here’s the basic formula again:

1. Close your legs.

2. Close your outside hand in a fist.

3. Vibrate the inside rein to keep the horse’s neck straight, if

necessary.

But, depending on what your horse does, you might have to tweak

one or more of those three ingredients. Just listen to the feedback your

horse gives you.

WHAT do You do if Your Horse fALLs on His inside sHouLder or Loses His Bend?

If your horse falls on his inside shoulder and always wants to put his

neck to the outside, you probably need more influence of the bending

aids—the inside leg and rein.

So even though you close both legs, close your inside leg a little bit

more firmly than you close your outside leg.

AND, rather than just going squeeze/release, squeeze/release,

squeeze/release with your inside hand, make your inside rein more

influential by using an indirect rein as you, “turn the key, turn the key,

turn the key”.

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WHAT do You do if Your Horse sLoWs doWn?

Let’s say you give the connecting aids, and your horse slows down.

That tells you one of two things:

• Maybeyouusedtoomuchoutsiderein(reinofopposition).

• Ormaybeyourhorsewas“behindtheleg”.

If you used too much outside rein, give another connecting aid, but

this time, use your outside rein less firmly and make sure you don’t

pull backwards.

Your horse is “behind the leg” if you close your legs lightly, and he

doesn’t react immediately. If that’s what you feel, make him more

responsive. Give him a couple of little taps with the whip, or a couple

of bumps with your legs.

But never leave a forward question with a correction. If you do, your

horse thinks he doesn’t have to pay attention to you unless you shout

at him with the whip and/or bump with your legs.

So, if you’ve had to make a correction to send him forward, go back

and retest with the light aid. When he reacts enthusiastically, reward

him. (See Tip 26)

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WHAT do You do if Your Horse rusHes forWArd?

Now, let’s take the other scenario. Some of you have hot horses.

When you close your legs, close your outside hand in a fist, and

vibrate the inside hand, your horse runs forward.

That reaction tells you one of two things:

• Youdon’thaveenoughinfluenceofyouroutsiderein.

• Youusedtoomuchleg.

Give another set of connecting aids and increase the influence of your

outside rein by using it more firmly.

If your horse still rushes forward, give the connecting aids again, and

don’t press so hard with your legs.

WHAT do You do if Your Horse sHorTens His neCK or geTs CrooKed?

You’ll also have to tweak the aids if you give your connecting aids,

and your horse shortens his neck. That probably means that you’re

bringing your hands behind the work area.

Here’s a simple tip to remind you to keep your hands FORWARD in

the work area. Imagine there’s a basketball in front of your stomach.

Keep your hands in front of the basketball. You can’t draw your hands

closer to your body because the basketball is in the way!

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Or maybe you give the connecting aids, and your horse swings his

hindquarters to the left or to the right.

That could mean either:

• You’repushingharderwithonelegthantheother.

• Youhaveonelegfurtherbackthantheothersoyou’reactually

displacing the hindquarters like in a leg yield.

Check that your legs are side by side and that you close your legs

equally.

WHAT if Your Horse undersTAnds THe ConneCTing Aids BuT ignores THeM?

Once a horse understands the connecting aids, if he ignores them, give

what I call “increasing connecting aids”.

When you increase the connecting aids, start with normally light aids.

Then, gradually increase the pressure of the aids over a few seconds.

You might even have to add the whip to increase your driving aids to a

greater degree. If you do, be sure to keep your outside hand closed as

you add the whip.

As you increase the pressure of the connecting aids, watch your

horse’s neck.

As soon as you see his neck get ½ inch longer or lower, soften your

aids back to maintenance pressure, and reward him with your voice.

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Don’t clamp on strong aids right away to get your horse to listen to

you. If you do, you’ll lose the option of getting him to respond to a

polite aid.

Starting with light connecting aids gives you the option to start with

light aids again. And your goal is to get an “on the bit” response to

light connecting aids.

HoW do You KnoW WHiCH Aid To “TWeAK”?

The point of all of these adjustments is that there are three basic

ingredients that make up the connecting aids. And then, depending on

what your horse does, arbitrarily pick one of those three ingredients,

and tweak it to see if you get a better response.

Sometimes you’ll just have to experiment. You’ve decided that,

“Hmmm, maybe I need to be a little firmer with the outside rein”. So

you give another three second connecting aid with a firmer outside

hand. And you realize, “Oh, I got a much better response by doing

that”.

Or, you’re on a circle and you realize that your horse isn’t flexing to

the inside, so you think, “Oh, I need more influence of the inside hand

because my horse is in a neutral or -1 flexion”.

So instead of going “squeeze/release, squeeze/release, squeeze/

release”, with the inside hand, you “turn the key, turn the key, turn the

key” with your inside wrist.

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Or you feel your horse slowing down. Forget the connecting aids for a

second. Get your horse in front of your leg, and then retest to be sure

he’s reacting to light leg aids.

Then, when your horse is in front of your leg, try your connecting aids

again to see if you get a better response.

The point is that you have to be like a private investigator. Vary one of

the three ingredients individually, and see which variation of the basic

connecting aids gives you a better response.

WHen Your Horse is on THe BiT, iT’s eAsier To siT THe TroT

Many riders don’t realize that they have trouble sitting the trot because

their horses aren’t on the bit. No matter how good a rider you are, it’s

nearly impossible to sit on a back that’s stiff and hollow.

The key to making both you and your horse more comfortable in

sitting trot is to put him on the bit with the connecting aids while

you’re still in the posting trot.

Once his back is round and swinging, you should be able to sit more

easily. As you sit, focus on opening and closing your hips so your seat

can just follow along and match your horse’s movement.

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WHAT sHouLd You do if Your Horse is fresH AT THe Beginning of Your ride?

Many people ride a fresh horse around in a fast trot on a loose rein

until he settles down and loses his edge.

I wouldn’t recommend trotting around wildly on a loose rein. If that’s

what you do, you only warm up the cardiovascular system.

You won’t warm up the correct set of muscles because the neck is

up in the air and the back is down. From that inverted shape, it’s

unreasonable to suddenly ask your horse to move in a round frame.

That’s like getting out of bed in the morning and doing a back bend.

Then suddenly trying to touch your toes. Touching your toes is going

to be really hard to do if you haven’t warmed up and stretched the

muscles correctly.

So, if your horse is really fresh, you might warm him up on the lunge

line first with “longish” side reins. Bear in mind that you’re not using

the side reins to get your horse’s head down. You’re using them to

control his outside shoulder so he’s straight.

Also, keep in mind that if he’s overly fresh, he’s tense. Think about

your training scale. Your horse must be supple before you can connect

him. So once you get on, use the +7/+1 suppling exercise to help him

relax.

Supple your horse until he takes a breath and relaxes through his body

and mind. Once he’s relaxed, he’ll be able to accept your connecting

aids.

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if Your Horse sLoWs doWn WHen You CoMBine Your driVing Aids WiTH Your CLosed ouTside fisT, use THe eXTrA MoMenTuM of A LengTHening To HeLp driVe HiM “THrougH” Your CLosed ouTside HAnd

It’s very normal for a horse to slow down when you first combine the

connecting aids. That’s because he feels like you’re asking him to stop

and go at the same time.

To help your horse understand that he can go forward through your

closed outside hand, do this exercise:

• Startalengtheninginrisingtrotonacircle.

• KEEPLENGTHENINGasyoucloseyouroutsidehandinafist

while maintaining inside flexion.

• Watchyourhorse’sneck.

• Assoonasitgetseitherahalf-inchlongerorlower,praisehimand

slow back down to a working trot.

• Thechangeinhisnecktellsyouthatratherthanstoppingwhenhe

meets your hand, he’s going “through” your outside hand.

This exercise teaches him that the outside rein is a wall, but it’s an

invisible wall, and he can step through it and come on the bit.

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WHY does MAinTAining THe LengTHening HeLp?

Maintaining the lengthening gives you a little extra forward

momentum before you do anything with your hands. (i.e. before you

pat your head and rub your stomach).

Once your horse’s neck gets slightly longer or lower, you’ll know that

something has clicked in his mind. He realizes that he doesn’t have to

stop at the end of the rein. He can, in fact, step through the end of the

rein and change his shape.

In the beginning, you might have to use the lengthening a lot with a

horse that slams on the brakes and thinks, “Oh, a closed outside hand

means stop.” You might have to connect him through the use of the

lengthening many times before you can give a normal connecting aid.

But, the key is your horse doesn’t have to come on the bit perfectly

during this exercise. All you have to see is a half of an inch change

either in the length or in the height of the neck as you keep motoring

along in a lengthening through your closed outside hand.

The change in either the length or the height of his neck is your signal

to soften all the aids, and praise your horse.

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in THe Beginning, giVing THe ConneCTing Aids feeLs MeCHAniCAL

In the beginning, giving the connecting aids will feel very mechanical

to you. You’ll have to think:

• First,closemylegs.

• Then,closemyoutsidehand.

• Then,vibratetheinsidehand,ifnecessary.

• Then,soften.

It’ll feel mechanical because giving the connecting aids is still in the

left side of your brain. But after you’ve done hundreds of repetitions,

giving the aids goes into the right side of your brain.

For example, I’m sure you don’t think about what you do when you

ask your horse to move off from the halt to the walk. You just do it.

And that’s what will begin to happen as soon as you start to feel your

horse get hollow and come off the bit. You’ll apply your connecting

aids without even thinking about it. It becomes “auto pilot” because

you’ve done many, many repetitions in the past.

do THe reins geT Longer AfTer THe ConneCTing Aids?

Generally, you don’t change the length of the rein. Your horse should

change his shape within the boundaries of your driving aids and the

outside rein. That’s where the roundness comes from.

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Think of “on the bit” or “connection” as an isometric exercise.

Isometrics are passive resistance exercises. Something has to be

pushing against something else. The hind legs have to be pushing

toward the bit for the “suspension bridge”, the horse’s back, to come

up.

If you’re always lengthening the reins, then your horse isn’t going to

be able to change his shape. However, there will be times when you’ll

need to fluff the reins out at a horse to explain that he isn’t in a little

box. This is a temporary measure to give him the idea of going toward

the bit.

But once he gets the idea, keep the original rein length.

THe THree ingredienTs of THe ConneCTing Aids AppeAr To Be giVen siMuLTAneousLY

To the naked eye it looks like you apply the three ingredients of the

connecting aids at the same time. But think of them in this order.

• Giveyourdrivingaidsfirst,becausethere’snothingtorecycleif

you haven’t asked your horse to surge forward.

• Next,closeyouroutsidehandtorecycletheenergy.

• Andthen,ifyourhorsestartstobendhisnecktotheoutside,

squeeze and release with your inside hand.

Give the connecting aids in that sequence. It only looks like you apply

the aids together because you give them one right after the other.

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Also, when you teach it to somebody or you repeat it to yourself,

always say it in that order. Legs first, then the outside rein, then the

inside rein. That way you know you’re riding your horse from back to

front and not from front to back.

do Your ArMs sTAY sTiLL during THe ConneCTing Aids?

When you’re giving the connecting aids during walk or canter,

keep your arms moving. In the walk and in the canter, your horse

telescopes his neck forward and back. You’re going to restrict him if

you stiffen your arms and stop following with your elbows.

If you restrict him, you’re going to contribute to things like stopping

the hind legs, ducking behind the bit, slowing down, or becoming

crooked.

Practice moving your arms while you’re sitting in a chair. Close one

hand in a fist and squeeze and release with the other hand, but keep

your elbows moving forward and back like a jockey galloping down a

racetrack.

Or you might also find it helpful to think of your upper arms swinging

forward and back like pendulums.

When you’re in posting trot, think about opening and closing your

elbows as if you’re washing your clothes on an old-fashioned scrub

board. When you move your elbows this way in the rising trot, your

hands won’t go up and down as you post.

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In sitting trot, your horse’s neck is still, and you’re not posting up and

down. You don’t need to “allow” for any movement of either you or

your horse so your elbows can stay softly bent at your sides.

You Won’T LooK BusY WHen You giVe THe ConneCTing Aids

If your legs are just lightly draped around the horse’s side like the

saddle pad and you have about 1/2 pound in your hands, increase that

pressure ever so slightly when you give the connecting aids.

Since the connecting aids are just slightly firmer than maintenance

pressure, you shouldn’t look strong or busy because nobody will

actually see you doing anything.

With your legs, pretend you’re squeezing toothpaste out of a tube.

Give one light, steady squeeze for 3 seconds. Don’t pulse your legs on

and off for 3 strides.

Also, you won’t look busy with your hands because they’re staying

forward in the work area so no one can tell that you’re doing anything.

don’T foCus on THe ViBrATing inside rein

The reason I don’t want you to focus on vibrating the inside rein is

because if you do, you’re fixating on your horse’s jaw.

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If all you do is move the bit in your horse’s mouth, he’ll just flex his

jaw. He’ll close the angle at his throatlatch and bring his face in.

But since you haven’t connected his “engine” to his front end first, all

you have is an artificial head position.

To test this fake frame, do a transition. You’ll probably think your

horse comes “off the bit” in the transition. But, in fact, he was never

on the bit to begin with. All you had control of was a flexed jaw.

WHAT if Your Horse LooKs To THe ouTside?

Here are 3 things you can do if your horse looks to outside during the

connecting aids:

1. If your horse looks to the outside during the connecting aids, you

probably need to use your inside rein sooner. In other words, use it

to maintain inside flexion rather than as a correction after the fact.

Remember, the connecting aids are the driving aids, the bending

aids, and the rein of opposition. Use your inside rein before your

horse looks to the outside.

Close your legs and close your outside hand as usual. But don’t

wait so long to add your inside hand.

2. With some horses, you might also have to increase the influence of the

inside rein. By that I mean use an indirect inside rein and turn your

wrist three times rather than just squeezing and releasing on the rein.

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3. Enlarge a circle in leg-yielding to help with the flexion and bend.

You’re going to enlarge a circle in leg yielding so you’ll have more

success keeping the bend and flexion to the inside.

• Goona15-metercircle.

• Keepthebendfromnosetotailaroundyourinsidelegasyou

increase the size of the circle in leg-yielding from 15 meters to

20 meters.

• Givetheconnectingaidsatthesametimeyouaskyourhorse

to increase the size of the circle in leg yielding. While you’re

going sideways in the leg yield, close both legs, close your

outside hand in a fist, and vibrate the inside rein.

Keep Your HAnds in THe “WorK AreA”

When you give the connecting aids, be sure to keep your hands

forward in what I call the “work area”.

The “work area” is just in front of the saddle about a hand’s width

above the horse’s withers. Keep your hands about three or four inches

apart.

Put your hands in that position and draw an imaginary box around

them. That box is your “work area”.

Your hands always stay forward in the work area. When you give the

connecting aids, close your two legs and when the horse arrives at or

meets your outside hand, close it in the fist. Then, if he starts to bend

his neck to the outside, add the inside rein.

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• Ifyoubringbothhandsclosertoyourbody,youshortentheneck

and steal power from the hind legs.

• Ifyoubringtheinsidehandback,you’llbendyourhorse’sneck

too much to the inside.

• Ifyouputyouroutsidehandforward,you’lllosecontrolofthe

outside shoulder.

Many riders tend to draw their hands toward their bodies and behind

their horse’s withers. So here’s a simple tip to remind you to keep

your hands FORWARD in the work area.

Imagine there’s a basketball in front of your stomach. Keep your

hands in front of the basketball. You can’t draw your hands closer to

your body because the basketball is in the way!

use THe “sTreTCHY CirCLe” To see if Your Horse is HonesTLY ConneCTed

One test of connection is the “stretchy circle”.

If you’ve given your connecting aids, and your horse has come from

behind, through his back and neck, into your hand, he’ll be on the bit.

Another way to say that is he’s longitudinally bent over his back or

“round”.

If he’s round from back to front, it’s a natural progression for him to

chew the reins out of your hands when you open your fingers. That’s

why the stretchy circle is a good test of connection.

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If your horse doesn’t eagerly stretch forward, down, and out when you

open your fingers as you start the stretchy circle, it’s a sign that he’s

not 100% connected.

If he isn’t, experiment to find out what you need to adjust. Experiment

by tweaking one of the 3 ingredients of the connecting aids. Then do

the test again to see if he’ll chew the reins out of your hands better.

(See Tip 48)

use THe ConneCTing Aids To prepAre for THe “sTreTCHY CirCLe” in THe dressAge TesTs

If you just let the reins out as you start the stretchy circle in the

dressage tests, your horse is probably going to fall on the forehand and

rush forward. That’s because he can’t balance himself. His hind legs

aren’t underneath him.

You need to precede every stretchy circle by giving the connecting

aids for 3 seconds. So while you’re still on the long side, close both

legs to get his hind legs to come more under, close your outside hand

in a fist, and keep the flexion to the inside.

Then as soon as you blend onto the 20m circle, open your fingers and

allow your horse to chew the reins out of your hands. The connecting

aids put your horse’s hind legs more underneath him so he doesn’t

lose his balance.

As you do the stretchy circle, keep in mind that your back is the

aid that controls rhythm and speed. So as you’re letting your horse

stretch, make sure you don’t lean forward.

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Stay upright in that rising trot, and tighten your stomach muscles.

Doing so braces your lower back and reminds your horse to maintain

the same speed rather than going faster.

uBersTreiCHen ALso TesTs ConneCTion

Another test of connection is called uberstreichen. Uberstreichen

means you show a clear release of the inside rein for a couple of

strides.

You’re first asked to show this release of the inside rein at First Level.

Earlier I said that the heart of the connecting aids is sending your

horse forward through the outside rein.

So, if you’ve successfully connected your horse by using the driving

aids and closing your outside hand in a fist for three seconds, you

ought to be able to put a loop in that inside rein for a couple strides

and nothing changes.

What I mean by “nothing changes” is the horse doesn’t bend his neck

to the outside. He doesn’t put his head up in the air. He doesn’t speed

up. He doesn’t lose his balance. Everything stays the same.

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WHAT if Your Horse JusT doesn’T seeM To undersTAnd HoW To CoMe on THe BiT?

It’s great to have exercises to give your horse the feeling of

connection. However, eventually you have to go back to an invisible

aid---the connecting half halt.

That’s because you can’t go into a dressage test in competition, and

start doing a bunch of exercises. You need a practical, invisible aid.

However, sometimes you need some help to get over the hump. Your

horse needs help understanding a round frame. And you need help

feeling his shape when he’s on the bit.

I already mentioned one exercise you can do to learn this “on the bit”

feeling. That exercise is to start a lengthening on a circle. Then, keep

lengthening and add your hands so that your horse lengthens through

a closed outside hand.

As he lengthens his stride through your closed outside hand, he’ll

eventually lengthen and lower his neck. That’s your signal that he’s

starting to come on the bit. Make sure you soften the aids to reward

him as soon as you see or feel him lengthen or lower his neck.

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use Leg YieLding To HeLp Your Horse undersTAnd sTepping THrougH THe ouTside rein

You can also use leg yielding to help your horse understand stepping

through the outside rein. While you leg yield, superimpose your

connecting aids on top of the leg yielding aids.

Here’s one leg-yielding exercise:

Let’s say you’re leg yielding from the centerline over to the long

side. As you’re going sideways with one leg on the girth and the

other leg behind the girth, close both legs in that position and close

your outside hand in a fist.

Because you’re adding the connecting aids, your horse will step

through your closed outside hand while he’s leg yielding. As he

steps through your outside hand, you’ll feel his shape become

rounder.

Here’s another leg-yielding exercise that should sound familiar to you:

Spiral in to decrease the circle, and then increase the size of the

circle in leg yielding.

This time, however, add your connecting aids to the leg yield.

• Closeyourlegsforthedrivingaids.

• Thecircleitselfgivesyoumorebendingaids.

• Andwhenyoucloseyouroutsidehandinafist,youhaveall

three ingredients that make up the connecting aids.

Note: Your inside leg position is in a different position when you’re

increasing the size of a circle in leg yielding. In this case, it stays on

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the girth rather than coming behind the girth as in the first example. It

stays on the girth because you want to use it for bend as well as going

sideways.

MAgnifY THe THree ingredienTs THAT MAKe up Your ConneCTing Aids BY “ACCeLerATing” onTo A sMALL CirCLe

Here’s a third exercise to help both you and your horse understand the

feeling of being on the bit:

Go on a 20m circle. If your horse accepts contact, you can even

start in the walk because the slower gait will give both you and

your horse more time to understand the idea of changing his shape.

If you’re walking, pick a point on the 20-meter circle, and turn

onto a 6m circle. Then, blend back onto the 20-meter circle.

If you do this in trot and canter, arc onto a 10-meter circle instead

of a 6-meter circle. Then blend back onto the 20-meter circle.

The trick to this exercise is to “accelerate” or speed up as you step

onto the small circle. Think about it. If you press with both legs and

accelerate onto the smaller circle, you have more driving aid.

By virtue of the size of the circle, you have more bending aid.

And because the outside rein turns the horse, you have more rein of

opposition.

So this little exercise of accelerating onto a small circle magnifies the

three ingredients that make up your connecting aids.

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HoW Long sHouLd You eXpeCT Your Horse To sTAY on THe BiT during eACH ride?

When you first get on and walk on a loose rein, your horse can do

whatever he wants with his body. When you pick up contact, however,

give your connecting aids to put him on the bit. He can be relatively

long and low, but he should be round.

Then “layer” your connecting aids to remind him to stay on the bit

while he’s working on contact. In other words, apply the connecting

aids, soften, then do it again...and so on. Layer the connecting aids

one on top of another like coats of paint throughout your ride.

Every time you take a walk break, loosen the reins, and let him adopt

any frame he wants so he can relax his muscles.

Then, when you start working again, resume layering those

connecting aids one on top of the other.

Note: Remember that you won’t be riding young horses on contact in

the walk for long periods. (See Tip 21) This tip is for horses with more

education.

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HoW Long sHouLd You AsK Your Horse To sTAY on THe BiT Before You giVe HiM A BreAK on A Loose rein?

The length of time you ask your horse to work on the bit totally

depends on the individual horse. Always consider his age, fitness, and

temperament.

Just remember you can’t un-ring the bell. If you do too much and

make your horse sore because he’s using his muscles differently,

you’re not only going to have a sore horse, but also a horse that

becomes cranky and resistant.

So the trick with anything you do with a horse is to bring him up to

the limit, and then take the pressure off.

You’re never going to have a problem doing too little. Keep a written

journal or mental log of how much you do in a session. And then each

day you can add a little more time.

As soon as your horse feels like he’s getting resistant because he’s

either physically or mentally tired, then back off. The trick is to go up

to the limit, and then reduce the demands. Then, build on that day by

day.

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if Your Horse feeLs “fLAT”, giVe ConneCTing Aids To MAKe HiM rounder

If your horse appears to be in a round frame yet he feels “flat” to you

over his back, give the connecting aids again. Then check that you

really have his back round with one of the two tests I described in

detail in Tips 67 and 69.

Here’s a quick review of those tests:

1. Give your connecting aids and then open your fingers, and see if he

chews the reins out of your hands in a forward, down, and out way

as if he’s lowering his neck to graze.

2. Give your connecting aids, and put a loop in the inside rein for a

couple of strides and see if everything stays the same.

The answer to those two tests tells you if his back is truly round.

WHAT’s THe differenCe BeTWeen ConTACT And ConneCTion?

Contact is the straight line that runs from your elbows, through

your hands, through the reins, and to the bit. It’s your way of

communicating with your horse so you can guide him, turn him, and

recycle energy.

Contact should be consistent. The reins shouldn’t get loose and then

straight, loose and then straight. If they do, your horse gets a little jerk

in his mouth every stride.

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Keep a consistent contact by pretending your fingers are wrapped

around the rings of the bit and by moving your elbows correctly as

described in Tip 31.

A young horse should be taught to accept contact with your hand so

eventually you can communicate with him. He doesn’t have to be on

the bit (connected).

That’s one of the big differences between Training Level and First

Level.

The Training Level horse doesn’t have to be on the bit. He doesn’t

have to be round. He just has to accept a contact from your hand--

kind of like a Hunter. His nose might be poked straight out, but he

accepts the fact that you have a feel of his mouth, and you can guide

him with the reins.

The First Level horse must be on the bit.

WHAT’s THe differenCe BeTWeen ConneCTion And CoLLeCTion?

If you look at the Training Scale, contact and connection are listed

together as the third ingredient. Collection is the sixth and final

ingredient in the Training Scale. People confuse these concepts all the

time.

Think about the order of the Training Scale. Your horse must accept

contact before you can connect him (put him on the bit). And he must

be connected before you can get to the sixth ingredient – collection.

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In other words, your horse must be down, round, and connected before

you can collect him.

Collection refers to a shifting of the center of gravity back toward

the hind legs. Your horse loads his hind legs and carries more weight

behind.

If you try to collect a horse that’s not connected, you end up with a

very hollow horse. His neck will be high, his withers low, his back

low, and his croup high.

This shape is the opposite of collection. A collected horse’s croup is

lower than his withers.

Here’s another way to think about it:

• ATrainingLevelhorseacceptscontactbutdoesn’thavetobe

connected (on the bit)

• AFirstLevelhorseisconnected.He’sonthebit,buthe’snot

collected.

Horses at Second Level and above are both connected and collected.

They’re round. They’re on the bit. They’re connected. AND, the

center of gravity is shifted back so they’re also collected.

So to sum up: A connected horse does not necessarily have to be

collected. But a collected horse must always be connected.

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use THe ConneCTing Aids To MAKe Your Horse eVen in THe rein

Connecting aids accomplish two things:

1. Put your horse on the bit

2. Ask your horse to take an even contact with both sides of the bit

and with your hands.

If you just want to put your horse on the bit, give normal connecting

aids as previously described.

However, if your horse avoids contact with one side of the bit and

leans on the other side, reverse your connecting aids.

For example, if your horse collapses away from the inside rein and

doesn’t take a contact with it, ask him to step into your inside hand.

Close both legs and send him forward, then close your inside hand in

a fist and vibrate the outside rein.

The point is to send him forward into the light rein to ask him to take

a contact with it. Once he takes a contact with that hand, he’ll be even

in the reins.

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TeACH Your Horse To Be suppLe on An inside rein And ConneCTed To An ouTside rein on BoTH sides

One of my favorite exercises is to alternate connecting my horse into

my inside rein and then into my outside rein.

So, if I’m riding to the right, first I’ll give normal connecting aids.

Close both legs, close my left hand in a fist, flex to the right.

Then, while I’m still riding to the right, I reverse the connecting aids

as described in Tip 78. I’ll close both legs, close my right hand in a

fist, and counter-flex to the left.

I go back and forth like this in both directions during my warm-up so

I’m sure I can connect my horse into either rein at any moment.

WATCH THe ouTside of Your Horse’s neCK To deTerMine if He’s ConneCTed inTo eiTHer rein

As you do the exercise in Tip 79, peek at the outside of your horse’s

neck. (I say, “peek” because I don’t want you to drop your head.)

Too often, riders focus on the inside rein. Don’t watch the inside rein.

Watch the outside of your horse’s neck.

As you alternate sides and drive your horse through each outside rein,

the outside of his neck should get longer.

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When you see the outside of his neck get longer, you know you’ve

successfully connected your horse into each outside rein.

Note: Remember the walls of the ring don’t determine “inside and

outside”. “Inside” and “outside” are determined by your horse’s

flexion and/or bend. So, if you’re tracking to the right, but you

counter-flex your horse to the left, the left side becomes his “inside”

even though your right leg is facing the center of the ring.

onCe Your Horse LeArns THe ConneCTing Aids, THeY CAn Be sHorTer THAn THree seConds

Once your horse becomes more educated and understands that the

combination of driving aids, bending aids, and rein of opposition asks

him to come on the bit, you’ll be able to give the connecting aids for a

shorter period of time.

That is, if your horse comes on the bit during the first moment you

apply the aids, soften right then and there. You don’t have to keep the

aids on for the entire three seconds.

WHen do You Add Your seAT To THe driVing Aids?

Once your horse knows the connecting aids so well that he starts to

come on the bit as soon as you close your legs and outside rein, two

things will happen:

1. The connecting aids become shorter.

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2. You can add your driving seat.

So the aids become:

• Seatandbothlegs

• Outsidehandinafist

• Insidehand,ifnecessary

To use a driving seat, think about pushing the back of the saddle

toward the front of the saddle. Or pretend you’re sitting on a swing,

and you want to swing higher in the air.

LAYer THe ConneCTing Aids LiKe CoATs of pAinT

Don’t expect to give your horse one set of connecting aids, put him on

the bit, and assume he’ll stay there.

It might look like that’s what’s happening when you see a professional

ride through a test. But they almost unconsciously layer connecting

aids one on top of another.

They give connecting aids, and then soften. And then they give

another set of connecting aids before the horse loses his shape. They

layer the connecting aids one on top of another like coats of paint.

So, the first connecting aids say to the horse “come on the bit”. Then,

the succeeding connecting aids say “now stay there; now stay there”.

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WHAT if Your Horse CoMes on THe BiT eAsiLY, BuT doesn’T sTAY THere?

If your horse doesn’t stay on the bit, make sure it’s not because you’re

abandoning him with your outside rein in between the connecting

aids.

If you’re not sure if you’re letting go of the outside rein, you might

have to go to the other extreme temporarily to find the happy medium.

In other words, close both legs; close your outside hand in a fist; and

use your inside rein to keep your horse flexed to the inside.

Then when you soften, only soften your outside arm by 50%. If

you have a pound or so of pressure in your outside hand during the

connecting aids, soften only to a half a pound. Or if you have two

pounds during the connecting aids, only soften to one pound.

Two pounds is obviously heavier than you’ll want to use eventually,

but experimenting will give you good information about whether or

not you’ve been letting go of the outside rein.

Also, if you’re in the habit of dropping contact, you might have the

wrong perception about the weight of the reins. Experimenting with

2 pounds will give you some good information about whether you’ve

been riding around with the contact too light or inconsistent. As long

as you keep the contact elastic by moving your elbows, your horse

won’t mind this temporarily “heavier” weight of rein.

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Remember, “on the bit” is an isometric exercise. Something has to be

pushing into something else. If you’re getting too light and free with

the outside rein, you’re giving your horse permission to disconnect.

HoW ofTen sHouLd You giVe THe ConneCTing Aids?

The connecting aid IS the aid that says to your horse come “on the

bit”. So, use it both to teach your horse to go on the bit, and also use

it to tell your horse to STAY on the bit.

Think of the connecting aids as the doorway through which you do

every change of gait, movement, or exercise.

So, give connecting aids every time you do any sort of transition

where there’s a potential loss of balance.

That includes a transition on a serpentine from one bend to the other.

Or a transition from straight ahead into a leg yield and then another

transition back to straight ahead. Or a transition from gait to gait;

or a transition within a gait such as going to a lengthening and then

coming back to a working gait.

giVe TWo seTs of Aids AT onCe

To develop a clear, non-verbal language with your horse, you’ll have

one set of aids for each thing you ask your horse to do.

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So, for example, you have an aid to ask for canter.

And you have another aid that asks for a change of bend on a

serpentine.

And you have another aid that asks for shoulder-in.

If you just give the aid for a particular movement like a transition, a

change of bend, or a lateral movement, it’s perfectly normal for your

horse to come off the bit.

If you want your horse to do something on the bit, you need to say

more than a single word or phrase like “canter depart”, or “shoulder-

in”, or “change bend”.

You need to say a whole sentence. You need to say, “Do this transition

on the bit.” “Do this change of direction on the bit.” “Do this shoulder-

in on the bit.”

To say a whole sentence, you must give two sets of aids at once.

Give your connecting aids at the same time you’re giving the aids for

whatever else you want to do.

Let’s say you want to change the bend on a serpentine. You’re tracking

to the right. As you cross the centerline, you’re going to curve to the

left. As you approach the centerline, apply the connecting aids before

you change direction.

So close both legs, close your left hand in a fist, and keep the flexion

to the right. Then as you cross the centerline to change direction, keep

your legs on but switch your hands. Close your new outside hand

(right) in a fist and ask for flexion to the new inside (left).

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HoW Long do THe ConneCTing Aids LAsT WHen You’re giVing TWo seTs of Aids AT onCe?

When you’re superimposing or overlapping your connecting aids over

another aid, the connecting aids could last as long as five, six, or even

seven seconds.

This is especially the case if you’re doing something like a change

of direction on the serpentine because the connecting aids overlap

the change of bend. They start before the change of bend, continue

through the change of bend, and are maintained for a couple of strides

after the change of bend.

The bottom line is that to keep your horse on the bit as you ride

movements, transitions, and exercises, you need to give two sets of

aids at once. The connecting aids and the aid for the movement you’re

doing.

HoW does THe BALAnCe CHAnge As You MoVe up THrougH THe LeVeLs?

At Training Level, the horse has approximately 60% of his weight on

the front legs and 40% of his weight on the hind legs.

That’s the same balance that a horse has in nature because a horse is

built like a table with a head and neck on one end. By virtue of the

weight of the head and neck, horses naturally have more weight on the

front legs than the back legs.

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So, at Training Level, with 60% of his weight on the front legs

and 40% of his weight on the hind legs, the horse is in what I call

“horizontal balance”. His topline looks pretty much parallel to the

ground.

At First Level, exercises and movements like smaller circles, leg

yields and a little bit of counter canter, cause a slight shift in the center

of gravity back to the hind legs. That’s because those exercises create

an increase in the bending of the joints of the hind legs. The horse’s

croup goes down a little bit, and the forehand goes up proportionately.

So at First Level, you might have approximately 55% of the weight on

the front legs and 45% behind.

At Second Level, you begin “modest” collection. More weight shifts

toward the hindquarters by virtue of the exercises such as shoulder-in,

haunches-in, renvers, and simple changes of lead. So you end up with

about 50% of the weight on the hind legs and 50% of the weight on

the front legs.

At Third Level, you have the beginning of real collection with more

weight on the hind legs than on the front legs.

As you go up through the levels there’s a progressive increase in the

loading of the hind legs. As a result, the horse, like a seesaw, gradually

sits more behind and comes more “up” in front.

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WHAT’s THe ideAL LengTH of THe neCK?

I like to say the length of the neck is proportional to the length of the

stride taken by the hind legs. So, if you crank the neck in and it gets

too short, the hind legs take shorter steps.

Always strive to keep your horse’s neck long.

Even though you want more and more of an uphill balance as you go

up through the levels, you still want to see a long neck blooming out

in front of you.

This is an exaggeration, but I like to pretend that I have 1/3 of the

horse out behind me, and 2/3 of the horse blooming out in front of me.

The last thing I want to see is a short neck with 1/3 of the horse out in

front of me and 2/3 trailing out behind.

Now, it’s really not 1/3 behind and 2/3 in front, but that gives you a

good visual for always having a long neck blooming out in front of

you. And that’s the case whether you’re in the horizontal balance of

Training Level or the uphill balance of Grand Prix.

One of the mistakes you see at the FEI levels is that riders think

they’re collecting their horses, but all they’re doing is shortening their

necks.

This creates all kinds of problems because the hind legs are blocked.

For example, in a canter pirouette, a horse might switch leads behind

or break to the trot. In piaffe, the diagonal pairs might break up, and

the piaffe is no longer a real 2-beat trot.

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WHAT’s THe ideAL HeigHT of THe neCK?

The height of the neck is determined by the degree of engagement

of the hindquarters. So, the height of the neck changes as you go up

through the levels and your horse becomes more collected.

Always keep in mind, however, that if you ride with the neck too high

and short and the angle of the throatlatch too closed, there can’t be any

bridge from the back end to the front end.

The neck has to be in line with the power train of the hindquarters—

not above it. When the neck is too high, the hind end is disconnected

from the front end.

WHAT is roLLKur?

In rollkur, the horse’s neck is extremely over bent. There’s a lot

of research that shows that hyper flexion, Rollkur, is physically

uncomfortable and stressful for the horse.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term Rollkur, the horse’s

neck is overly curled, his face is almost parallel to the ground, and his

chin is practically on the chest.

It’s also very difficult for a horse in this position to keep his hind legs

active.

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WHAT’s THe differenCe BeTWeen BeHind THe BiT And BeHind THe VerTiCAL?

When a horse is behind the bit, he’s not connected. That’s never

acceptable.

It means he’s dropped the contact with your hands, and there are loops

in the reins. I’ll discuss that more in Tip 93.

Your horse can be behind the vertical and still be connected.

However, he will be on the forehand, and I’ll go into that a little bit

more in a moment.

Sometimes, riding a horse behind the vertical can be acceptable in

schooling. But it isn’t acceptable for competition. In competition, we

always want to have the poll the highest point and the nose about 5

degrees in front of the vertical.

Think of the horse’s body as a parallelogram. If the nose is behind the

vertical and you draw a parallel line with the hind legs, you’d see the

hind legs trailing out behind the body. That’s what I mean when I say

that the horse can be connected when he’s behind the vertical, but his

balance will be on the forehand.

As you bring the hind legs more under, the parallelogram shifts. The

hind legs come under, the head comes up, and the nose comes more

forward. Eventually the poll will be the highest point and the nose will

be where you want it to be in it’s finished product—about 5 degrees in

front of the vertical.

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There are times, however, that I will purposely ride a horse connected

but behind the vertical for short periods. This position is also called

“deep”.

I definitely wouldn’t ride a horse deep in competition. But I do ride

a horse deep if he consistently disconnects in a particular movement.

(i.e. By “disconnect”, I mean that the bridge from back to front is

gone because his back is down and his head and neck go up in the air.)

For example, let’s take flying changes or piaffe. Your horse thinks he’s

doing the right thing because he knows that you want a flying change

or piaffe. And he’s figured out a way to do it by disconnecting and

moving his head and neck up and down as a lever.

In those cases, you just have to help your horse be a problem solver.

Help him figure out how to use a different body language.

So, if I have a horse that consistently disconnects in a particular

movement, I’ll ride him “deep” which means behind the vertical but

connected. I’ll do that for just a couple of flying changes or for a

couple of efforts at piaffe to let him feel that he can do the movement

with his body as a connected unit.

Once he understands the new body language, I’ll ride him in a more

traditional frame with the poll the highest point.

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Your Horse isn’T ConneCTed if His neCK is round, BuT You HAVe Loops in THe reins

Connection means that you’ve connected your horse’s back end to his

front end. Think of your horse’s back like a suspension bridge.

If your horse’s neck is round but he doesn’t touch the reins, he’s

behind the bit.

Draw reins or other gadgets won’t help your horse understand how to

come on the bit.

When a horse has been ridden in gadgets like draw reins, he’ll often

adopt this “behind the bit” position of a round neck with loops in the

reins.

Some horses even look like they have what’s called a “broken neck”.

This expression refers to the fact that the highest point of the neck is

near the third vertebrae rather than at the poll.

Gadgets create a false frame so there’s no real connection. The horse

sees the reins as a restriction. Rather than going through them, he

sucks back away from them or breaks at the third vertebrae.

You want your horse to come from behind, over his back, through

his neck, and into your hand. So, if you just focus on making the

neck round by using gadgets, you’ll never really have a horse that is

honestly on the bit.

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Also, fiddling with the bit and/or seesawing on your horse’s mouth

gives you the same false head set that you get with gadgets. Your horse

will just arch his neck and bring his face on or behind the vertical.

There’s no true connection from back to front.

Once you learn how to give connecting aids, you won’t feel the need

to use gadgets or fiddle with the bit.

if Your Horse ConsisTenTLY CoMes BeHind THe BiT, TeACH HiM To go “forWArd THrougH His BodY”

If your horse consistently goes behind the bit, teach him to take a

contact with your hands by teaching him to go “forward through his

body”.

Let me elaborate on the word “forward” first. There are different

aspects to being forward.

Forward is a direction. For example, your horse can travel straight

forward over the ground instead of going sideways.

You also want your horse to “think forward”. “Thinking forward”

means he’s reactive to your driving aids. (See Tip # 26)

When your horse is either behind the vertical or behind the bit, he

needs to go forward through his body.

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To teach him to go forward through his body, do this exercise:

• Goonacircleinpostingtrot.

• Closeyourlegstoaskforafewstridesofalengthening.

• Bringhimbacktoaworkingtrot.

• Doitoverandoveragainuntilhedevelopsaknee-jerkreaction

that when you close your legs, he goes forward over the ground.

(You want an immediate link in his mind that says, “Closed legs

means lengthen”.)

• Thencloseyourlegsthesameway.Butthistimedon’tlethim

actually lengthen.

At that point, he should come “forward through his body”.

So, rather than expressing his forward energy over the ground into a

lengthening, he’ll come under with the hind legs, come up in front,

and take a contact with your hand.

And as soon as you feel some weight in your hands, praise him with

your voice. Don’t pat him at that moment because you’ll be dropping

the contact you’ve just worked so hard to get!

Do this exercise many times in schooling. Set up little scenarios

where you let your horse come behind the bit. Then close your legs as

if you’re going to lengthen to get him up again. By doing this exercise,

you’ll have a tool (closing your legs) to ask your horse to go “forward

through his body” into your hands.

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is A Horse in seLf-CArriAge if He’s BeHind THe BiT?

Don’t confuse being behind the bit with self-carriage. You never want

your horse to be behind the bit. But you always want him to carry

himself.

The degree of self-carriage increases as you go up through the levels,

and the horse becomes more collected.

For example, a horse that doesn’t carry himself has trouble with the

stretchy circle at Training Level. He’ll rush and run onto the forehand.

So, your horse should carry himself at every level. It’s just that the

degree of self-carriage becomes more and more sophisticated as you

go up through the levels.

You never want your horse to be behind the contact with a loop in the

reins. If there are loops in the reins, your horse isn’t accepting one set

of your aids—the reins. He has to accept all three sets of aids--seat,

legs, and reins.

WHAT if Your Horse “roLLs oVer” THe BiT?

If your horse gets too far behind the vertical, he ends up in a position

that I call “rolled over the bit”. In that position, he physically can’t

shift the parallelogram of his body. He won’t be able to bring his hind

legs underneath his body and come up in front. So, you’ll have to help

him by placing the bit out in front of him.

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To help him, close your legs in exactly the same way that you do when

you’re asking for a lengthening. But then fluff the bit out in front of

him.

One way to understand what I mean by “fluffing” the bit is to think

about putting a sheet on your bed. You’ve just washed your sheets,

and you’re going to make your bed. Both of your hands lift the sheet

up in the air. Then, your hands gently come down so the sheet softly

floats onto the bed.

You’ll have this “put the sheet on the bed” feeling when you place the

bit out in front of your horse. Lift your hands up and forward a little

bit. Then, let them come right back down into normal riding position.

Don’t hold your hands up in the air. If you do, your horse is going to

curl his face in even more.

WHAT eLse sHouLd You KnoW ABouT pLACing THe BiT ouT in fronT of Your Horse?

First, NEVER lift your hands until you’ve closed your legs and

asked for the feeling of a lengthening. Think of it as asking for the

lengthening first. Then, follow up with “putting the sheet on your

bed”.

Another way to think about this action of your hands is to imagine

people at a football game doing “the wave”. Their arms go up, and

then their arms drift down.

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Just remember that if you have to place the bit out in front of your

horse, put your hands forward toward your horse’s ears to the same

degree that you lift them. If you just bring your hands straight up, your

horse is going to tuck his chin in even more.

To sum up, if you raise your hands two inches, then your hands also

have to go two inches toward your horse’s ears. If you raise them four

inches, place them four inches toward your horse’s ears.

Then be sure that you don’t drop rein contact as you settle your hands

back down into the work area. If you let the reins get loose, you’re

going to bump your horse in the mouth when you take the contact

back again.

So, do the wave very elastically, and then bring your hands down. But

keep a contact with the bit during the entire time.

Also pick up both hands evenly. Don’t just lift one hand because

you’ll tip your horse’s head.

use suppLing To TeACH Your Horse To ACCepT A ConTACT WiTH Your HAnd

If your horse is behind the bit and there are loops in the reins, use the

+7/+1 suppling exercise described in Tip 30 to teach him to accept a

contact with your hand.

When done correctly, suppling teaches your horse to accept the hand

WHILE you’re using your hand--not to duck away from the hand.

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But the only way that will happen is if you coordinate using your leg

at the same time you bend the neck. That is, use your left leg and left

rein at the same time.

You can even say a little mantra out loud such as, “My left leg drives

you forward into my left hand, and I’m putting you through the left

side of your body”.

If you’re bending to a +7 and your horse’s chin comes back toward the

point of his shoulder, one of two things is going on:

• You’renotusingyourlegor…

• Yourhorseneedstobeputinfrontofyourleg.(SeeTip26)

When you close your leg while you bend him, he should bring his

neck around. But also he should be seeking your hand—not ducking

his chin backwards toward his shoulder.

WHAT ABouT A Horse THAT ALTernATes BeTWeen Being ABoVe THe BiT And duCKing BeHind THe BiT

With a horse that alternates between being above the bit and behind

the bit, you need to be quick to switch your aids.

When he’s above the bit, use your connecting aids.

As soon as he ducks behind the bit, send him “forward through his

body”.

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To review what to do when he ducks behind the bit, here’s the exercise

again.

• Goonacircleinpostingtrot.

• Closebothlegsandaskforalengtheningfor6or7strides.

• Dothisseveraltimesuntilitbecomesaknee-jerkreactionforhim

to go “forward over the ground” when you close your calves.

• Thencloseyourlegsasifyou’regoingtolengthen,butdon’tlet

him lengthen. This time you want him to go “forward through his

body” rather than “forward over the ground”.

• Asyoufeelhimgoforwardthoughhisbodyandstarttotakea

contact with your hand rather than curling, praise him with your

voice.

You might have to alternate a lengthening with asking him to take a

contact with your hand several times. But once he understands, you’ll

have a tool to use when he curls.

If he’s curled really badly (not just going slightly behind the vertical

with the poll too low), in addition to sending him forward through his

body, you might have to raise your hands to place the bit out in front

of him so he can step toward it. (See Tips 96 and 97)

HoW do You sTArT CoLLeCTion?

Remember that connection comes before collection in the training

scale.

But, once you have your horse connected and round, you can begin

to shift the center of gravity back with half halts. The half halt is an

almost simultaneous, momentary closure of seat, legs and hands.

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Give three quick half halts. You can even say out loud, “half halt, half

halt, half halt” or “now, now, now” as you close your seat, legs and

hands.

And it’s very important that you time those half halts with whichever

hind leg you want to influence. The only time you can influence a

hind leg is when it’s on the ground, just before it pushes off.

You can feel when a hind leg is on the ground through your

seat. When a seat bone feels higher or pushed more forward, the

corresponding hind leg is on the ground. That’s because when the leg

is on the ground, the joints of that hind leg are open, and the horse’s

hip is also higher.

So, if you want to engage the inside hind leg, give a momentary push

with your seat and close your legs and hands three times in a row.

Give these half halts when you feel the inside hind leg on the ground--

“Take/give, take/give, take/give”.

Now for canter, you want to engage the outside hind leg because the

outside hind leg is the strike-off leg. So, to prepare for a canter depart

or to collect the canter, direct your half halts toward the outside hind

leg when it’s on the ground.

When you feel your outside seat bone being pushed higher or more

forward, push with your seat, close your legs, and, in this case, just

close your outside hand-- “take/give, take/give, take/give”.

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eVen if Your Horse puLLs, You MusT ConneCT HiM Before You CAn CoLLeCT HiM.

If your horse pulls, you’re going to feel like you want to collect him.

But remember the training scale. You need to connect him before you

can collect him.

So, give your connecting aids to drive his hind legs under his body

so he can carry himself in a round frame. If he’s carrying himself, he

won’t be pulling and using your hands as a fifth leg.

Once he’s connected (on the bit), there are several different things that

you can do to collect him:

1. Give half halts as described in Tip 100. Half halts are the almost

simultaneous, momentary use of your seat, legs and hands directed

toward whichever hind leg you want to influence. “Take/give, take/

give, take/give.”

Keep in mind, however, that sometimes in the course of shifting the

center of gravity back, a horse might lose the connection. If that

happens, you have to forget collection for a moment. Go back to

your connecting aids again. Get him on the bit first, and then you

can resume your half halts.

2. Smaller circles: As long as your horse’s spine directly overlaps the

arc of the circle, and he doesn’t cheat by bringing the hind quarters

in or the hind quarters out, smaller circles demand an increase

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in the bending of the joints of the hind legs. As the horse folds

his hind legs and bends his joints, his croup goes down, and his

forehand comes up. As a result, he loads his hind legs more.

3. Lateral work with a BEND collects your horse. Think of this

equation. BEND + SIDEWAYS=ENGAGEMENT.

So, shoulder-in, haunches-in, half-pass, walk pirouettes, and canter

pirouettes collect your horse because they ask your horse to bend

as he goes sideways.

As you bend your horse and take him sidewise, you create

engagement of the hind legs. The croup goes down and the

forehand goes up.

Leg yields, on the other hand, don’t have bend. Your horse just

flexes at the poll in the opposite direction from the way he’s

moving. So leg yields don’t collect your horse. They’re just good

loosening, suppling exercises.

4. Frequent transitions skipping a gait also collect your horse.

Do five strides of trot and then halt. And once again, do five strides

trot and then halt. Make sure there are no dribbly walk steps in

between. That’s the gait you’re skipping.

As you bring your horse into the halt, visualize the way a dog

lowers his haunches to sit down.

Then trot off again briskly. Make sure your horse is in front of

your leg when you trot off.

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Do several transitions like that, and then just ride the trot. Check to

see if your horse’s balance feels more uphill.

The same thing applies to the canter. First, canter around to feel

your horse’s balance.

And then do very frequent transitions, skipping a gait. Ride

five strides of canter and then five strides of walk. Repeat the

transitions several times. Make sure there are no dribbly trot steps

in between each gait.

You might be surprised that five strides happen so fast. Be ready to

ask for the walk on the second or third stride of canter. Counting

out loud helps: one, two, three, four, five--you should be walking.

One, two, three, four, five--you should be cantering.

After riding a few frequent transitions skipping the trot, just

ride the canter. See if your horse feels like he’s in a more uphill

balance.

________________________

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I truly hope that these tips and answers to your most frequently asked

questions are a great supplement for helping you understand how to

put your horse on the bit and keep him there.

Keep these tips handy so you can trouble-shoot when questions come

up.

Remember, when your horse is on the bit, he’ll be able to do his work

more comfortably, and you’ll both have a lot more fun!...And isn’t that

what it’s all about?


Jane Savoie International © 2009

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Simple explanations for riding your horse on the bit and ...101 Tips for riding Your Horse on THe BiT Tip 70. What if your horse just doesn’t seem to understand how to come on the