You probably all know that in collection the horse's hind legs carry a
greater share of the combined weight of horse and rider, and that the joints
of the haunches have to flex more deeply. What is often forgotten is that
true collection is impossible without complete relaxation. The reason is
that only relaxed muscles allow the joints to flex and extend in an elastic,
springy fashion. Collection is also impossible without impulsion, because if
the horse does not make a wholehearted effort, the gait may be slow and
short, but it is lifeless: the essence, the spirit of collection is missing.
Collection is also impossible without functional straightness. Both hind
legs have to exert their forces towards the center of gravity. In a crooked
horse, one hind leg directs its force laterally past the center of gravity,
which leads to an uneven loading of the hind legs, which in turn has
repercussions for the regularity of the gait, the suppleness/relaxation, and
the horse's general permeability for the aids. The other elements of the
training pyramid, rhythm and balance/self carriage/lightness are
indispensable as well. In a way, all you need to do is refine the first five
elements of the training pyramid, and the sixth element, collection, will
drop into your lap.
There are other, slightly more practical, suggestions. Try to get a higher
lift out of the back and each hind leg with each stride by actively raising
your pelvis (to enable the back to rise) a little as you apply the driving
calf aid. This increases the height of the stride, and almost automatically
decreases its length. In order to execute this request, the horse has to
articulate his hind leg joints more and has to tuck his pelvis under. This
will almost certainly lead you into collection on horses whose thrust needs
to be increased. I have found this method especially useful in the trot and
in the canter.
Another image that can be helpful is to think of the vector of the horse's
movement. Instead of proceeding horizontally through space, try to direct
the vector of your movement upwards. This can be accomplished by picturing
an axis that runs through your navel. If you direct this axis upward towards
the sky, you will feel your horse grow in front of you, and the gait will
become more uphill. This is a method that seems to work best in the canter.
Too often riders diminish the gait in their attempts at collection, because
they use their hands to shorten and/or slow down the strides. I try, on the
contrary, to amplify the gait in collection, but instead of riding a big
gait in the form of long strides as in extensions, I try to channel the
horse's energy in a more vertical direction. You could think of it as a
"vertical extension". This might get the idea across that the impulsion has
to increase the more collection we want to obtain. The rising of the withers
must be accompanied by an expansion of the horse's rib cage. From this
perspective, you can think of making your horse taller and wider underneath
you.
A direct implication of the aforementioned elements is that the horse's back
and top line have to stretch in collection. It is very similar to the long
and low exercises. The difference is that in collection the neck stretches
forward-upward in an even arc, instead of forward-downward. This stretch can
only take place as a result of a releasing rein aid. Without it, the
relaxation and impulsion would be destroyed, and consequently collection
would become impossible as well.
- Thomas Ritter
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Last Update: January 13, 2007