Collection

Question
Hi, I have a QH mare who has a long back. Her conformation and breeding show that she is a great WP prospect. I am in the process of training her for that discipline. She is soft laterally and at the poll. The one thing that bothers me is her long back. I want to be sure I am doing things correctly. I know it is harder for her to collect herself, and easier to go inverted, but what can I do to make sure she is getting it? What can I do to make sure that she is collecting herself?

Answer
Hi Lisa!

A long back may mean you as a team have to work a little harder to accomplish great collection.  This starts with a soft feel first.  Remember, this is a partnership, your horse is just not going to "collect" herself on her own!  You will have to teach her, develop the muscle, strength and frame in order to carry on properly.

Collection of the horse happens in the whole body.  Many people make the mistake of trying to obtain collection from the face first and end up with false collection or a horse that breaks in the poll, has a very stiff neck and has no connection to the rest of the body.  A major woops!  You can't have collection without you horse knowing how to operate in the whole body on a draped rein first.  Your horse has to move at all gates both upward and downward transitions from the body first.  You can do this in a good round corral.  Walk-trot-canter-trot-walk-halt, all in your body, not touching your reins.  That is step one.  When this is good, you will start picking up a soft feel.  This is picking up on your horse, waiting for the jaw to soften, driving enough with your legs to feel the back lift and the hocks engage, shortening the stride (having the feet answer to the direction of the rein) and then at the absolute second the horse tries to get soft, RELEASING, letting your horse know that he found the answer.  You continue this process until you are carrying the soft feel longer and longer.  When your horse can carry the softness at the walk, you start on having the horse carry the softness through walk-trot transitions.   By the time your horse is carrying the softness at the walk and trot, in W-T transitions, you start adding lateral movements with softness.  Leg yield and full pass.  Just prior to canter work, you will add half-pass, haunches in/out and shoulders in/out.  Loping for WP should be canter collection.  You should NOT be "troping" or any other artificial gate.  If your horse looks like an oil derrick, pumping in west Texas...you have missed something!  The lope comes from collection and strength.  

You will know your horse is getting it when you can go from large fast to small slow canter circles with obvious and clear changes in tempo.  You will feel the hocks come under the body, the back lift all the while you horse is soft and round.  Being able to control every footfall, tempo, speed, direction, impulsion is the ultimate in collection.

I hope this helps!  If you need clarification let me know.  Give me a shout and we will go over it!

Smiles!  Denise