What’s the
Difference Between Lightness and Softness?
by Trisha Wren
Have you ever considered whether your horse is soft,
or just light, and what the difference is?
The dictionary definitions are as follows:
Light: of little weight; not
heavy
Soft: yielding readily to
touch or pressure; not hard or stiff
So, what type of horse do you have? I believe that whilst they may vary according
to the circumstances, many of us have heavy horses; some have light
horses that aren’t soft, and fewer have a soft horse that is also light.
First then, what defines a ‘heavy’ horse? One that pulls on the leadrope or reins; drag
us towards grass; is constantly on the forehand / hanging on your hands when
ridden; always creeping forwards a few steps in a halt; not coming through from
behind / engaging / collecting; stands on your foot and takes an age and lots
of shoving to get back off?! Heaviness
then is never desirable, but many of us put up with it from lack of knowledge
of how to change it.
You could argue then that a light horse is better
than a heavy one. With
consistency and good timing you can easily create a horse that is lighter in
hand; just set some boundaries and be clear about exactly what you require from
him. (With very heavy horses you may
have to make your body language or cues quite big to start with, so that they
know you mean it and that things are going to change. It’s probably advisable to get help from a
professional.) However, beware of
drilling exercises over and over. With
repeated ground and liberty exercises you can teach instant responses, and
therefore lightness, but if your horse is doing them mechanically and not
using his body correctly there will not be softness.
An obvious example of a light but not soft
horse would be one who goes above the bit, who evades bit contact, raises the
head and hollows the back. Then there’s
the horse that does exactly what you’re asking, but always seems worried or
tense. Less obvious might be the one who
keeps slack in the leadrope and wouldn’t dream of barging or dragging his
handler – but isn’t using body correctly or engaging behind. Ridden this might manifest itself as lack of
impulsion or one-sidedness, or as a lack of connection with the rider.
What factors determine which type of horse we
have? One of the biggest must surely be
us. If you are heavy (and I don’t
necessarily mean if you weigh a lot!), then your horse probably will be
too. You might be sitting in a position
which hinders your horse and makes it difficult for him to stay soft;
be braced or tense in the saddle; not breathing correctly; using big cues or
being too heavy with your hands.
Even being ‘heavy’ in your mind – preoccupied, upset, nervous – can
distract your horse and affect his abilities.
Softness has to start with us, as most horses are experts at
giving us exactly what we are asking for, whether we realise it or not.
So, why is softness such a big deal, and how
can we get it? A soft horse is the
ultimate compliment to its rider or handler; one who isn’t tense or worried,
isn’t hollowing his back or raising his head, isn’t chewing on the bit, pawing,
head tossing, bucking, rearing etc.
Instead they are using their bodies correctly and efficiently, coming through
from behind, rounding their back and releasing the head and neck forwards and
down; relaxed and happy, responsive, and a pleasure to be around or ride.
How do you get a soft horse? Be soft yourself; be in the moment, see
things from their point of view, be consistent.
Be aware of your own body and how you are using it; breathe. Teach your horse how to release any tension
or bracing patterns, how to use his hind legs correctly to create roundness and
impulsion. Make sure your riding
position isn’t hindering him and learn how to softly influence him from
your body rather than going straight for the reins, legs, or extra pieces of
equipment. Connect with your horse!
©Trisha Wren
April 2007
as printed in: The Organic Equine magazine (May 2007)