Coming Through
by Trisha Wren
What do we mean by ‘coming through’? Generally, with regards to your horse, we
mean ‘is he using his hind end’; is he pushing forwards from behind (ie using
his hind legs) rather than pulling himself forward from the front legs. Common
terms you might hear are, is he ‘engaged’ behind, ‘collected’ or ‘on the
bit’. It can be difficult to tell the difference,
unless you see (or feel) and compare both options, and is further complicated
by horses that appear to be ‘on the bit’ from the shoulder forwards, but are
actually in a false frame and not using their hind end at all. That’s the main reason that I tend not to use
the terms ‘collected’ or ‘on the bit’ which seem to focus on the front end, and
instead ask myself whether the horse is using his hind end – is he ‘coming
through’.
Now, before you say “Oh, this is about dressage and I only pleasure ride
so it’s not relevant to me,” stop right there!
Your horse ‘coming through’ applies to everyone. Why?
Because in order to carry the weight of a rider (not to mention added
complications like badly fitting saddles which affect the way your horse carries
himself) and stay sound and strong, every horse needs to use their body
correctly and efficiently. Plodding
along the majority of the time with his nose out, back dropped, and hind legs
out behind him – whilst arguably comfortable and relaxed for the rider - will
over time weaken his back and cause tensions and bracing patterns. Your horse will also be affected mentally;
some will shut down in order to cope (it’s more tiring for them to use
themselves incorrectly), others will be inattentive, spooky, over reactive
etc. Most people who have ridden a head
high, hollow horse will also agree that it really isn’t comfortable or much
fun. We need to find the place in the
middle of these two extremes, where the horse can come through from behind,
lift his back and release his shoulder, head and neck.
So, how do we teach our horse to ‘come through’? In Connected Riding we start on the ground,
first with a series of body exercises that increase the horse’s body awareness,
bringing his attention to areas he might not ordinarily think much about and
teaching him how to release any tensions or bracing patterns. We continue with a variety of ground
exercises, introducing movement so that the horse learns how to release any
tensions, shift his weight (from side to side, front to back, and down to up),
and engage his hindquarters in motion.
By teaching him from the ground first you can help strengthen the
correct muscles – and his understanding – before you get in the saddle, making
it easier for both of you.
Under saddle, think ‘no slow steps’. In other words, if you have a sluggish or
relaxed horse, we’re not going to (the majority of the time anyway) allow him
to just plod; we will be thinking constantly about the quality and rhythm of
the walk. We want more oomph coming from
the hind end, flowing through the horse and softening into your hands. If you have the opposite, speedy type of
horse, the same applies; he needs to learn how to connect himself, release his
head and neck, and produce a more powerful step with elevation instead of
rushing or being choppy.
A couple of easy exercises you can do while hacking
out to keep your horse releasing and coming through from behind are -
Asking for a hind leg using one of these methods is
also very useful any time your horse gets distracted, tense or worried, or when
going up and down hills to maintain his balance. As your horse’s strength behind increases he
will ‘self-carry’ more consistently, giving both of you a more enjoyable ride!
©Trisha Wren
April 2008
as printed in: NZ Natural Equine magazine (May 2008)