The TRUTH about FAST Results in Horse Training*

Even as our world proceeds to greater technological breakthroughs, our basic needs and desires as humans remain consistent.  Likewise, horses have remained the same creatures physically and psychologically as they have for centuries.  Nature and the rules of Nature remain as they have since the beginning of time.

We want to be successful with our horses. What confounds the horse training journey is our modern-day obsession with FAST RESULTS.  Everything in our society is moving with greater and greater speed.   And with this faster modern pace, our patience for the slow, natural methods of training has grown thinner and thinner.  There is an increasing dependence upon quick fixes in training horses and riders.  The results are that more and more horses are going lame, developing behavioral issues and burning out from poorly designed training programs and even worse, poorly designed bits and training devices. 

The good news is that there is a way to combat the damage from some of these modern horse training techniques.  It lies in the wisdom of Nature and the time-tested knowledge of classical training.

Fast Food Mentality

We want our goals and desires with horses, like everything else in this modern world, to happen FAST.  And if the results can’t be immediate, we want a guarantee of how long it will take and WHEN it will be accomplished.  We seek certainty and promises of quick results from our trainers and coaches.  We demand horses progress in a timeframe of our making, regardless of the limitations that may rule the process.  And to add insult to injury, if the results are not to our liking, we impose torturous devices and unnatural techniques to speed up the process in order to “make it happen” often to the detriment of the long-term health of the horse and skills of the rider.

This need for fast results also extends to the training of riders.  So many students become frustrated with the slow progress of their riding skills.  Consequently, trainers put students on horses that are too advanced for the level of the student.  Just as horses are unique, each riding student has their own particular attributes that will drive the speed at which they learn the art of riding. With the direction of a good and knowledgeable instructor, students can be challenged in a way that is appropriate to their level, and which builds true skill and confidence.  The development of a good rider takes just as much time as the development of the horse, probably longer, as experience and knowledge accumulate with every ride. 

Elizabeth Medsker on Athos do Juliana in a lesson with the author

Bright, Shiny Objects

For the most part, the horse community has been attempting to address the challenge of horse training in the 21st Century with new technology.  Newly designed equipment, training devices and trendy techniques overpopulate the internet and horse boards. I am not discounting ALL innovations; I am saying that an obsession with quick fix techniques and tack has become a substitute for discipline, hard work and attention to learning the riding craft.  Often it is a dopamine hit for the rider, fooling them into thinking they are making lasting progress when all they’ve done is add a new item to their tack trunk or a new technique to their riding tricks toolbox.

Traditionally, trainers looked to address training issues and problems by researching training theory in well used books and/or studying for years under the careful eye of a master whose stable full of school horses was proof of concept and skill.  This has been replaced with short attention-grabbing videos and social media posts, too often by riders and trainers who have very little education in riding and/or experience.  Long established and proven training advice has been replaced by flashy, two-minute quick fixes from anyone with a horse and a smart phone.  Young riders especially are devouring these videos because they are genuinely searching for information; unfortunately, many are only learning to employ unsustainable training practices, and the horses are suffering for it.

 Many a student has gotten pulled into the promises of a new bit, saddle or supplement, shelling out significant money for “miraculous” innovations in the hopes that it will be the “magic pill” for their training issue, only to abandon the new item only a few weeks after purchase.  Older designed equipment and methods are not always better; sometimes they are MUCH worse.  However, they usually have a track record and have been put through decades and sometimes hundreds of years of use.

Some new innovations have become game changers. Tremendous progress continues to be made in many aspects of horse husbandry including saddle fit, ergonomically designed tack, general horse health and advanced veterinary techniques, to name just a few.   I am merely pointing out that new “bits, bobbles and gadgets” have become a go-to answer for very basic training issues and are used as a replacement for sound training techniques.

The 30- or 60-Day Wonder Training Program

For some reason, we have a lot of trainers that specialize in 30–60-day training programs.  Either because training can be expensive, or people desire immediate results or a combination of both, horses are often subjected to intense short training programs to fix issues or get them started under saddle.  I am not saying that a short, intense stay at the trainer can’t be productive; there are many cases where it can.  Unfortunately, this way of training has become a philosophy for ALL training.  There is an idea that you can send your horse to the trainer as if you are sending your car to the mechanic.  This intense type of training overwhelms the horse with techniques so that all his issues are “fixed” in a short bit of time.  All too often I have observed these horses coming back to their owners with no long-lasting changes or even to return worse than when they left. 

An intense approach can shift behavior and a relationship and introduce the horse to a work attitude, but it can never build a strong foundation of skill and physical ability.  That can only come with time and patient, consistent work.  I would say that most of my time training is spent developing a relationship with the horse and then deepening that relationship.  The skills and movements that come out of the training is a result of the relationship I build, NOT vice versa. 

Sometimes a 30- or 60-day training stint can get a horse under saddle for the first time.  This can be very helpful for owners who don’t want to be the first one to step on a green horse, but it is critical that you continue the work the trainer began as soon as the horse gets home, especially with attention to the manner and way he was started. Follow up with the trainer who started the horse may be necessary.  Remember, the first month or two under saddle is known as the “honeymoon” period of training.  A horse that is started beautifully and doing well may begin to exert an independence of will and question why he should be doing this “riding thing” a couple of months into the process.  Also, as the horse develops his athletic frame and balance for riding, sore muscles will inevitably happen which MUST be taken into consideration during the daily work. Horse training is not complicated, but it is a multi-layered process that takes time. The training progression is never linear and often one issue or technique must be improved before others will fall into place.

There are those limitations that can take a long while and require great effort to surpass.  One never knows.  Sometimes as trainers we don’t find a way to break through the limitation. Each training journey and horse is so unique that a good trainer will always remain optimistic but realistic--and of course humble.

Obey Nature

There used to be a very funny TV ad with the catchphrase, “You can’t fool Mother Nature!”  This has never been truer than today in the modern horse training world.  Many “modern” training techniques do not respect the horse’s nature and, more specifically, equine biomechanics.  Horses that are worked in tension, with an incorrect balance and hollow frame, will always develop physical issues and breakdown both mentally and physically sooner rather than later. 

Unfortunately, there are many “top” trainers who do not understand the process of building strength, flexibility and the correct balance in a finished horse.  They merely see the process as teaching “skills” and response to aids.  If the horse is not allowed the time to build the physical attributes necessary for upper-level performance as well as a good mental attitude toward training, then breakdowns will occur.

Chasing quick results without concern for long term ramifications are the bane of our modern existence.  The older, slower and more considered and effective approaches are seen as taking too long and old-fashioned, and our horses and the quality of our horsemanship suffers. 

An Investment of Time

I am sure this is not popular to say but IT TAKES YEARS to develop a finished horse. (See my definition of a classically “finished horse” at the end of this article**).  Moreover, it can take ONE horrible training/riding experience to undo years of good training.  The saying, “Every ride you are either making or breaking your training and your horse” remains true.

For instance, when I was a kid in the 1970’s, it was universally understood that we didn’t start our horses until they were four or five years old.  Three years old was considered very young—we might start groundwork and introduce the equipment at three, but horses weren’t ridden significantly until they were at least four years old.  This trend changed as Futurity and Breeder’s awards became popular and the monetary rewards increased.  Horses are now started and pushed at younger and younger ages.  Greed for results and lack of patience push the young horses to the limits, and now injuries and training issues are not only expected but preemptively treated by the trainers and veterinarians.  These injuries and issues are frequently caused by incorrect work,  not always by an inescapable outcome of “dressage” or other advanced training.  It is not uncommon for a training barn to begin joint injections at the beginning of a horse’s training career.  This is insane to me for a couple of reasons.  One, there is an expectation that the horses will develop issues in training and two, they are treated with a medicine BEFORE they exhibit symptoms.  In many cases, there isn’t even an issue to address, yet horses are still given medicine as a matter of course.

I have trained many horses into their twenties and not had to give one joint injection.  This is not to say that there aren’t legitimate issues and times where medical intervention is needed.  There certainly are times where it is not only warranted but can help the horse greatly.  But as with all treatments, I think we should have more careful consideration.  If our horses are starting training and we expect physical damage, then what kind of practice are we truly engaging in?  Especially when there are better training practices that don’t destroy the physical or mental aspects of the horse.  Sound training practices perpetuate sound horses!

The Lure of the DARK side

The riding journey can be a real challenge for the ego.  Everything is GREAT when it’s going well!  It’s when there are failures and disappointment that the rubber really meets the road in training.  Every student must deal with the limits of her own capabilities and those of her horse.  Limitations are very real for horses and people, but they can almost always be accommodated and frequently overcome.  I have seen very modest horses and riders become truly great and perform at unexpected levels.  As a trainer, I endeavor to NEVER limit my idea of the possibilities of anyone.  However, if I do not respect those limits and carefully address them intelligently in the training then I know I am doomed to fail. 

When dealing with failure in horse training, many are encouraged to hit the nail harder with the hammer OR even to buy a new hammer when in truth ultimately, the hammer is the WRONG tool! I personally find this mentality most often comes from a lack of good training knowledge and experience.  Remember, “ignorance is the mother of all brutality”.  If you resort to force instead of intelligent consideration (and compassion), you will forever be trapped in ugliness and abuse.

Festina Lente

Traditionally, classical horse training is slow and steady.  The foundation of the training of both horse and rider is built over time.  Each building block is laid carefully, without a sense of hurry or impatience, and each piece is carefully crafted to form the masterpiece of training. 

 Because of this attention to a strong foundation, often the rider or horse may progress extremely quickly through some aspects of training.  This is why the Latin phrase “festina lente” or “make haste slowly” is my personal motto.  If the foundational elements of training and riding skills are established, then more advanced work or even brilliance in the movement can be achieved relatively easily and quickly; whereas inattention to the correct building blocks means you are doomed to failure.

This is the paradox of correct classically based training.  Sometimes it seems as if progress in training is moving slower than molasses, only to have more advanced movements and riding skills emerge “suddenly and quickly” to the amazement of students and owners.  This is demonstrated beautifully in the movie, The Karate Kid, when young student Daniel must spend endless hours practicing “wax on, wax off” which he views as pointless until he realizes it is a foundational aspect in his mastery of karate.

Observe nature and you can see this same phenomenon of sudden growth and emergence.  Just watch plants grow.  There are times when it appears as if nothing is happening with a plant or seed, only to have an explosion of growth overnight.  There is wisdom and rhythm in nature.  We need to first recognize and then foster the natural processes that underlie our horse training.

Patience Builds the Best Results

There is a famous quote from the father of French Classical training, Francois Baucher, regarding this phenomenon, “Make yourself understood and LET IT HAPPEN”.  This simple directive is perhaps the hardest to follow.  Humans are impatient and want to intervene constantly.  I think at heart we all have a bit of the control freak in us.

As a classical horse trainer, I am constantly learning to obey “less is more” and trust in the process.  Wisdom and experience teach you when to intervene and when to wait while you carry on with the training.

If you truly want to experience the full scope of abilities and movements your horse has to offer, then you will need to BE PATIENT.  There are traditional training paths that not only positively build up the horse physically but provide a path toward advanced movements. With a little patience, study and diligent work you might be surprised at how fast you make progress. 

What is the secret ingredient to FAST RESULTS in horse training?  GO SLOW!!!

The author and Xango de Quintana after a training session

*Soon to follow “A classical riding roadmap” that outlines the phases of training I practice in the development of a finished horse and a classically educated rider.

**Finished Classical Horse—a horse that has completed classical training to the point that he can be ridden by any classically trained rider and perform every movement including:

·      All basic gaits (walk, trot and canter) on the bit, in self-carriage, with relaxation, impulsion and good rhythm

·      All lateral movements in walk (shoulder-in, travers, renvers, pirouette, half-pass, etc.), trot (everything for walk except pirouette) and canter (pirouette, travers and half-pass)

·      Collected and extended gaits (walk, trot, canter)

·      Simple and flying changes

·      Passage and piaffer

(Classically these movement are performed in RELAXATION NOT TENSION and with the correct position and rhythm!)

Traditionally, classical movements CAN ALSO include the Spanish walk, Spanish trot, levade and the Haute Ecole jumps such as the courbette and capriole. Other more demanding movements such as the canter and piaffer backwards are also included in the list.  These movements are, of course, additions (cherry on the sundae as you will) and not considered essential to the training of a classical horse.

 (NOTE: Some classical trainers might exclude some of these movements depending upon the school they have trained in and their personal perspective on what is “CLASSICAL”). 

In the French school especially, a finished horse is responsive to the aids, soft in the mouth and demonstrates rassembler (physical gathering and lowering of the haunches) and ramener (release and flexion of the poll).

A finished horse should also be able to negotiate small jumping obstacles or cavaletti easily and be amenable to other trail and working equitation obstacles such as opening gates or crossing bridges and be willing to confront possibly fearful and distracting objects.  A finished horse has a strongly developed trust in his rider and will easily follow his rider’s lead onto the trail or anywhere else one wishes to explore including moving cows.  In my opinion, this is the unspoken aspect of “the ultimate classical dressage training”, that the horse is relaxed, calm and because of his trust in the rider, willing to follow anywhere she leads.