FLATWORK l STRAIGHTNESS & A STEADY CONNECTION
PART TWO
Dressage rider and trainer Alex Harrison helps an owner with her hunter and occasional event horse, who is also required to perform between the boards, improve their straightness using impulsion and a connection to the outside rein
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
• Achieving a perfect contact
• Performing medium canter from A to C • Leg yielding from the three-quarter line
• Preventing twist in the saddle
BECAUSE I HUNT Gunner all winter he develops a very economical canter for that job, but in the dressage arena we need more engagement from behind so I’m hoping to develop that today,” says pupil Kathryn Virjee as she enters trainer Alex Harrison’s sand outdoor arena on a blustery grey sky day.
“Gunner also gets slightly lazy when we’re doing dressage and he’s a bit like a diesel engine — it takes a while to motivate him into action. Additionally, keeping him straight can be a challenge. He gives too much bend, particularly on the left rein, so exercises to straighten him are good for him,” adds Kathryn.
Once she has warmed up her mount, Alex instructs Kathryn to start by circling, and with her outside rein “feel like you can take him forward while keeping that rein, and if you feel like he’s hanging on it a bit, flex him to the outside, and also keep your leg on. Be aware, though, that when your leg comes on, he will try to change his frame, but you need to try to keep things the same as they were before, not letting the frame change too much”.
Alex tells Kathryn to open up the canter. “The test is to see how forward you can push him before the contact feels fragile,” Alex explains. “Now be braver,” he tells her. “Yes, that was good,” he praises as the pair do well.
“Now bring Gunner back and ride him on a smaller circle to help contain him. In shortening the canter he’s become a bit stuck in the neck, so see if you can keep the contact moving. Now you’ve got more of a condensed canter, so see if you can go forward and come back without losing consistency in the rein.”
When changing speed horses can often lean on the hand or come against the rein to help support themselves.
“Think about slowly winding him forward and then winding him back,” Alex tells Kathryn. “We don’t want it to look like a bullet being fired from a gun as the horse just doesn’t have enough time to find his natural balance. Keeping the transitions smooth will help to develop a steadier connection to the bit.”
MEET THE TRAINER
ALEX HARRISON was initially trained by James Roberts before he began working
