12 Ways To A More Supple Horse

A supple horse will be more enjoyable to ride and easier to train. Find out how to achieve this with our 12 brilliant tips

1 Ride lots of transitions

Transitions help to lighten your horse’s forehand, encourage a softer outline and build up muscles in the hindquarters and topline, all of which will enable him to carry out the work you require him to do.

With a young or inexperienced horse, start off with simple transitions between the paces on a large circle. Go from walk to trot to canter, and then return to walk through trot.

As your horse progresses in his training, you can include some ‘direct’ transitions, from walk-to-canter, canterto-walk and halt-to-trot, for example.

“If you think you’ve ridden enough transitions, ride some more,” says top dressage rider Carl Hester, who believes transitions are one of the most simple, yet effective, tools in training.

2 Do plenty of stretching

Stretching is sometimes referred to as ‘Pilates for horses’ because it develops the core muscles. When done effectively, it stretches the topline muscles all the way from a horse’s hind fetlocks to his poll. It also relaxes him mentally and teaches self-carriage. This is when the horse balances himself, rather than leaning on the reins and relying on the rider to help him.

Start with a normal rein contact in trot. Work slightly off the track as this will encourage you to maintain a contact on the outside rein, which will keep the horse straighter. Feel you have even weight in both reins and that you are sitting centrally in the saddle, without leaning to one side. Check your horse is moving forwards with plenty of energy.

Then, give the horse an extra inch of rein and gauge his reaction. If he takes the rein contact forward, give a little bit more rein and continue to give as long as he continues to stretch. With time, the horse should learn to stretch forward and down so his nose is almost touching the surface of the school.