Starting Dressage Horses Under Saddle

January 01, 2010

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By Patience Prine-Carr with Jennifer Walker

One of the most basic elements of dressage is relaxation, and teaching a horse to stay relaxed while working is something that happens before they are started under saddle. Starting a dressage horse properly from the very first ride can save a lot of headaches as they progress through their training.

Patience Prine-Carr is a USDF Gold Medalist who has been training horses of various breeds and disciplines for over 30 years. She works at her farm, Glynnsong (www.glynnsong.com), in Castroville, California. Here, she discusses how to start a dressage horse under saddle to keep him happy, relaxed and ready to progress in his training.

Before Getting On

I start the horse on the lunge, teaching voice commands: walk, trot, canter and whoa. When I say "whoa" I want the horse to stop in his tracks - not turn towards me, not walk towards me or just slow down, but stop.

Once the horse knows the voice commands and is relaxed on the line, I introduce the bridle and let him just carry the bit for a couple days until he is relaxed and comfortable with it. Then I add a surcingle or small jumping saddle. I lunge him quietly and slowly, not letting him buck or run. He gets worked with the bridle and saddle until he is relaxed and working in all gaits.

Next, I add elastic side reins. I start with them very loose and slowly tighten them over a period of a couple of days to weeks, depending on the horse, until his head is vertical and he is moving through the back and forward but relaxed and balanced.

When he gets to this stage, it's time to ground drive. I start in the arena, on a circle like he is lungeing, and just ask for turning and stopping with the lines hooked to the bit. Once he does that well, I go all over the arena, out around the barn and down the road - teaching the horse to be brave and walk forward on his own.

Time to Climb Aboard

When the horse is relaxed while being tacked up and saddled and moving quietly on the lunge line, listening to voice commands and ground driving well, it's time to get on his back.

When I get on, I don't use a round pen - all I have is a dressage court without sides, so I have someone on the end of the lunge line to hold the horse while I get on. I get on and off several times and praise him a lot. Once I am all the way on, I will praise him more and ask him to move forward—first at a walk, and when he seems relaxed, we trot. During this time, the person on the ground is using the line like they are lunging but trying not to interfere with the rider. We use voice commands to walk, trot and canter.

If the horse seems to be relaxed enough, we unhook them from the line and stay in a 20 meter circle, asking for walk, trot and whoa. If the horse feels good enough, we will go ahead and canter. I try to keep it short and quiet with lots of praise for the first ride.

It is important to keep the horse happy with his job throughout the breaking process and to make every experience a good one. I keep the first ride short and relaxed, but do expect him to be forward and at least a trot if not canter both ways. Every day, I add a little more, including leg aids to go with the voice commands.

Final Thoughts from Patience

I do not like to use a round pen for young horses because they will use the walls for balance - something they will not have when they are performing a dressage test. By working them in the arena, they are forced to find their own balance.

I start all my horses in a hunt saddle - I want to keep my horse's back up, round and loose. I feel putting a heavier saddle that puts the rider in the middle of the horse's back causes the horse to hollow and dip his back down because of the weight in the middle of his back that he is not used to carrying. With the hunt saddle, I can stay in a two point position and stay off his back until he is balanced and used to caring the weight. Only when the horse's back is up and loose do I start to really sit in the saddle - and then when they are balanced, I change to a dressage saddle.

Starting a dressage horse under saddle does not have to be complicated. Teaching them in a clear and straightforward manner, with plenty of praise, will help to keep them relaxed and prepare them for the years of training head of them.

By Jennifer Walker

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Starting Dressage Horses Under Saddle