{"id":26571,"date":"2016-04-08T12:05:42","date_gmt":"2016-04-08T02:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/?p=26571"},"modified":"2017-02-09T16:36:07","modified_gmt":"2017-02-09T05:36:07","slug":"equitation-science-in-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/2016\/04\/equitation-science-in-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Equitation Science in Action – Part One"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"header2\"Tor Van Den Berge takes a lesson with Andrew McLean<\/em><\/p>\n

Story by Shannan Makauskas and photos by Alex Makauskas<\/h3>\n

With the era of quick fixes and training fads passing, and the art of classical dressage returning, Equitation Science arrived at a time when were ready to question the way we train the modern dressage horse. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Andrew McLean has been at the forefront of this movement and is one of the first to educate equestrian enthusiasts around the world about horse psychology and the way horses learn.<\/p>\n

Many of the principles, such as the use of pressure and release, as well as employing light and easily discernable aids, may not be anything new to the way we train dressage.<\/p>\n

But what the \u2018McLean method\u2019 has brought to the fore is a responsibility and a way of thinking that holds the rider accountable for their actions. Every aid has a purpose and timing is critical. Even better, Andrew developed a clearer way of explaining the movements and the aids so any rider can understand them.<\/p>\n

Although this will make training easier to digest by riders, Andrew acknowledges it won\u2019t guarantee true Dressage excellence. As written by Andrew in one of his articles for THM: \u201cTraining is half the story, correct riding skill is the other half, and those who achieve at elite level tend to get both sides right.\u201d<\/p>\n

One rider who has ridden to an elite level is Tor Van Den Berge, with numerous National titles to his name as well as being a representative for Australia at the World Young Horse Championships.<\/p>\n

Tor\u2019s riding career began in breaking and after many years of eventing, showing and dressage, was further developed by training at the PSI stables in Germany under Ulf M\u00f6ller and Bianca Kasselman.<\/p>\n

This makes Tor a product of the German system and the Training Scale. But what Tor also reflects in his riding style is a straightforward approach and respect for the horse, making him a great subject for Andrew to work with.<\/p>\n

Lesson
\n<\/strong>Riding the five year old gelding, Kaludah Jetstar (Jive Magic\/Salute), Tor hoped to get some help with the horse\u2019s shying issues: \u201cWhen he came to me he was very backward and very spooky. But he\u2019s getting better and better everyday. The movements aren\u2019t going to be a problem but he\u2019s got to go through and stay there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tor has secured shares in the horse and will be competing him this year: \u201cI really enjoy riding him and he\u2019s a good mover. Once you get him in front of the leg he\u2019s easy, but we all need something to butt heads with, and Mel\u2019s had the baby now so I can\u2019t butt heads with her anymore,\u201d he laughs.\"trot\"<\/p>\n

Andrew outlines the way he starts a lesson: \u201cThe plan for me is to find out what the problems are and work on that. There are ten things we do in checking the basics. The four things from the reins are that the horse can go down a gait, he can slow the legs, shorten his stride and that he can step back. From the leg aid there\u2019s three things: we make sure he can go up a gait, come more active and lengthen the stride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are two turns the horse needs to know, a direct turn which is just your basic turn left or right. And an indirect turn, which is the rein away from the neck and the rein against the neck. Then there\u2019s the one leg yield response. Once all of those are trained by pressure release and we get them all right, then we\u2019re on track. I always start by getting the rein and leg happening before I do turns because stop and go is more fundamental than turn.\u201d\"DSC_0018\"<\/p>\n

This is different to how Tor usually begins his training sessions: \u201cI like to pick-up where I left the day before. I expect the basics to be on already when I walk onto the arena. So I don\u2019t necessarily go and check them everytime. But with a horse that I haven\u2019t had for long, or one that\u2019s having a few problems I run through them.\u201d<\/p>\n

With rain pounding on the roof of the Indoor, it didn\u2019t take long for the young gelding to reveal the main problems. Andrew said: \u201cHe can get tense. He doesn\u2019t listen to the aids mainly for stop and turning. This leads to shying. So we will begin by looking at the basics of stop and turn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew breaks down the mechanics of shying: \u201cWhen a horse spooks it does two things, it opens its front legs and pushes away and then the back legs will push to take off. What this shows us is it\u2019s a front leg issue and therefore it\u2019s a turn issue. The deepest turn aid we have comes from the rein. Therefore what I\u2019ll do are some exercises with the horse to get him back under stimulus control of the reins. Then we can put his leg where we want, even in difficult places.\u201d\"DSC_0061\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got an exercise where we ride against the wall and we go closer to the wall than we\u2019d normally go. A spooky horse doesn\u2019t always want to do it. Then we have some brake issues so we\u2019ll work on that too. I just like looking at all the basics. All the things down in the engine room; like how he goes from the legs, how he stops from the reins and how he turns from the single rein.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tor trots on a circle around Andrew, making transitions to halt every few strides. Andrew says: \u201cAs soon as he makes one mistake you go back and do five repetitions. After that the mistakes will come much further apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

To further establish the stop aid Andrew checks the submission of the reinback. But in the first step the horse shortens the neck: \u201cNow that\u2019s an interesting one. You can almost expect it because a lot of the Jazzs can come behind the bit a little. But horses that shy always give a first response of shutting (shortening) the neck in the reinback. It means he doesn\u2019t exactly know the answer to the question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew directs Tor to lift his hands to keep the horse from closing the gullet in the reinback: \u201cRaise your hands a bit higher so he doesn\u2019t shut (shorten) his neck first and then give after the first response. Then he\u2019ll give an answer with his leg instead of his neck. Do a few more of those and keep your hands up. If he\u2019s not getting it release after the second step. So you can say, \u2018Yes that\u2019s the right answer\u2019, rather than shutting the neck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tor commented on correcting the neck this way: \u201cI normally try to fix it from the leg but it was effective with this particular horse.\u201d\"andrewlong\"<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s on to the next step to improve the reinback: \u201cYou can add more pressure to that by getting him more active in the steps going back. It\u2019s just getting him to know that answer in the reins. This will help him understand the stop aid better as well, so he\u2019ll do a downward transition without shutting the neck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew links horses\u2019 shortening of the neck to shying: \u201cIt\u2019s amazing how a lot of other behaviors that surrounds these problems seem to be unrelated, but actually are related because they diminish as soon as the horse is clearly trained in stop and go. You can do what you like to stop shying, but the more horses shut their necks – it tends to make them get a bit insecure – and then they start to shy.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s back on the circle to work on the stop and go aids: \u201cI want to do transitions from halt to trot and trot to halt. I want his back legs to freeze when you use the rein aid. You\u2019ll find this is a good way of getting them really connected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you want him to do is trot in diagonal pairs all the way down to the halt, every walk step he does is telling you he\u2019s backing off the stop and not really doing it because it\u2019s hard work. The first step is to get the diagonal pairs together. The second step is to get him square and that will just happen by itself when he steps evenly. The third step is when his back legs come one hoof print closer to his front legs and come under, that\u2019s where he really sits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tor rides a few halts and Andrew notices the left hind is not stepping up to make the halt square: \u201cWhen you do the stop, because his left hind leg is out, it will tell you the right front leg is not really answering the stop aid. So you can use a little more right rein just to even it out and make that diagonal pair come together.\u201d\"stop&go\"<\/p>\n

The halt is straight and square, so it\u2019s on to step three: \u201cNow we just want his back legs to dig in and sit. Good, perfect, well done, that\u2019s exactly what we wanted. Now to make that a habit we want to get three good ones in a row which is hard. But if you get three and then come back in the later sessions to check it, the success rate is higher than if you only got one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew highlights the quickest way to see results: \u201cIt\u2019s best to make this transition every three strides because the closer we bring them together the quicker they learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tor reflects on the exercise: \u201cWith repetition I\u2019ve always aimed to get it right twice. If I need to repeat something several times I usually vary it so it doesn\u2019t become a drill.\u201d<\/p>\n

The key aspect of Andrew\u2019s training is letting the horse know when he\u2019s given the correct response: \u201cWhen he comes lighter make a big deal of it. Say, \u2018good boy\u2019 and give him a scratch. If you scratch them on the wither it lowers the heart rate by 10 beats per minute, whereas patting has no effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tor, who is always giving his horse a big pat after the test, said: \u201cYeah I can\u2019t say I do that, it\u2019s not really something I think about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew justifies his reward theory: \u201cIt\u2019s not good enough to just say good boy because they don\u2019t know what you\u2019re saying. You\u2019ve got to pair it with something like scratching him. Then eventually he\u2019ll start to put an ear back and listen when you say it.\u201d\"DSC_0005\"<\/p>\n

Training the horse using pressure and release is the key to riding with light aids. But Andrew doesn\u2019t believe in the seat as an aid on its own: \u201cHowever good he is from the seat only rests on how good he is from the rein and the leg. In the end, if he\u2019s no good from the seat, you\u2019re not going to be able to make him do things with just your seat so you\u2019re going to have to go back to something that works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tor reflects on using the seat: \u201cWe\u2019re always aiming to get the horse responding to a seat aid but most of the time it\u2019s leg and seat. Although Ulf M\u00f6ller always said, \u2018You need to be able to ride your horse with no reins.\u2019 And that\u2019s something that really stuck with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew explains his reasoning: \u201cSeat aids are more classical conditioning, which means they learn them by association. It\u2019s very difficult to train a horse just from your seat without ever using any leg or rein and it would be highly unreliable because you can\u2019t enforce it. So what reins and legs do is they actually enforce the response and they can perfect it and build it up so it all happens from light aids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s time to work on the turns: \u201cA direct turn is when you pull right the horse goes right. Like if you\u2019re cantering towards a cross country fence and the horse veers left you pull your right rein to get it back on track, that\u2019s a direct turn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there\u2019s an old French turn called an indirect turn which is really useful. People don\u2019t always know the indirect turn, but the horse, once you get past advanced, knows this turn. In England I say, \u2018Have you every heard of an indirect turn?\u2019 And they say, \u2018No\u2019. And I say, \u2018Okay just do this with your rein\u2019. And the horse always knows it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew instructs Tor on how to begin training the indirect turn: \u201cStay on a circle on the left rein and put both your hands to the outside. It\u2019s the inside rein pushing against the neck and his body flexed left and basically front legs are turning right. Yeah like that. It\u2019s a real help for fixing horses that shy. You probably already do it but just didn\u2019t have a name for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe indirect turn has two stages of development in the dressage horse because this turn you\u2019re doing now is what a horse does until it\u2019s elementary. But after that when you\u2019re introducing all the lateral movements you need to be able to actually use your rein against his neck. Hold him in the flexion there and bring your hands towards me, but push. It helps for your half pass when you want to get him going towards the bend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now the responses to the basics have been established, Tor is ready to tackle the shying issue. Andrew says: \u201cI want you to ride along the wall but with his front hoof as close to the wall as possible. Get his front legs on the line you want. Shying is a line issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Traditionally shoulder-fore or shoulder-in is used to keep the horse on the outside track and stop them from looking outside the arena. Andrew says: \u201cThat can also work but they can escape you in shoulder-in too easily. Whereas this way you\u2019re saying, \u2018I don\u2019t care where your head is, or your bum, but you\u2019re going to put your foot here and not there\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he does shy you\u2019ve got to pull him back right. Just make sure his front legs stay on your line. You\u2019ve got to attach your left rein to the left front leg and the right rein to the right front leg. Don\u2019t worry about his bum in this moment because he\u2019ll make it straight later when he\u2019s going along your line. Just say, \u2018I want your left front leg two inches from the wall every step\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew instructs Tor on what to do when the horse reacts to sound: \u201cIf that makes him turn, pull him back. Don\u2019t be afraid to give the rein a stronger tug if he jumps away. See if you can use more leg, you might have to push and kick to get him there. When he gets close reward him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re always afraid of what they haven\u2019t experienced. Once they do it it\u2019s not so bad. If he wants to sniff it let him but if he pulls back push him forward again. Well done you caught that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Correcting a spooky horse this way can be confrontational but Tor says it\u2019s a method he\u2018s always used: \u201cThis is similar to how I\u2019ve done it in the past, keeping them focused on your line until they accept it. But I\u2019ve had horses that are better when you avoid it until they are really into their work. Usually, once they\u2019re through and on the aids, they stop shying by themselves. But it depends on the horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew believes bomb-proofing today\u2019s Warmblood is a more difficult task: \u201cThat\u2019s an old philosophy, that if the horse is on the aids it doesn\u2019t shy. The trouble is the modern breed of horse is more sensitive and they seem to lose it at the drop of a hat. There are more horses the average person can\u2019t ride nowadays. They are a lot more reactive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew gives advice on helping horses who get tense in indoor arenas, where loud sounds and big crowds can be distracting: \u201cThat\u2019s where overshadowing comes in. Once he gets a bit more comfortable with the exercise you can bang the wall with your stirrup. If you bang the wall, and he\u2019s noise sensitive and he shies from that as well, we have to overshadow the effect of the environment with the aids.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the horse happily walking next to the wall, even with Tor\u2019s stirrup banging along it, Andrew says: \u201cWhen you think about shying it\u2019s just a random swerve, so catch it with your reins. When you\u2019re not giving a rein aid it means he should stay on your line. Good. Well done, that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew reflects on the aids: \u201cBasically all you\u2019re trying to do is retrain your rein aids and every horse is different. Some undo your aids so fast and others, after hardly any training, are right for life. You want to make sure the right rein is always connected to the right leg.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tor comments on this approach: \u201cThat\u2019s something I\u2019ve never been taught. For me its right rein to left hind and left rein to right hind. But it could be the same thing because that\u2019s the diagonal pairs. I\u2019m just always thinking more towards the hind legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew said: \u201cOnce it feels good off your direct rein, do it off your indirect rein. You can\u2019t really enforce the indirect rein as effectively though so you don\u2019t want to do it until the direct rein has been properly established. The last thing you would do to test it is leg yield along the wall and put his bum right along the wall, like an exaggerated shoulder-in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tor comments on the exercise: \u201cIt\u2019s exactly right because you\u2019ve got to be able to put them wherever you like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew: \u201cIt\u2019s easy to forget that just because we\u2019ve got reins to their mouth, the reins and leg aren\u2019t connected. You need to think of the left rein as the left front leg and the right rein as the right front leg. In all the gaits you should be able to slow them, lengthen them, shorten them and later even raise them. They have to know all about mobility and control. They know very well when you loose it. But once you have them under control they\u2019re relaxed.\u201d<\/p>\n

This brings us to the end of the lesson and it\u2019s clear that although Andrew has a system, he\u2019s open to suggestions: \u201cLearning theory is not necessarily a prescription where you\u2019ve got to do this and then you\u2019ve got to do that. I\u2019m always swapping and moving and changing bits as time goes on. I recognise there are other ways of doing things.\u201d<\/p>\n

And perhaps this is what works so well in the lesson, Tor brings his own riding style to the mix and Andrew directs it towards a formula. The question is; will the \u2018McLean method\u2019 be added to the list of training fads? Or is it time classical dressage took a scientific approach? With the increasing concern for horse welfare, something tells me Andrew\u2019s methods are here to stay.<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

\"torheadshot\"Shannan caught up with Tor to get his thoughts on the lesson:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It was very effective and it\u2019s interesting to put it into a system. To make it a little bit more regimented where you attack one thing first and then go to the next. Rather than trying to battle on through all of it at once. I think there was a result at the end of it. He\u2019s not an easy horse but it gets easier every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

How was that different to the way you normally ride? <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell I think no it wasn\u2019t that different. I really think we don\u2019t go on unless our aids work and we test all our aids. Maybe Andrew does it in a more organised fashion than we do, but I think most of us go back to training a light reaction from our aids if things aren\u2019t working. I think it\u2019s very similar to what we normally do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew is against simultaneous leg and hand aids but I could see your legs were on a lot of the time and the rein was coming on and going off… <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah legs definitely on and he said that I had leg on a lot of the time but I think definitely you have to keep the leg for activity. You can\u2019t do that without leg. I think the way he\u2019s trying to describe the method is more the important thing and trying to get it through to people, the basics. \u201c<\/p>\n

A few months after the lesson, I asked Tor if he continued using any of the methods… <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt hasn\u2019t changed the way I train the horse and Peter\u2019s going very well now. But I knew his flaws going into the lesson and Andrew picked-up on all of those very well. It\u2019s just a matter of progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article first appeared in the March 2010 issue of THM.<\/em><\/p>\n

McLean, Andrew<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n