Establishing rhythm on the longe

In an earlier post I talked about an exercise that I use to establish a consistent rhythm at the trot. This exercise involves posting the trot for five (or any number you choose) strides and holding a half-seat for five strides. As the rhythm becomes stabilised you begin to sink a little deeper on the half-seat phase until you are in a light seat. Practicing and perfecting this gets the horse and rider working together in a rhythmic, cadenced trot.

Rhythm is the first rung of the training scale as outlined in the German system. The scale begins with rhythm, suppleness and contact. The development of these three qualities are the foundation for training any young horse into a calm, well-developed, rideable athlete.

As Elmar Pollman-Schweckhorst has written in his book Training the Modern Jumper, these stages are not necessarily dealt with in a particular hierarchical order, but as a group. It is not possible to have rhythm without suppleness and some kind of contact with the mouth. A tense, unsupple horse will not have a very satisfactory rhythm. Some horses may have a natural rhythm or suppleness but not like to take the bit. Rhythm, suppleness and contact are a package of skills that must be developed. Each horse is a different puzzle and the rider must be clever to fit the pieces together.

When this package has become solid the rhythm is consistent, the horse is supple and fluid in his movement and the contact with the mouth is frank and consistent. The rider can then move on to the upper levels of the training scale, which involve the development of impulsion, straightness and collection. Think of it this way, you need to take a hold of the mouth and "wake him up" in order to supple, straighten and collect any horse. Another way to look at this process is developing the connection between the seat, leg and hand -- the connection between the horse and rider.

As a part of this development process, I have always liked to longe my young horses. It gives a young, undeveloped horse a chance to work without the weight of the rider. I am over 6' tall, so I weigh a lot. Longeing also allows me to observe the horse from a distance. The young horse can work. and learn things on his own without someone on his back, correcting him every five seconds!


As a rider or trainer, one of the hardest things to learn is to let a horse to learn from his mistakes. I have come to find that it is much easier to be calm and objective during this process (particularly jumping mistakes) when these mistakes are made at a safe distance!

Even older horses that are jumping around competently can benefit from the suppling, relaxing effects of correct longeing. You can really do a lot to establish or restore relaxation and rhythm. In doing this, you can make a horse more calm and obedient.

I once heard George Morris tell a rider that, "Your mare speeds up when you tell her to slow down and she slows down when you tell her to speed up. That's because she wants to be in charge!" I also heard George say, "An undisciplined horse will always be a tense horse." There is a battle of wills that goes on when you first begin to longe a horse. They need to to go forward when you tell them to go and the need to and slow down when you say whoa.

I like to start young horses out on a good quality longeing caveson and later add some long side reins. Establishing rhythm on the longe involves making many transitions -- from walk to trot and back to walk. This can be a pretty physical task, as the horses can really pull you around with a caveson if you don't "stand your ground" and give them a pretty strong half halt every once in awhile.

A properly fitted caveson allows you to deliver a firm correction without injuring or making the young horse defensive. It is like a screw eye inserted into his nose bone. It is sensitive to subtle pressure and if you need to take him hard, you can really get his attention. Done calmly and correctly, this does no physical or emotional damage to the horse. Longeing a green, rowdy horse on a bit, however, can very negative experience.

Note: It is VERY important that the caveson be adjusted tightly around the nose (tightened two or three times like a girth) and the chin strap tightened firmly below the jaw bones so it does not get pulled into the horse's eye.

I have found that most young, distracted horses can be put into a nicely cadenced trot after doing about seven transitions from the trot to the walk. They start out playful and snorting and their trot will be quick and unbalanced. After some time to loosen up, you can bring them close to you on a smaller circle to get control. When they settle down and pay attention you can let them out on the big circle again. This is just a primitive form of legnthening and shortening. You take them in and get control and then you send them out and forward.

For this to work, the horse must be taught to longe properly -- to stay out at the end of the longe line (with the caveson I like to use a cotton rope.) The whip is pointed toward the horses hock to make him go forward, but may also be pointed at the shoulder or even at the nose if the horse is inclined to cut in. This is all a very basic form of obedience training, as you do with a dog when you make him heel, sit and stay.

If the horse is too strong and can physically get away from you, a halter and stud chain may be needed at first. I won't longe a horse on the bit until he is very obedient and good at longeing. It takes a bit of upper body strength to put the horse "on the aids" with a ceveson.

Another benefit of using the caveson and cotton rope is that, when the horse cuts into your space and the line goes slack, you can flip the line/rope toward his head. While this does no harm to them, the horses really dislike this. If you are timely and persistent with this correction, the horse will stay out at the end of the line just so you can not do it!

If the horse pulls hard and drags you on to a bigger circle, you have to set yourself and give him a good strong series of half halts to correct him, even as you are being dragged. When he realizes he can't run off, drag you around or cut in on you, he may try to stop and face you or turn around and run off the other direction. If he backs away from you, follow him back until he backs into a fence and you can send him in the desired direction. It is always good to longe in an enclosed area or round pen. Stay calm, firm and persistent and get the horse to do these transitions.

After awhile you will be able to ask the horse to walk on the longe. It may take you five to ten minutes to get him to walk the first time. Say "whoa" and half halt on the longe line until he walks. The second transition will come a little easier and by the seventh transition the horse will be more focused on you and what you have to say. He will allow you to set the rhythm.

I have noticed that with horses who are tense and quick in the trot, there is another trot hidden somewhere between the trot and the walk. You see this rhythmic, cadenced trot in the final steps just before the horse breaks to the walk. By the seventh transition to the walk, you can capture this slower, cadenced trot by half halting and, when the horse "stalls out" using the whip and your body language to send him forward in a slower, more cadenced trot. You get a couple of good steps and praise the horse and then get a few more good steps. Soon, the horse will have a new trot.

This cadenced trot feels pretty good to a horse. Once they do it they will readily fall into the slower, bouncier rhythm. The perfected version of the cadenced trot is the passage, with its slower rhythm and longer period of suspension. The horse, in slowing down his tempo, spends more time on each diagonal phase of the trot, and this allows/encourages/demands that he use his back, round his neck and bend his hocks. My father used to tell me, "Make him do the slow trot and wait... he'll HAVE to start using himself."

On the longe, this cadencing is accomplished with the caveson and the longe whip and the positioning of the trainer's body in relation to the horse. When riding, this is done by sinking into the tack and closing the legs around the horse -- keeping the horse "in front of the legs."

An important thing to remember is this: You teach cadence (and collection) so that you can store up energy and develop impulsion and better send the horse forward. You send the horse forward as a reward so that he will be active and happy when you collect him. Do not get stuck on collection!

This takes a bit of work, but it is worth the effort. The horse will learn to go in a soft, balanced, attentive walk, trot and canter. He will learn to take a consistent hold of the longe line as he moves, which will allow you to bend and supple him. You, eventually have what you are looking for -- rhythm, suppleness and contact.

By adding a snaffle bit and some long side reins, you can introduce the horse to going on the bit. It is amazing how round and supple the horses can get using just the caveson. However, adjusting the side reins so there is a light contact with the horse standing in a natural position, the horse will learn to "go to the outside rein" when he bends on the longe. As his head turns gently in (flexes laterally at the poll,) the outside rein will come into contact with his mouth and he will respond to this by flexing directly at the poll. If a horse is allowed to learn this lesson on the longe, he will respond the same way to a rider with a steady seat and quiet hands. The side reins do not need to be tightened very much -- just enough that the horse will feel them and seek the contact with the bit on his own.

In his book, The DeNemethy Method, Bert DeNemethy clearly illustrates all this. He will also use a set of draw reins for difficult or spoiled horses. The method is the same, but the draw reins are run under and wrapped once around the stirrup leathers. This can have an amazing effect on horses with difficult mouths. Again, they learn to seek the contact with the bit on their own, with no coercion or forcefulness from the rider.

DeNemethy liked to longe the horses through cavaletti and over small oxers. The cavaletti were placed on a circular paternn. They can be 5' apart at the outside and 4' apart on the inside of the circle. Once the horse is moving in a nice cadenced trot, you can send him through the cavaletti. It is smart to start with one pole and get him calm with that before doing three or four. After awhile, the horse will naturally find the trot he needs to get through the cavaletti. He will round his neck, use his back and his hocks and lift his shoulder.

I built a set of cavaletti as pictured in DeNemethy's book. They are heavy 8' lodge poles with short feet of 4"x4" bolted at each end. They are about 8" high ahd are very solid and heavy. They are a pain to move around, but the horses really respect them. I think they are safer than jump poles, which can roll when stepped on.

Longeing over poles and jumps takes a lot of practice and skill. You have to keep your eye constantly moving between the horse and the jump in orer to position the horse on a good line and be in a position to back him up with the whip.

When the horse is trotting the cavaletti well you can introduce trot-canter transitions. From the canter, transition to trot. When the horse is balanced and found his rhythm, send him through the cavaletti. As he gets good at this, you can canter, trot and go directly to the cavaletti. The horse will learn to "set himself up" for the cavaletti. As he steadies and balances himself, you will be able to drive him actively forward and he will find his own balance coming forward. When he can do this, he is ready to longe over a jump.

I like to start with a pile of poles (the same routine when I ride them.) I put the jump against a wall or perpendicular to another jump so he can not run out to the outside. I use a pole as a wing on the inside to guide the horse and keep the longe line from getting caught on the jump.

When he trots the pile of poles calmly, I make it into a small cross rail. Positioning of the trainer is really important at this stage. You must have the horse longeing properly and be able to walk parallel to his direction of movement, even with his hip so you can drive him forward. It is a little bit like ground driving and you have to keep your eye moving constantly between the horse and the jump.

From the cross rail, I like to make a double cross rail, which is like a small oxer. This gives the horse something to really jump -- he can't just trot over it. You might have to drive him a little here. If the horse runs out to the inside, you can correct him by flipping the line at him and then slowing him down to a steady rhythm to re-organise. Come to the jump again but position yourself so you are driving him at the jump at a slight angle away from yourself. If the horse stops, you will need to get after him a bit and send him over from an organised trot. It never hurts to make the jump easier if the horse is having a hard time with it.


If he lands from the jump and the canter is balanced, soft and "loopy," I might let him canter on softly to the jump. In the canter they learn to see a distance, set themselves up and jump on their own. You can observe the learning process -- if they chip hard or knock down a pole, they will invariably concentrate and jump better the next time. You can "help them" find a distance by adjusting the track or just stand still and let them figure it out on their own. If the canter becomes tense, quick or unbalanced it is best to resume jumping from the trot.

When the double cross rail is easy, you can raise the back rail to about 2' to 2'6" and leave the cross rail in front. This an excellent exercise for any horse. They have to trot in balance to the base of the oxer, gather themselves, lift their shoulders and push off from behind. They will learn to land in a soft, balanced canter. This exercise gets a horse to use his back and relaxes a horse better than house of longeing in a frantic, disunited canter!

When the horse is very good at all this and stays calm, all this can be done while longeing the horse with the line fastened to the bit. This takes a very steady, educated hand and should not be done on a green, rowdy horse. You fasten the line (not a heavy rope) to the inside ring of the bit (opening rein) or run it through the inside ring, over the head and fasten it to the outside ring (which puts pressure on the poll.) Draw reins may also be used instead of side reins, but the adjustment has to be longer for jumping.

A side benefit of all this is that a horse that longes calmly over fences is a valuable teacher. Longeing over small jumps with no reins (and no stirrups) is an important part of any rider's education.

Bibliography:

Training Hunters, Jumpers and Hacks by Gen Harry D Chamberlin
The DeNemethy Method by Bert Denemethy.
Cavaletti by Reiner Klimke.
The Longeing Book by Judy Richter.
Training the Modern Jumper by Elmar Pollman Schweckhorst.
Horsemanship and Horsemastership, edited by Gordon Wright.