by Andrea Monsarrat Waldo

Here are a few common mismatches that I see (or have experienced myself) between horses and riders. Some feel like you’ve been accidentally miscast in a romantic comedy, while others are worthy of full horror-flick status. See if any of these feel vaguely, or not-so-vaguely, familiar.

He’s Green—and so Are You

You have just started riding in the last couple of years, or you’ve taken it up again recently after riding a little bit in your childhood. You looked at a couple of schoolmaster types, but they were all older and needed a fair amount of maintenance. And they were, well, kind of plain. You found a gorgeous three-year-old that was as sweet as could be, and the seller said it was the easiest youngster she had ever worked with. You don’t have the opportunity to take regular lessons, but you do ride in an occasional clinic, so you figured you could get some guidance there if you got stuck.

Unfortunately, though, it’s not progressing as smoothly as you thought it would. The horse has started getting really pushy on the ground, and you’re having a hard time controlling him under saddle. He has started to test you with misbehaviors here and there, and you’re worried, because they seem to be escalating in their intensity.

Read more: Odd Couples

by Christoph Hess

Correctly stretching a horse is one of the most significant elements of training. Having said that, only a horse that is engaged from behind and stepping up actively is going to be able to adapt a correct long and low position. There are ways that a rider can support this process.

The “long and low” stretch is a significant factor in the training of every young horse—regardless of use or discipline…. It should be a matter of course that the rider should always have the stretching of her horse in mind as a primary goal.

Horses Want to Stretch

By observing horses in nature, we can see that they regularly move rhythmically, with true relaxation, and that they accomplish this by stretching their necks to maintain good balance. The image of a horse moving this way, completely free, is something we should never forget. We should ask ourselves much more frequently: what does this imply in terms of training our horses? The answer can only be this: horses want—inherently want—to move with a stretched neck, as this is the only position that makes sense biomechanically and economically. Last but not least, this position enables movement.

Read more: Born to Stretch — Long and Low