Teaching a horse to piaffe...

Cadfael&Coffee

Cadfael&Coffee

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How would you go about it?

I am a fairly competent horsey person, and I've a 14 year old I wish to teach to piaffe, but it's one movement I've never taught before!!!

I've read up on it, and would like to teach him it from the ground first, but would like opinions please!!!

Thanks!!!
 
I think really the best thing to do is to take yourself and your horse to an experienced trainer who can teach you the gound rules and start the horse off for you. That way you avoid confusing your horse if you don't get it right first.

There really is no substitute for good hands on training - IMO its far more valuable than anything you can read in a book or get from a forum.
 
Well the only method I've ever heard of (this was an olympic level dressage rider) was to get two people hold the horse via lunge lines attached to the bit and a third person to batter ****** out of the horse from behind with a lunge whip until it performed piaffe. I was utterly horrified and I sincerely hope there are more appropriate ways!!
 
I am also an instructor - sadly have never had a horse capable (or that I've ridden for long enough) to aspire to such moves! From a personal point of view, I would want to understand the movement intricately (sp?) before I attempted to teach someone else (and presumably their horse who hasn't done the movement before). Do you have some sort of child genius?!!
 
I did a walk piaffe on an RS horse a few years ago, square [ish] halt, feel on the reins, until the horse starts to rein back, then legs on ... bit of pull-push-pull-push, et voila she walked on the spot. RI was shocked, he didn't think I'd be able to do it!
 
I have ridden it on a different horse, and know how to do it.

I have asked for it on this one, and sort of got it, but as I'm on my own I would like to put the groundwork in to make sure I'm getting it spot on.

I've also seen several people, including Jenny Lorriston- Clark, teach it to a youngster, I have just never actually taught it myself.

I just want to teach him it for fun really, if it goes horribly wrong I'm not bothered, I'm neither going to cause any problems with him nor am I going to batter him!!
 
i use it with my TB as a relaxation time if I am trying to teach him something tricky. I just half halt him in trot, hold him and leg on and encourage him either side with my legs. alternate legs in line with his movement. Once he has piaffed for a few strides I then increase my trot size. So if I was teaching him from the start i would shorten and shorten his trot while maintaining impulsion. THen lengthen and move on. I would increase the length of time I held for the shortened stride and also increase my leg aids to ensure his impulsion remains. My TB finds Piaffe to be natural, it gives him time to think and sit on his hocks, then he allows me to take over the thinking and is happy to try the hard stuff again. mind you this is a horse who naturally does one time changes when getting over excited about showjumping. Some horses are very naturally based on their hocks so find it easy. Others will struggle as they really have to get their hocks under them.
 
Bosworth said:
i use it with my TB as a relaxation time if I am trying to teach him something tricky. I just half halt him in trot, hold him and leg on and encourage him either side with my legs. alternate legs in line with his movement. Once he has piaffed for a few strides I then increase my trot size. So if I was teaching him from the start i would shorten and shorten his trot while maintaining impulsion. THen lengthen and move on. I would increase the length of time I held for the shortened stride and also increase my leg aids to ensure his impulsion remains. My TB finds Piaffe to be natural, it gives him time to think and sit on his hocks, then he allows me to take over the thinking and is happy to try the hard stuff again. mind you this is a horse who naturally does one time changes when getting over excited about showjumping. Some horses are very naturally based on their hocks so find it easy. Others will struggle as they really have to get their hocks under them.
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^^ this is exactly what I have been doing thus far!!! Seems to be working, bit I do like the groundwork too!!! (worked with too many youngsters lol!!!!)
 
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