WORKING IN AN OUTLINE? IS IT A FAD?

I don't think its a new concept or a fad, what people seem to forget are that in the good old days we were kids, who didn't care about it or really have a concept of what it was... this didnt mean the adults didn't. I was taught all about half halts, transitions, leg position etc but applying it for that reason was never my goal. when I took up riding again after a 4 year break... it was like I had an epipheny and suddenly it was relevant to me. if im teaching kids, I like them to aim for a relaxed willing pony underneath them and a nice seat... the rest sort of follows, do I think the child gives a damn or has any real concept... nope, because when they are left to their own devices in the school or hacking they look just like me when i was their age :D
 
I was only learning to ride about 10-15 years ago, and I don't really remember any mention of an outline either. We didn't really do jumping much but we did do endless schooling and circles and having this refreshed in past couple of years I started to remember stuff about bending and 'inside leg to outside rein' being shouted at me (only been hacking for years)! I really wonder if I was learning anything, after the initial walk trot a canter! maybe I was working towards this outline but just didn't have a word for it at the time!

I don't think there was even much mention of dressage or flatwork, I always just thought 'when are we going to do jumping again?!'. I wish we did too as maybe I'd have more guts to do it now!
 
Wow, some really good replies on this thread.
I don't think that working in an outline, sorry 'correct outline', is a fad, far from it.

Its all to do with making life easy for the horse in reality, which is why some of the recent examples are so painful to watch.

A correct outline demonstrates that the horse is using his most powerful muscles to create impulsion, a better word might be thrust. This then arches the back and raises the shoulders taking the weight off the forehand.
This then allows the head to be carried slightly in front of the vertical, not impairing vision.

What you are currently seeing is the head being pulled back behind the vertical, causing a shortening of stride, with weight being held on the fore quarters causing the horse to appear flat footed, difficult for him to change direction and spring away.

The back fails to arch but becomes hollow, look at the vertebrae and think about kissing spine. The hind legs then trail providing little or no thrust.
 
Pale Rider said:
Wow, some really good replies on this thread.
I don't think that working in an outline, sorry 'correct outline', is a fad, far from it.

Its all to do with making life easy for the horse in reality, which is why some of the recent examples are so painful to watch.

A correct outline demonstrates that the horse is using his most powerful muscles to create impulsion, a better word might be thrust. This then arches the back and raises the shoulders taking the weight off the forehand.
This then allows the head to be carried slightly in front of the vertical, not impairing vision.

What you are currently seeing is the head being pulled back behind the vertical, effectively blinding the horse, causing a shortening of stride, with weight being held on the fore quarters causing the horse to appear flat footed, difficult for him to change direction and spring away.

The back fails to arch but becomes hollow, look at the vertebrae and think about kissing spine. The hind legs then trail providing little or no thrust.
Click to expand...
 
for 25 years I have always be taught to ride 'into the bridle'- so i don't think its a fad at all its a way of teaching your horse to use its body best.

I school and dressage in an outline, when I'm hacking I also do as I need to do lots of exercises to stop him getting bored and then being silly or push his tongue over the bit.

When were jumping or hunting i'm more so about the rhythm, but he is still forward onto the bridle and he's learning that it is easier to use his back in the these situations now too.

Not a fad just evolution of us riders understanding of how the horses power is best used.
 
Agree. I believe the problem now is people associate being a good rider to being able to ride in an outline and the true basics of what it means for a horse to be 'on the bit' are forgotten sometimes. To me if the horse is moving forward from back to front accepting and is light on the contact is what I want to achieve. Then hacking is loose rein so they know the difference between working and chill out time
 
I don't think so. I had a super instructor in the 70s who taught us to have our ponies going forward with engagement while encouraging a light contact much as my instructor does now. Her daughter was an eventer who competed at Badminton. There were people then who wanted the look and used draw reins to get it but she would say that you had to work at getting the correct way of going and not rely on gadgets.

I disagree with the comment about there being less competitions then. I could go to a local show most weekends as a teenager. Nowadays local show/jumping/ gymkhana type events are few and far between. There are more events and dressage comps maybe but I can't hack to very many now and I used to hack to quite a few.
 
I think there is a rose coloured view of the good old days being portrayed here.

There was lots that was good. I remember it was essential that you could open a gate from your horse, but you needn't have ever been in an arena - and quite right too!!
Horses had to be more versatile & were generally less nappy and there were less clueless people generally, but that was becase there was less DIY, more general expertise amongst a horse owning elite who had been born in the saddle.

There was some horrible stuff too - a big pool of people who were just as horrible to heir horses as there is nowadays, and in all the same ways, lack of care, poor management, bad riding and ill fitting tack.

there were lots and lots of horse being worked while chronically overbent. Don't know why people believe it's a new thing. If you watched HOYS you only had to watch the German riders to see horses with their chins touching their chests and it was a badge of honour amongst the local kids to do the same - this was in the 70's.
 
PaddyMonty said:
So I guess the rise in popularity of dressage coupled with more readily available information and a desire to do something other that hunt or charge around the countryside has moved the horse in to the areana.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with this.

And I would add that nowadays there are so many more images and footage of horses and ponies going correctly for amateur and novice riders to aspire to - pics and info all over the internet, oodles of of horse mags, Horse and Country TV etc all showing fabulous dressage horses, successful show ponies etc.

In my day (I belong to the semi dark ages too) we had none of this to inspire us! If you didn't personally know someone who had a horse that went correctly, all you had to give you incentive and give you a goal was sketchy pics in Horse and Hound mags and a vague drawing in ones moth-eaten Manual of Horsemanship.

Of course nicely schooled horses and ponies existed back then as well - ridden by horribly successful people who who cleaned up everywhere at shows and dressage, wearing smug grins as they did so. Us lesser mortals understood why they did so well, but making the transition with our own nags to where they were with 'outlines' and schooling, was (or seemed) less obtainable then than it is now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top