young horse leaning on the bit

JenniferR said:
Hi Thanks for your really useful post. I agree about not using my leg. She's forward going and responsive and just goes faster/unbalanced if I do. I've slowed her right down using half halts and various other exercises. Just wondering about the "not using your leg as it will confuse her" advice. This makes perfect sense to me but when I took her to do an Intro dressage test this week the very respected judge commented for every movement for me to use my leg and get more energy. So now I'm wondering if I'm wrong! I was pleased with the test as she was much more balanced and shapes were better. At what point do I start using my leg and how? You say never use leg and hand at the same time - can you help me a little more with this idea please?
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You must use your legs if she is a) going to learn to accept them b) going to let you ride her from leg to hand c) not going to get confused by your aids when you do need to use them for lateral work etc d) going to be able to generate more power and energy, it sounds as if you have slowed her down from the half halts but failed to allow her to get into a true rhythm coming from the engine, a slower rhythm is great but not at the expense of her being ridden with no energy, it is hard to get a really well established rhythm at this stage but you must use your leg if she is going to be able to make progress, you don't use the leg and hand at the same time, you use the leg then if required the seat and hand to slow her down if she does rush, half halts are used to contain the energy created by the hind leg/ your legs, to maintain the rhythm so should be used immediately after the leg only if the horse starts to rush, not in case it starts to.

One test and judge may not reflect what is really going on but for them to make consistent comments for you to use your legs more does sound as if you are very obviously holding them away from her sides, one of my novice liveries won an intro this week because she rode a very free forward test on a lovely rhythm, the pony is above the bit a fair amount of the time and some of the movements were less than accurate but they easily beat the horses ridden by adults who spent most of the time fiddling with the front end trying to get them in an outline at the expense of going forward into a rhythm and carrying themselves, get the rhythm then the balance and accuracy will follow.
 
JenniferR said:
Hi Thanks for your really useful post. I agree about not using my leg. She's forward going and responsive and just goes faster/unbalanced if I do. I've slowed her right down using half halts and various other exercises. Just wondering about the "not using your leg as it will confuse her" advice. This makes perfect sense to me but when I took her to do an Intro dressage test this week the very respected judge commented for every movement for me to use my leg and get more energy. So now I'm wondering if I'm wrong! I was pleased with the test as she was much more balanced and shapes were better. At what point do I start using my leg and how? You say never use leg and hand at the same time - can you help me a little more with this idea please?
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I'm not sure who said don't use hand and leg at the same time but I think what they mean is don't use the "go" aid" - leg and the "stop aid" hand together but more from the seat into the contact - which should be a there for her to work into - if you're applying a force to it i.e. pulling then it becomes an "aid".

However, as you progress and advance, you do need to use them in combination for certain things but you use you leg less and less as a stop aid but more as a directional aid and the hand starts to introduce aids for correct bends going into movements such as circles, travers, renvers, half-pass etc. The leg also doesn't have to be just your lower leg, it is your whole leg from your seat bone down. Which is why riders need a strong core to use them independently.

Thing is, judges can't always know what your horse is like so I would in this instance take it on board, but, you know that if you use too much leg she rushes. Develop your aids a bit more in the school so that you and her can come to a compromise whereby your leg aids do not come to mean "rush forward" but it means more energy and use your hand on the reins to lift her if she rushes to remind her you want impulsion, not speed while providing her with a contact to work into.
 
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Thank you Tally ho and Be positive for your help. More questions I'm afraid! I was thinking that the slower (lacking energy) rhythmn would be a stage along the way to becoming a balanced, forward horse. I'm not aiming for perfection just yet. Once I've slowed her down and got her balanced and understanding half-halts, I can introduce leg to add energy. Do you think there is any harm in keeping this slower approach for a while? I am hoping to teach her that she has to trot at MY speed/tempo - whatever I ask for. Also, when I use my legs she does tend to rush and lose balance. I understand the point about containing the energy with half-halts but is there a technique for subtly using your leg that works well on sensitive horses that need little persuasion to go forward?
 
JenniferR said:
Thank you Tally ho and Be positive for your help. More questions I'm afraid! I was thinking that the slower (lacking energy) rhythmn would be a stage along the way to becoming a balanced, forward horse. I'm not aiming for perfection just yet. Once I've slowed her down and got her balanced and understanding half-halts, I can introduce leg to add energy. Do you think there is any harm in keeping this slower approach for a while? I am hoping to teach her that she has to trot at MY speed/tempo - whatever I ask for. Also, when I use my legs she does tend to rush and lose balance. I understand the point about containing the energy with half-halts but is there a technique for subtly using your leg that works well on sensitive horses that need little persuasion to go forward?
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I don't think it will do any harm as long as you are very aware of what you are doing and very careful you don't end up shutting her down and making her tense in other ways, rushing is nearly always due to tension in some form, in her case it is lack of acceptance of the leg so some tension through her body when you put them on is causing her to rush.

I would keep to the slow pace in trot mindful of it being a means to an end and that it is probably not her true rhythm, I would work on her accepting the leg in walk, do some lateral work and start to do tiny bits in trot, just a few steps moving away from the leg on a circle then going forward again until she starts to accept it being there more of the time, it is nearly always easier to get the leg on when asking for a step or two of leg yield than when moving directly forward and with a horse like yours I would be doing lots of spirals in and out until she becomes less hurried and allows you to ask more of her.

I am working with a pony at the moment that has had years of what seems like jumping forward every time he is touched with the leg, his former owner considered him to be forward going but I call it tension, lack of trust and confidence he is a willing pony but he is having what is basically a complete rehab as he is so tense he barely breathes and his whole body was completely tight, I am almost certain it probably started because he was considered to be in front of the leg when in reality he is running away from it, he is a fairly extreme example of what can happen if the cycle is allowed to continue for years.
 
JenniferR said:
Hi Thanks for your really useful post. I agree about not using my leg. She's forward going and responsive and just goes faster/unbalanced if I do. I've slowed her right down using half halts and various other exercises. Just wondering about the "not using your leg as it will confuse her" advice. This makes perfect sense to me but when I took her to do an Intro dressage test this week the very respected judge commented for every movement for me to use my leg and get more energy. So now I'm wondering if I'm wrong! I was pleased with the test as she was much more balanced and shapes were better. At what point do I start using my leg and how? You say never use leg and hand at the same time - can you help me a little more with this idea please?
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If a horse is forward going it does not need pushing, it needs help to balance. Your leg should just hang quietly, if you push and half halt at same time the aids are then conflicting and confusing. Also why would you want to put your leg on if the horse is running and unbalanced.

Once you have slowed her and allowed her to find a balance where you could give the rein away and she stays in the same balance without you holding her in it the leg can then ask her to work more through to the hand but if she runs, loses her balance and you have to be strong with the hand again to control it thens he is not ready.

Once you can half halt and immediately let go the she stays the same then she is learning to balance and wait. Once you have this you are in a position to recycle the energy she has and not let it run out the front door. Then you can half halt, soften your hand and quietly use the leg to encourage her to go into the hand again but if this will then be you riding her forward into the hand rather than pulling back to control the energy.

The leg and hand should compliment each other not be used in opposition, it takes time to achieve but is well worth it. In my opinion to use the leg and hand together creates tense tight horses and strong riders.

So if I was doing an upward transition I would give a little half halt to get attention and balance then soften the had and ask fro the upward transition with the leg, if she runs in the pace I am in I just slow down and start again until they realise I mean move up a pace and not move faster. If I have to hold onto the front end when I ask for an upward transition then I have not taught the horse to move off the leg in the right way.

As she improves and the balance improves your half halt with sit her onto her hindleg and you can soften and pick her up with your leg and she will have learnt in the transitions the leg means more energy up into the hand and not faster out the front door but it takes time.

Sorry but ignore the judge, you were doing an Intro test not a Grand Prix, the scales of training ask for rhythm first and then suppleness, then contact then impulsion - so they are asking for the other things to be in place before you put the implosion in.

Sorry long winded answer.
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you, CoachinaCar. That finally makes sense and seems achievable as a training method for this horse. I could not understand how I could achieve anything useful by putting my leg on a forward-going unbalanced horse.. This is SO useful and fits with my instincts of what to do with her. Some more missing pieces of the jigsaw. So many books etc seem to imply leg and hand together but as you say that just makes her ask me what on earth do you want then, and then I have to use my hand more than feels right. Now I understand ... Thank you so much. Applying it may be a different matter! Thank you taking the time to explain.
 
JenniferR said:
Thank you, thank you, thank you, CoachinaCar. That finally makes sense and seems achievable as a training method for this horse. I could not understand how I could achieve anything useful by putting my leg on a forward-going unbalanced horse.. This is SO useful and fits with my instincts of what to do with her. Some more missing pieces of the jigsaw. So many books etc seem to imply leg and hand together but as you say that just makes her ask me what on earth do you want then, and then I have to use my hand more than feels right. Now I understand ... Thank you so much. Applying it may be a different matter! Thank you taking the time to explain.
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Your welcome, sorry for all spelling mistakes, just read my answer back.
The only time I would use leg and hand together would be in something like quarters out on a circle where I would be turning and bending the horse with the inside rein while pushing the quarters out with the inside leg until the horse learnt to give to the inside rein when I would then relax the hand and leg and stop the exercise.

Would also add your leg can hang by her side to get her used to it just don't feel you have to push.
 
Thank you again. All really useful stuff. It was also useful to know to sometimes ignore a dressage judge's comments. My young horse is where she is in her training. We got better marks when she was more forward but she was also above the bit the whole way round, unbalanced in places and sometimes hollow. Judge is right about the lack of energy etc but now I know slow and balanced is a necessary step in her education. It's tempting to take judge's comments to heart and flik flak between tests trying to fix the latest criticism but thanks to all the great advice from everyone I shall stick to my training plan and not be diverted!
 
JenniferR said:
Thank you again. All really useful stuff. It was also useful to know to sometimes ignore a dressage judge's comments. My young horse is where she is in her training. We got better marks when she was more forward but she was also above the bit the whole way round, unbalanced in places and sometimes hollow. Judge is right about the lack of energy etc but now I know slow and balanced is a necessary step in her education. It's tempting to take judge's comments to heart and flik flak between tests trying to fix the latest criticism but thanks to all the great advice from everyone I shall stick to my training plan and not be diverted!
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I think in a lot of cases you have to take comments from judges and fit them in with your scenario and ciac is absolutely right about that. You know where you are with it and if you take the advice here, you will soon have a well balanced horse to work with. It takes time. Ride her positively and make sure that your body position is not making her hollow. Just make it as easy as possible for her to carry you and that's half the battle won. :)
 
she needs to `accept` your leg, which should hang softly and quietly in the go forward position so it is ready to apply, forward or backward or on the girth, the main reason for this is the quiet leg can be used to maintain straightness, a little left or right leg when she makes herself crooked because true impulsion comes from a horse moving straight through its body.

if she is too sensitive to the leg she needs to get used to it, feeling it consistantly soft on her sides so when you use you leg positively she does not overreact, i must say i think you are lucky to have a horse that is sensitive to the leg and forward thinking and hope it will develop into being in front of the leg so you can use her forwardness to advantage further down the road.

one idea of leg and and hand not used at the same time is when asking with your leg, the power comes through and the horse reaches forward and puts itself on the bit, or bluntly don`t use the accelerator at the same time as the brake, and when using your leg make sure your hands are quiet and almost like catching or holding a butterfly.

others use the hand to actively but gently ask the horse to soften without pushing the horse out of balance by using the legs at the same time.

i do think judges expecting to see real impulsion in prelim and novice horses are asking a sort of strange question of horses which can cause confusion as lots may not be ready, but that is competition, have a look at classical riding club dressage tests and see the requirements there.
 
JenniferR said:
Thank you again. All really useful stuff. It was also useful to know to sometimes ignore a dressage judge's comments. My young horse is where she is in her training. We got better marks when she was more forward but she was also above the bit the whole way round, unbalanced in places and sometimes hollow. Judge is right about the lack of energy etc but now I know slow and balanced is a necessary step in her education. It's tempting to take judge's comments to heart and flik flak between tests trying to fix the latest criticism but thanks to all the great advice from everyone I shall stick to my training plan and not be diverted!
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You can't always show what the judge wants to see but as long as you are aware of what you are doing and why you have to accept the judge might not like it at the moment but it will be better later. Sometimes you have to train when competing before you can compete to win.
 
Thank you, Tristar. I am learning so much from all this! I think I have been unconsciously holding my leg away from her side to prevent her getting any more going forward aids from me. Last night I tried just gently touching her sides and she was fine with that but it did rather make the point that I hadn't been doing that up to now. It is nice to have a forward horse and she is really enjoying her cross-country jumping. Only small jumps but enthusiastic without rushing, straight into the water first time and jumps ditches as though she has done it all her life.
 
Thanks, that's good to know. She's still quite spooky in an indoors arena so it's all good experience for her even if the marks aren't great.
 
If anyone can be bothered, I need a bit more help. This young horse has come up with a new trick in trot. She is beginning to learn a steady and slower tempo and rhthymn and that is having a good effect on her balance. Pleased with the progress on that and horse is trying very hard to please! There are moments of self-carriage and balance and I can ride her with a soft hand. Fantastic! She has stopped leaning on my hands and I can ask her gently into a rounder outline if she hollows and she responds well to this. However .... now instead of lowering her head carriage and leaning on the bit, she is lowering her head and tucking way behind the contact, pulling her nose/chin in towards her knees. I can't work out why. It's all going well, then suddenly we've lost it and she's tucked well behind. My temptation is to raise my hands but I don't think that is the answer. Don't want to use my leg as she will then fall out of balance and rush forward. I am checking whether I am hollow and have raised my stirrups a notch and try to "round" when she does this but this doesn't work either. I don't school for more than 20 mins and do stretches every 5 mins but I wonder if she finds the rounder/balanced outline too much and I should transition down to walk whenever this happens. If you have the time to help, I would be glad of some advice.
 
You are now where I was afraid you were heading, it is why I said all along she needs to accept the leg and for you to try and get that before worrying about her leaning, she is dropping behind the contact, is behind the leg and this is a far worse evasion than leaning will ever be, she is not ready to be in true self carriage as she is not yet pushing enough from behind or strong enough over her back so cannot carry herself hence curling up rather than taking the nose forward to remain in balance, it is a common issue when the rider concentrates on the wrong part of the problem and cuts out a fundamental part of training.

You must get those legs on her, sorry if I sound like a stuck record but acceptance of the leg is fundamental, you don't have to push, you don't have to ask much but until you can ride from the leg and seat and not just the hand she will continue to tighten up and drop behind you, I work all of mine in a long low outline at an early stage and that is where they go if they have any issues through a session, they should stay in rhythm, remain on a light contact and reach forward still allowing me to ride them from the leg, if they can do that then you always have somewhere to go to get out of a blip, if you don't have that established early on then you are missing a tool that is so useful for any horse.
 
Raising the hands at this stage might not do anything but pull her even more off balance - she is already very on her forehand by the sounds of it. I'm not sure what you mean by "round" regarding your position, putting stirrups up? Where were they before?

What has your instructor given you to practice? You should be getting lots of support at this stage by someone who can see what's going on. None of us can see you, your position, your leg or what she is doing. Would you be willing to post a video? You have some very experienced people following your thread and I'm sure you will get a lot out of it (equally you may get even more confused...)
 
be positive said:
You are now where I was afraid you were heading, it is why I said all along she needs to accept the leg and for you to try and get that before worrying about her leaning, she is dropping behind the contact, is behind the leg and this is a far worse evasion than leaning will ever be, she is not ready to be in true self carriage as she is not yet pushing enough from behind or strong enough over her back so cannot carry herself hence curling up rather than taking the nose forward to remain in balance, it is a common issue when the rider concentrates on the wrong part of the problem and cuts out a fundamental part of training.

You must get those legs on her, sorry if I sound like a stuck record but acceptance of the leg is fundamental, you don't have to push, you don't have to ask much but until you can ride from the leg and seat and not just the hand she will continue to tighten up and drop behind you, I work all of mine in a long low outline at an early stage and that is where they go if they have any issues through a session, they should stay in rhythm, remain on a light contact and reach forward still allowing me to ride them from the leg, if they can do that then you always have somewhere to go to get out of a blip, if you don't have that established early on then you are missing a tool that is so useful for any horse.
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BP hits the nail on the head again for me, not commented before on this thread because I felt there were already too many opinions :o but I agree, until you can ride a horse forward (by which I don't mean booting it out of its rhythm, but riding confidently from the soft leg aid rather than feeling like you can't touch the horse/walking on eggshells) the rest is pretty irrelevant. Behind the leg but running is a really difficult combination but IMO it's definitely a priority to address and often the contact sorts itself out as a result.
 
As a theortical arguement (and not in relation to this horse as we haven't seen horse or rider) do people generally use the 'raised hands' for curlers?

my thinking of it is that some horses curl and have a 'ah i can lose contact here' moment, so my thinking would be to raise the hands slightly to ensure that the contact is never lost. and they never have a space they can escape into, that the contact always follows them in an even manner? Then a half halt to reestablish them and a push forward and a reward when they go into the contact. I'd be really interested to hear how others react to curlers. With curlers I find its a case of bringing them back almost to the start of their education again and then long and lowing them into a contact that pushes forward. I find it a much harder issue to fix than leaners.
 
With this horse though it sounds like a few stages have been missed in the education and the leg needs to be established. The horse shouldn't rush from it, it should be a supportive and hugging leg. I love leg on young horses becuase when its established you can almost 'pulse' them into the rythmn you want with a hugging motion. I would imagine the horse currently is struggling around bends and corners if it isn't confident it has a supportive leg there and that could be making the situation worsf it was me I'd almost forget all issues with contact and just get it motoring forward on stretchy circles with the leg on. The half halts need to be established more as well by the sounds of it to stop the running.
 
I raise my hands to ask my horse to lower his head - and conversely lowered hands result in a high head carriage. It works as though there was an imaginary fulcrum.
My feeling with the horse being discussed is that it is young and not strong enough for anything resembling self carriage - and the last thing you should be doing is trying to influence head position with the reins, other than asking for relaxation of the jaw. Let the contact be as light as possible and concentrate on engaging the hind quarters, with the head low. Lots of transitions and circles, shoulder in, lateral work involving stepping under.
When the hinds are engaged (and the back not hollowed) biomechanics will dictate that the head raises of its own accord. Put yourself on the floor on all fours, move your legs as far under your torso as you can get - to avoid falling on your face you HAVE to raise your head. If the horse has a relaxed jaw she won't brace against you but raise her head and soften through the jaw
 
milliepops said:
BP hits the nail on the head again for me, not commented before on this thread because I felt there were already too many opinions :o but I agree, until you can ride a horse forward (by which I don't mean booting it out of its rhythm, but riding confidently from the soft leg aid rather than feeling like you can't touch the horse/walking on eggshells) the rest is pretty irrelevant. Behind the leg but running is a really difficult combination but IMO it's definitely a priority to address and often the contact sorts itself out as a result.
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Ditto both bp and mp. Though I would also add that this horse seems to have zero acceptance of either hand or leg, and seems to be so lacking in balance and strength that trying to fix either issue is meaning that you are ricocheting from one issue to another.

It's very boring and old school, but if it were my horse I would probably be tempted to back off the schooling a little and get out doing some walking hacks. While walking asking for a forward, rhythmic walk on a fairly long rein, just aiming to get the horse swinging through its back with its neck approximately horizontal (as if training an endurance horse). Gradually build up distance and time for a few weeks (until 2 hours walking with hills is easy forwards and into the bridle), and then start on trot work, again building up gradually. When you start the trot work don't rush her out of rhythm, just keep it consistent. As you trot further you will be able to put your leg on more and start to get her subtly to accept it.

School a once or twice a week in between hacking and work mainly on suppleness - introducing bits of lateral work just concentrating on keeping calm. If she rushes off rather than doing what you're asking with your legs then just bring her back and ask again.

You're trying to train her into a correct frame at the moment and to be honest it doesn't sound like she has the natural strength to offer it for even a short time currently.
 
paddi22 said:
As a theortical arguement (and not in relation to this horse as we haven't seen horse or rider) do people generally use the 'raised hands' for curlers?

my thinking of it is that some horses curl and have a 'ah i can lose contact here' moment, so my thinking would be to raise the hands slightly to ensure that the contact is never lost. and they never have a space they can escape into, that the contact always follows them in an even manner? Then a half halt to reestablish them and a push forward and a reward when they go into the contact. I'd be really interested to hear how others react to curlers. With curlers I find its a case of bringing them back almost to the start of their education again and then long and lowing them into a contact that pushes forward. I find it a much harder issue to fix than leaners.
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Um, not generally - I tend to just use more leg and ask them to do something different to regain the contact. So put them in shoulder in, ask for some flexions, circle, transition. I haven't found many horses that use it to get a release from the contact, mainly they are just trying to scuttle around without using their body properly. It's a very annoying habit in a horse so when I've encountered it I've tended to ignore it and carry on asking for what I was anyway because otherwise I start to get frustrated by them.
 
I think I may have made things sound more negative than intended! It is really is only a momentary loss of balance when she lowers her head like that. She is not a "curler"!! Can't find the post now but the person who suggested coming back to walk, then stretch, then walk/trot transition again for part of a circle before returning to walk may have the solution. End of posting. End of advice thank you.
 
JenniferR said:
I think I may have made things sound more negative than intended! It is really is only a momentary loss of balance when she lowers her head like that. She is not a "curler"!! Can't find the post now but the person who suggested coming back to walk, then stretch, then walk/trot transition again for part of a circle before returning to walk may have the solution. End of posting. End of advice thank you.
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Don't panic it is a young horse and it is experimenting which young horses do, put one thing right at a time, you have made good progress as you say she is no longer running, you say you are worried to now put your leg on in case she runs again, have you tried it? When she ducks behind you, close the leg to encourage her back up to the contact, if she runs slow down re balance and start again, it takes time, she is learning and has to be allowed to make some mistakes along the way. She is not ready to sit and collect but she can learn to stay in her own balance and carry herself whether that is a downhill balance, uphill balance or parallel balance but she has to be in it on her own before you can use the leg to encourage her to the hand.

Most of my horses have been really forward going horses and initially they take some time to find a balance compared with a slightly lazier one who has the handbrake on a little all the time.

Yes you need to get to where she will accept the leg being there but it does not mean you have to push and you have to get to that point, you can't always just do it but you will be able to.

I can understand you want to know leave the thread and I will too as I do not want to confuse you either.
 
Thank you, CoachinaCar. I was hoping you would respond as I find your replies very helpful. I don't think she is quite as hopeless as other replies have suggested as she did score 71% a few weeks ago in an Intro from a BD judge. I am beginning to put my leg on and I now ride in short boots so I can easily feel how much I am using and keeping it very subtle. I'm getting to the stage where I can give her a very gentle "cuddle" with my legs (if you see what I mean!) without her changing speed. I think you are right - she is experimenting - but I needed an answer to her latest experiment - and that was my question. Your posts are always very clear and helpful and hit the nail on the head, so thank you very much for your time and insight into young horses and their training. I will now get on with the practice and leave this thread.
 
JenniferR said:
Thank you, CoachinaCar. I was hoping you would respond as I find your replies very helpful. I don't think she is quite as hopeless as other replies have suggested as she did score 71% a few weeks ago in an Intro from a BD judge. I am beginning to put my leg on and I now ride in short boots so I can easily feel how much I am using and keeping it very subtle. I'm getting to the stage where I can give her a very gentle "cuddle" with my legs (if you see what I mean!) without her changing speed. I think you are right - she is experimenting - but I needed an answer to her latest experiment - and that was my question. Your posts are always very clear and helpful and hit the nail on the head, so thank you very much for your time and insight into young horses and their training. I will now get on with the practice and leave this thread.
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I am a BD young horse judge and see loads of young horses and even when you have a class full of all 4 year olds they will all be at different stages of their training. Sounds like you are really thinking about what you are doing and trying your best to do the right thing for your horse. I have a system of training horses from start to Grand Prix but sometimes you have to work to get them in different ways to get to a starting point.
 
JenniferR said:
Thank you, CoachinaCar. I was hoping you would respond as I find your replies very helpful. I don't think she is quite as hopeless as other replies have suggested as she did score 71% a few weeks ago in an Intro from a BD judge. I am beginning to put my leg on and I now ride in short boots so I can easily feel how much I am using and keeping it very subtle. I'm getting to the stage where I can give her a very gentle "cuddle" with my legs (if you see what I mean!) without her changing speed. I think you are right - she is experimenting - but I needed an answer to her latest experiment - and that was my question. Your posts are always very clear and helpful and hit the nail on the head, so thank you very much for your time and insight into young horses and their training. I will now get on with the practice and leave this thread.
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I think that is a little rude to other posters who have taken a great deal of time to respond to your thread. There is a lot of experience on this thread, and as an example, be positive has written some great replies to you, coming clearly from a position of someone who produces a very wide range of different horses that don't necessarily have the easy, natural body or mind for dressage. I don't think anyone has suggested that your horse is hopeless.
 
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