Clearer discussion of straight

There was a mini-exchange a few weeks ago on the "straight" continuum. If perhaps some of that was unclear, here is a much clearer explanation of what I was trying to say for those who give a hoot about this stuff...

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http://www.classicaldressage.co.uk/html/straightness.html


Straightness is the perfect ideal we ride towards every ride. It is a continuum that begins when we first get on a young horse's back. At this stage and throughout the Campaign School (UK up to Elem / US 3rd level approx.) we are concerned with ordinary straightness; the hind legs following in the same tracks as the front legs. The horse becomes longitudinally supple - stepping elastically from hind hoof to mouth into an even, living rein contact.


After this comes acquired or functional straightness. Now, the inside shoulder is placed in front of the inside hind, with a slight flexion of the poll to the inside (riding in position). Lateral work commences and the three joints in the hind leg are flexing and the weight is being taken more on them and the forehand is lightening.


Ultimate or absolute straightness is a for very advanced horse. He can be properly ridden from inside leg to outside rein and he is truly through and capable of all the advanced movements; piaffe, passage, pirouette, tempi changes, etc. Throughout all this increasingly more demanding work, you must never lose sight of The Basics - the longitudinal suppleness must remain and the horse must remain straight in relationship to the exercise being ridden.


When reading the above paragraph about ‘acquired straightness’ (also referred to as ‘flexed straight’ by some) we should be careful that just because it was the last thing we read, it doesn’t become the first thing we remember and therefore try immediately to put into practice when we next go out to ride.


Riding a horse in ‘acquired straightness /in position’ begins when a horse commences work in shoulder fore, but its true usefulness appears late when the horse is proficient in shoulder-in, which is not attempted until a horse can manage shoulder-fore and shoulder-fore is not considered until a horse is capable of bending / turning equally on either rein and is loading each hind leg with equal amounts of thrust and carry.


Seunig’s reminder should serve us well: “The underlying principle of all flexion work is this: making it possible for the horse to extend the outer side of its body to the same degree that the inner side becomes concave.”


However, acquired straightness is a necessary prerequisite for much of the advanced work and it is most obvious in its use in canter.
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Relevant Pages

  • Re: A virtual ode to straightness
    ... |> Sue Morris's definition of straightness and the passage in context ... | A crooked horse is an unbalanced horse. ... Straightness requires balance and strength and learned muscle memory on ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: What is the ideal length for a lesson?
    ... | need to understand what you mean when you ask for lateral gaits, ... | because it improves straightness and collection and helps with lateral ... Even as a GP rider on her GP horse, she makes sure the basic warm up list ... long time on the basics and if they have them down pat, ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: A virtual ode to straightness
    ... I think collection happens fairly easily once straightness is ... I think collection happens fairly easily once balance is there." ... Straightness is the element of the bones of the skeleton ... Biomechanically the horse has to achieve equal bending on each vertebra ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: A virtual ode to straightness
    ... "The importance of straightness - both the horse's and the rider's cannot be ... We can observe it in every rider we watch and in every horse ... scientists should use dressage to study frustration in human primates. ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: A virtual ode to straightness
    ... I think collection happens fairly easily once straightness is ... I think collection happens fairly easily once balance is there." ... Straightness is the element of the bones of the skeleton ... Biomechanically the horse has to achieve equal bending on each vertebra ...
    (rec.equestrian)