Recently on the NAWD Facebook page, discussion has centered on the terms “connection” and “collection” with riders, trainers and instructors piping in with comments. If you have not checked in with the Facebook discussions on the websites for all the organizations, I encourage you to do so.  All of these comments are so valuable! This is a critical conversation and is truly at the root of the discussion that surrounds WD videos that are currently out there. Dressage riders watch WD vids and say things like "That isn't dressage" or worse, "That is just BAD dressage". It is critical to the development of the whole discipline that connection over the topline is encouraged in our WD horses. Without it, there are no lengthenings/extensions, just 'flattenings', ‘sprawlings’, 'scurries,' 'hurries' and 'losses of balance'. There is no proper collection with rhythm, roundness, balance and true self carriage either, just slower, flatter, hollow, artificially elevated, saggy backs, slack underlines, fake headsets, flashy, flingy front legs, disengaged hind legs, horses behind the contact, overbridled..... all of which we see in dressage as well when proper connection from back to front over the topline is missing. 

Dressage training works to make stock horses more relaxed, rhythmic, balanced and beautiful, in any kind of tack. (Michelle Binder-Zolezzi)

What is connection? I believe there are multiple ways of understanding this word and as our riding improves, our understanding becomes more complete. In the beginning, ‘connection’ might be taken to mean our ability to communicate with our horse from the hand to the bit, to turn, stop or move his body in a certain way. This is a two way street where two things happen; the rider interacts with the horse’s mouth with feeling and then, the horse accepts the communication and willingly does what the rider has asked. As our riding progresses and we become more balanced and educated about how to use our seat and leg to influence the horses body, we can address the ‘connection’ between the riders seat through the saddle to the horses back and the ‘connection’ the rider maintains with legs to the horses barrel. This ‘connection’ really determines how the horse uses his whole body in response to how the rider uses his whole body.  Maybe, with hard work and good coaching we develop something close to the “adhesive seat” we recognize in great riders. 

The most complete way of understanding ‘connection’ is to talk about what is happening inside the riders skin independent of the horse, and what is happening inside the horse’s skin dependent on the rider. Connection inside the rider’s body begins in the core. When the rider operates from the core, the extremities and spine remain toned, yet supple. The motion of the horse’s body is received in the rider’s body and moves freely through the joints, absorbed and channeled forward and upward. Connection in the horses body begins in the haunches and comes from active hind legs, over the back unimpeded by tension in the horses musculoskeletal system and forward to the mouth where it is quietly accepted (received) in the rider's hands. Ultimately all these elements work in combination to create a way of going in the horse that is impossible to describe, the ineffable quality that defines dressage as perfect communication between horse and rider.

‘Connection’ over the topline begins in the horses hind legs, ends in the riders receiving hand and can be measured there by the quality or weight felt as the horse takes his own end of the reins. This is why the stretchy circle is so important to dressage training. When you release the rein and the horse stretches forward, seeking the contact, you have successfully ‘connected’ the back end to the front end through the spine. The horse makes the “seeking gesture” with the neck that causes the whole topline to be stretched and raised, supporting the riders seat, which in turn remains connected to the horses back. Essentially, the horse arches his own neck.  In this way, the horse takes his own end of the reins and contact is achieved because the horse gifts the rider with it, not because the rider took it away from the horse. The horse accepts the bit, yes, but the rider must receive the connection the horse seeks to make with the hand and in essence, this connection gives the energy a place to be gathered which creates roundness. Care must be taken to keep the horse active so as not to let the horse lose balance, lay on the bit and fall onto the forehand or the benefit of the stretch to increase the quality of connection is lost. Lightness of the contact is promoted by balance, specifically a shift of the horses balance more and more onto the hind legs through the use of dressage exercises designed to achieve this effect. Over time, the rider shortens the reins and continues to ride forward, not running,  into that shortened length of rein, containing the energy generated from the back end and lightening the forehand. This is progressive training in action.

Collection is a state of balance where the horse carries more of his weight on his hind quarters without quickening the tempo or losing regularity of the strides. The strides become shorter and rounder, and assuming adequate energy and increased engagement from the hind legs, springier or more impulsive. Connection across the topline must continue to be present as collection is developed, otherwise artificial elevation, false headsets and disengaged hindquarters reign. In the absence of connection, the antithesis of collection, extension, is also flawed and the horse exhibits faults like tension in the neck and shoulders, quickening of the tempo, flipping front legs, trailing hind legs, elongate underlines and absence of upward lift through the torso of the horse. Dressage training creates a way of going specific to this form of horsemanship. Western Dressage, dressage training done in stock saddles on stock type horses which also preserves the qualities of movement appreciated by western riders can and does make those horses more beautiful, relaxed, rhythmic, balanced, adjustable and expressive.  For both Dressage and Western Dressage, the concept of connection remains one critical point that I believe will eventually bring the two worlds together in a way that is acceptable, at least to most, in both worlds.

I welcome your input regarding anything you have read in this blog, your rescue horse’s story as well as your western dressage story at [email protected].

For more information about Western Dressage, to read articles, explore the 2013 Rulebooks, see the tests, or start your memberships visit NAWD at http://www.northamericanwesterndressage.com, and join them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/NorthAmericanWesternDressage.  Find Cowboy Dressage online at www.cowboydressage.com, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/eitanbethhalachmy.  Locate International Performance Horse Development Association at http://www.iphda.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/IPHDA1.  Finally, WDAA’s website is http://www.westerndressageassociation.org/.

Michelle Binder-Zolezzi is the founder of the Relational Riding Academy. Relational Riding is a program that utilizes dressage as fundamental training for all horses performing in all disciplines. She has been an ARIA certified Instructor since 1989. She is currently working on her second book “Relational Riding: A Horsemanship Tutorial,” and has completed work on two professional video productions, “Any Horse, Any Rider: Relational Riding: A Universal Foundation” and "Understand Riding From the Ground Up."