Developing the Working Equitation Horse

Lise LeBlanc
4 days ago
4 min read

Watching advanced horses maneuver through an Ease of Handling course looks effortless, light and easy.

But what we don't see is the work that was done to get there.

Development is journey. There are so many skills necessary for the horse to ride at the Masters level in Working Equitation, and these skills can only be gained when the milestones are met along the path of development. There are no shortcuts. You cannot ask a horse to perform a skill that is beyond his development. Just like a tree does not bear fruit until it is ready, so the horse will not produce movements until he is ready. The job of the trainer / rider is to understand 'how' to make the horse ready, so that he can be capable of delivering a movement. It's important consider the whole horse in this equation.

Often people interpret indicators that a horse is not ready as the horse's 'attitude, or disobedience'.

Training is not just a matter of teaching or asking something. It is preparing. The whole horse needs to be made ready. This takes time. There are steps along the way that must be achieved in order to get to the next step, and the next step, to reach the desired goal. Good trainers will be able to identify where a horse is along the developmental journey, what exercises are useful and why.

Over the years the horse industry has generated a lot of shortcuts to proper development, that 'mimic' the achievements of milestones. This is a deep enough issue to deserve its own post. But, for this essay I will simply state that using 'gadgets' to mimic milestone achievement does not meet them. It gives the impression to the untrained eye that a horse is farther along than it is, Problems develop later when trying to progress. The fact is, developmental milestones need to be met for the horse to achieve the balance, strength, flexibility in order to support a rider, in motion. The whole horse must be prepared in order to perform increasingly difficult maneuvers. Without this, problems surface. When you ask a horse to do something that it is not ready to do, the horse struggles. These struggles can lead to resistance, tension, imbalance and even injuries.

I like Ease of Handling obstacles because they are really helpful for identifying issues. Very quickly we can see where the horse is struggling The obstacles offer rich playground of dynamic exercises designed to move horses through foundational skills. Altogether they benefit the whole horse. Not too many horse sports do that.

Here are some examples of basic foundational development skills supported by the obstacles:

Bending - drums, slaloms, pen, figure 8

Voltes, changes of balance and direction

Connection - gate, bell, switch cup, jug, rounding posts

obedience to aids, halts, reverse, engagement, transitions

Longitudinal balance - bridge, jump, remove/replace pole, bull

stretching, maintaining longitudinal balance, straightness and engagement, transitions within gait (collection, lengthening)

Lateral balance - side pass pole

Each of the obstacles gives the horse a fun way to train skills. The result, when schooled properly, is that the 'total horse' is developed. At the highest levels you can see how the horse is balanced, strong, supple and well-connected.

Working Equitation offers a way to develop the 'total horse' in a way that is fun for riders of any discipline, any age and for horses of all breeds.

It can be argued that all horse sports develop the horse totally. But not too many horse sports offer as much diversity and complexity in skill as Working Equitation. If you look at the Olympic disciplines, Jumping, Cross Country, and modern Dressage there is not a focus or necessity to maneuver with as much bending, rebalancing and reversing, or in tight spots, which requires finesse in collection, adjustability and balance. Other sports, such as the extreme obstacle races, don't have the complexity and precision required in Working Equitation, because of the WE dressage component. In modern Dressage, bigger space with more focus on big gaits doesn't produce the supple adjustable athlete as a Working Equitation horse. Also the dressage court geometry is abstract making it challenging to find reference, whereas Working Equitation obstacles are a physical reference for the geometry. This makes geometry visible and easier to chart improvements. I find that horses who have developed through the exercises of Working Equitation, (which are largely based on classical exercises), demonstrate more suppleness, better connection, relaxation, proper engagement and better expression of gaits than horses I see in other disciplines. The dynamic training helps to train the. 'whole horse'.

Why is viewing development of the ' whole horse' so important?

There is a concept called 'Tensegrity' which I learned from my colleague, Susan Aldis-Sharp an Equine Osteopath. This term explains how and animal's body is a network of interconnected structures. It's like a web. One part supports the whole, and the whole supports each part.

"Biotensegrity has been used to explain many aspects of human [animal] anatomy and movement, including the role of fascia in maintaining structural integrity, the mechanics of joint movement, and the importance of posture and alignment. In biotensegrity, the body is seen as a complex network of interconnected structures, including bones, muscles, and fascia, that are arranged in a way that allows for both stability and mobility.

Training the 'whole horse' in diverse exercises means addressing the network of body structures in a wholistic way. Imagine the horse is like a suspension bridge. Focusing only on one or two cables is not going to strengthen the structure. In fact it will weaken the structure because of imbalance. So too must we consider horse development. Training the horse with dynamic exercises focusses on the 'whole body' which in turn strengthens each part, so that the network of structures are equally addressed. This provides greater stability and improved mobility.

Working Equitation is not an easy sport. At the advanced level the total horse is tested vigorously in all foundational development. However it is a super fun wholistic way to train. Ease of Handling obstacles can be both a great way to diagnose where a horse is in their training, as well as a fun way to learn and develop for both for rider and horse.

Lise Leblanc provides training and lessons and clinics in Classical Dressage and Working Equitation at her facility in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada. Reach out for more information.

info@lise-leblanc.com