Most often, when we talk about suppleness, it’s in reference to the horse’s ability to bend through the body in movements like circles, corners, and turns. Those are great examples, but in the big picture it’s a small part of what the term suppleness really means.
Suppleness is described as looseness and flexibility in the horse’s body AND mind. So, let’s get into more detail about the elements of suppleness in the training of the horse, why it’s vital in dressage and many other disciplines, and how you can tell whether your horse is supple. We’ll also discuss the four areas of suppleness in a horse.
The FEI definition of suppleness is as follows:
“Pliability, ability to smoothly adjust the carriage (longitudinally) and the position (laterally) without impairment of the flow of movement and balance.”
Suppleness is the second element in the training scale. Though sometimes these elements are skipped or overlapped, remember – you can’t cut corners! Following the training scale allows you to work methodically through each module which helps make progress measured and steady.
When we look at the training scale, the first three blocks are rhythm, suppleness, and contact. These are crucial building blocks that lay the foundation of familiarization, trust, trainability and understanding in the horse. In these stages, your horse is getting used to your aids, and your weight on her back. She’s learning how to move in harmony with you, and connect to your aids more effectively.
Introducing Suppleness
Once a fair amount of rhythm has been established in all working gaits, it’s time to introduce suppleness. Suppleness is introduced early on in the horse’s training and a foundational tool that should be schooled at length in young or novice horses. Rhythm also plays a vital role in suppleness, and sets the horse up to begin learning how to accept the contact, which is next in the training scale. Rhythm and suppleness are key ingredients for proper contact.
Why is Suppleness so Important?
Your horse is carrying your weight on his back, so in order to do this and maintain biomechanical function and soft tissue health, the hindquarters must be engaged which allows the back to slightly round. If you get on your hands and knees and brace your neck, clench your teeth, and look up towards the ceiling, you’ll find your back hollows. When you lift your ribcage and slightly lift your back, you’ll find your neck will need to go into a more neutral position for this to occur. This action is similar in a horse.
Mental and physical suppleness allows correct use of the muscle and ligament structure, allowing the back to swing and the musculoskeletal system to function uncompromised.
When it comes to identifying what tension, tightness, and stiffness looks and feels like, you might experience things like tension in the back, a clamped tail, irregularity in rhythm, lack of “push” from the hind legs, or a clenched jaw. The horse will have issues with straightness, and sometimes there will be a visible unevenness in the flexion of the hind leg joints. On a circle, the horse may struggle to create an arc through the ribcage on one or both sides.
A supple horse displays a happy, relaxed expression. The stride is more elastic, the jaw relaxed, and the back is swinging. The horse will breathe softly and rhythmically, and when the reins are lengthened, the horse will stretch down and forward without losing their rhythm or balance. The horse is capable of bending to both sides equally, and lengthen and shorten the stride easily. He will also be able to maintain straightness and posturing in different movements.
The Four Building Blocks of Suppleness
Suppleness is divided into 4 areas – Lateral, longitudinal, mental, and suppleness of the joints. Lateral suppleness refers to the horse’s ability to flex side to side. This makes for balanced circles, corners, and turns. With more lateral suppleness comes more straightness. Straightness is only true when the horse’s body is aligned to the path he’s following. Think of a train following train tracks. It’s not shifting side to side, it’s simply going straight along the straightaways and bending car by car around turns. Think of the horse’s spine like the cars on a train. When one derails, the rest will become unbalanced.
On a curved line, the hind footfalls should still be in alignment with the tracks left by the front feet. Despite the bend around the circle, the body will be in alignment, demonstrating straightness. Lateral suppleness allows for the horse to maintain their longitudinal axis to stay in line with the direction of travel.
When it comes to longitudinal suppleness, we’re focusing now on the topline – her back, neck, poll, and jaw. Longitudinal suppleness allows for the back to swing and maintain impulsion from the hindquarters. The contact will feel elastic and even. In order for a horse to develop thoroughness, she needs to learn how to effectively lift her back, step her hind legs further underneath her body, and be able to both lengthen and compress her frame.
Suppleness of the joints refers to your horse’s ability to move freely and with a wide range of motion. This does not focus on the topline. Instead, we are focusing on the hocks, knees, jaw, poll, and hips. If any of these areas become tense, the whole body is effected. When all of these key joints are supple, the horse will have the ability to show more expressive gaits and continue the development of cadence.
I find mental suppleness the most interesting puzzle piece of them all. Here, we’re looking at harmony, partnership, confidence, and willingness of the horse to follow the aids of the rider. A mentally supple horse is able to be accommodating and flexible when faced with a new exercise or situation. Anxiety leads to tension and a hollow back. In turn, bending will become difficult for him and he may go against your bending aids altogether. Mental suppleness plays a vital role in longitudinal and lateral suppleness.
Putting it all Together
All of the above aspects of suppleness must work together in order to create an overall supple horse. As you work on each element of suppleness, the overall suppleness of your horse will continue to improve.
Remember, true suppleness means your horse needs to be relaxed both physically and mentally. You want the feeling that the horse’s whole body is moving, not just his legs. Suppleness will remain an important tool throughout the levels, and you will revisit it with your horse quite often. He must have the ability to release mentally and physically to be able to use his body to it’s full potential.
I hope this article has helped clarify all the tools involved in building the foundation for suppleness in your horse. If you’re struggling or have questions, hop on my Facebook page, contact me from right here on my website using the contact form, or leave a comment below this post. You’ll be able to listen to an audio recording of this post shortly on my podcast. I should have it up by the end of the week. Listening while riding your horse might help you put what you’ve learned into action! Thanks for reading, and make your next ride a harmonious, confident, and connected one.