The Training Scale - Pyramid or Circle?
The Training Scale - Pyramid or Circle?
By Maribeth Dunlap
January 2007
The Training Scale is a German training system consisting of six building blocks. This is often seen drawn as a pyramid in which the six blocks or training concepts are in ascending order.
The wording along the sides of the pyramid should be noted:
• Physical Development through Progressive Conditioning
• Increasing Throughness and Obedience
The six concepts with their German counterpart are as follows:
• Rhythm (Takt)
• Relaxation (Losgelassenheit)
• Connection (Anlehnung)
• Impulsion (Schwung)
• Straightness (Geraderichtung)
• Collection (Versammlung)
The German words have more encompassing meaning that the vague English words and much of the concepts were lost in translation so in 2005, the USDF put together a joint working group to review and to update the translation of the German words to better extract their true meanings.
Here are the new translations from the USDF:
1. Rhythm (German: Takt) Rhythm (with Energy and Tempo): Rhythm is the term used for the characteristic sequence of footfalls and timing of a pure walk, pure trot, and pure canter. The rhythm should be expressed with energy and ina suitable and consistent tempo, with the horse remaining in the balance and self-carriage appropriate to its level of training.
2. Relaxation (German: Losgelassenheit) Relaxation (with Elasticity and Suppleness): Relaxation refers to the horse’s mental state (calmness without anxiety or nervousness), as well as to his physical state (the absence of negative muscular tension). Usually the mental and physical states go hand in hand. The horse learns to accept the influence of the rider without becoming tense. He acquires positive muscle tone so that he moves with elasticity and a supple, swinging back, allowing the rider to bend him laterally as well as to lengthen and shorten his frame. A horse showing the correct responses when allowed to chew the reins out of the hands is relaxed.
3. Connection (German: Anlehnung) Connection (Acceptance of the Bit Through Acceptance of the Aids): The energy generated in the hindquarters by the driving aids must flow through the whole body of the horse and is received in the rider’s hands. The contact to the bit must be elastic and adjustable, creating fluent interaction between horse and rider with appropriate changes in the horses’ outline. Acceptance of the bit is identified by the horse’s quietly chewing the bit. This activates the salivary glands so that the mouth becomes moist, and production of saliva is evident. The softly moving tongue should remain under the bit. The quality of the connection and balance can be evaluated by uberstreichen – releasing the reins (to demonstrate self-carriage) – or by allowing the horse to chew the reins out of the hands (to demonstrate relaxation).
4. Impulsion (German: Schwung) Impulsion (Increased Energy and Thrust): Impulsion is the term used to describe the transmission of an eager and energetic yet controlled propulsive thrust generated from the hindquarters into the athletic movement of the horse. Impulsion is associated with a phase of suspension, such as exists in trot and canter but not in walk. It is measured by the horse’s desire to carry himself forward, the elasticity of his steps, the suppleness of his back, and the engagement of his hindquarters. Impulsion is necessary to develop medium paces and, later on, with the added ingredient of collection, extended paces.
5. Straightness (German: Geraderichten) Straightness (Improved Alignment and Balance): A horse is said to be straight when the footfalls of the forehand and the hindquarters are appropriately aligned on straight and curved lines and when his longitudinal axis is in line with the straight or curved track on which he is ridden. By nature every horse is crooked – hollow on one side and stiff on the other side – thereby using one side of his body somewhat differently from the other. This also causes uneven contact in the reins. Appropriate gymnastic exercises develop the horses’ symmetry. This allows him to engage both hind legs evenly and prepares him for collection. This process improves the lateral as well as the longitudinal balance of the horse.
6. Collection (German: Versammlung) Collection (Increased Engagement, Lightness of the Forehand, Self-Carriage): The horse shows collection when he lowers and engages his hindquarters, shortening and narrowing his base of support, resulting in lightness and mobility of the forehand. Because the center of mass is shifted backward, the forehand is lightened and elevated; the horse feels more “uphill.” The hors’s neck is raised and arched, and the whole topline is stretched. He shows shorter yet powerful cadenced steps and strides. Elevation must be the result of, and relative to, the lowering of the hindquarters. This is called relative elevation. A training problem is indicated if the horse raised his neck without displacing his center of mass to the rear. This is call absolute elevation and can, if pervasive, adversely affect the horse’s health and his way of going. Collection with relative elevation will enhance the horse’s self-carriage so that he can be ridden almost entirely off the seat, and the aids of the legs and especially those of the hands can become very light.
A potential concern with the Training Scale viewed as a pyramid or a structure of building blocks is that it suggests to many riders that the concepts can be approached and accomplished one at a time when in reality all the concepts are connected to one another and are mutually dependent upon one another.
Let’s look at another example of a Training System by Phillipe Karl. His system, which is based on the school of “lightness”, is one that is drawn in a circle and clearly shows the relationships between the concepts.
In the very center of the circle is a small circle in which the wording “RESPECT TO THE HORSE” is written and this means that you understand and know what the horse needs at a particular stage of development. In a rectangle around the small circle are 3 arrows pointing in both directions referring to their inter-dependence upon one another. At the top of the triangle is written “RELAXATION” (Legerete or Lightness to the Hand), at the bottom right hand corner of the triangle is written “BALANCE” (Legerete or Lightness to the Seat), and at the bottom left hand corner of the triangle is written “IMPULSION” (Legerete or Lightness to the leg). These three concepts; relaxation, balance and impulsion, all refer to lightness and cannot be separated for they are mutually dependent upon one another. For example, when a horse is relaxed he is listening to the lightest of your aids. When he is relaxed and listening, then he is in a state of mental and physical balance. And when the horse is relaxed and listening and in balance then you can ask for more impulsion. You risk losing the relaxation and the balance if you ask for too much forward energy than he is capable at handling at particular stage of training so it is important to be able to control the balance and the tempo in order to maintain the relaxation. And when the horse is light to the hand, light to the seat, and light to the leg, he is also relaxed and you are able to control his balance and impulsion.
Now moving around the larger outer circle, at the top of the circle at 12 o’clock is the term “LEGERETE” or Lightness and is labeled #1. Moving clockwise around the outer circle you follow an arrow pointing to the 3 o’clock position on the circle and to “FLEXIBILITY” and beside it is labeled “Suppleness”. This is the #2 concept. Beside the arrow is another arrow pointing back to #1 or “Legerete” indicating their relationship and dependence upon one another. The counter-clockwise arrow also refers to receiving feedback from the horse. It allows you to access what the horse knows and what he needs before taking the next step. Flexibility and Suppleness refer to the horse’s ability to bend equally right and left. The more flexible and supple the horse, the lighter he becomes. Flexibility and Suppleness then leads to “MOBILITY” at the 6 o’clock position on the circle. This is the #3 concept. Between Mobility and Flexibility is “Straightness” and once again there is another arrow pointing back to Flexibility referring to its relationship and interdependence. When a horse has the ability to be flexible on both sides of his body equally, then he can be straight. This allows the horse to be more moveable or to have more Mobility. He can maneuver his body more easily, smoothly gliding from one direction to another with ease of changes of bend and increased Flexibility. When a horse is Flexible, Supple, Straight then he has a regular “Rhythm” which is the next concept along our circle line. When the horse is able to work in a regular Rhythm, then he is relaxed, straight, and has flexibility. As we continue around our circle or clock face, we come to the #4 concept at the 9 o’clock position or “COLLECTION”. Beside Collection is the word “Cadence” and once again there are arrow pointing in both directions referring to their interdependent relationships between all the concepts. Increased Mobility creates better Collection as the improved activity and quickness of the hindquarters often has an engaging effect on them. Better Collection can stylize the gaits and create Cadence. And finally, Collection creates more Lightness as we complete and close the circle and follow the arrow to the beginning position #1 or “LEGERETE”.
I prefer the circle concept of the Training System, as I like to be reminded of the relationships and interdependence of all the concepts. You can also approach the German Training Scale in a circle form and draw lines, which intersect and cross each so as to indicate the relationships of the concepts. It is also important to realize that this is a general, simplistic guideline in approaching the training of a horse and that it is important to work with a qualified instructor or trainer. However, the more knowledge you have the better prepared you will be.
The Training Pyramid Diagram was taken from the Sept 2006 issue of the USDF Connection Magazine.
The Training Circle Diagram was taken from Philippe Karl’s Video Series.
This article was written by Maribeth 2007 – All Rights Reserved Used With Permission.
