Scales of Training – Rhythm

Rhythm. It sounds simple enough, right? Four-beat for walk, two-beat for trot, and three-beat for canter – what could possibly go wrong? Surprisingly enough, there are lots of things to think about when it comes to this most fundamental of basics on the scales of training.

Imagine a wobbly young horse being trotted under saddle for the first time. Even with the best groundwork, he will have very little confidence in all these new sensations. Suddenly, he has 60kg+ of weight on his back, he’s probably on the lunge so has to balance himself on the turn, and, to top it off, the rider will be moving around in a way that feels very strange and unnatural to him.

Given all these factors, it is unsurprising that the rhythm suffers. He might trot off slowly and tentatively at first, then feel something a bit unfamiliar and rush for a few strides, but then he has to turn and he can’t keep the momentum! The feeling the rider gets is often quite similar to changing gears in a car too often or at the wrong moment. So what can we do?

As the horse gets more confident we can help him find his rhythm. It is the first and easiest thing to show him. All too often, I see riders jumping ahead to try and get the feeling or the look they think they should be aiming for. The horse rushes a little, they pull on the rein to slow him down, he backs off and they kick to move him on, he moves his head and neck around to find his balance, they try to hold him in an outline. It becomes complicated, when in fact all they really need to think about is: ‘where is my rhythm’?

To help the horse find his natural rhythm, the rider needs to relax the rein, stay steady in their seat, and keep the leg quiet but closed Once he is there, all the undesirable faults you were trying to correct will calm down, if not disappear completely! The horse finds comfort and confidence in the consistency, he learns to swing forward, and, with time and patience, he will start to seek a quiet contact.

Of course, rhythm isn’t just important for young horses. It is crucial at every stage of the training process. In order to build collection – and eventually train a good piaffe and passage – the rider must be able to speed up or slow down the rhythm at will without changing the stride, the connection or the outline. Problems with rhythm often prove costly once the lateral work is introduced – how many times have you seen a ponderous, almost levitating trot turn into a sideways scurry when the test calls for a half-pass?

The other side of the rhythm coin is ‘takt’ – unfortunately, there’s no good English translation for this term. It is a more encompassing term than our own ‘rhythm’ or ‘regularity’, a horse can have a trot that shows a steady ‘rhythm’, but if the hind legs and the front legs are not working together to achieve that same rhythm, it is not in ‘takt’. For the horse to truly show ‘takt’, it needs to be connected from the hind end to the front end, with its whole body working in the same rhythm – often easier said that done!

The beauty of training the rhythm is that you don’t need exercises or techniques to do it – you just need to think about it. Everyone who can tap out a beat can ride their horse in rhythm. Next time you train, really focus on it – can you change it? Can you maintain it? What happens when you extend and collect?

There is a reason why rhythm is the base of the scales of training. Without rhythm, it is very difficult to ride the connection and swing needed to succeed in the training or in competition. It is something that should be at the forefront of every rider’s mind, whatever their discipline or level.

Next week… Suppleness.