Straightness is far more complicated than being able to ride a straight line – not that that is always easy! Straightness is the ability to build on the previous training scales – rhythm, suppleness, contact and impulsion – to ensure that both the horse’s hind legs push directly and genuinely through the body to an even contact. Once this is achieved, the rider is able to ride smooth turns, easy lateral work, and build the expression, engagement and self-carriage in the trot, without losing the balance or energy.
Every horse has an easier side, and it is the rider’s job to get him as evenly developed and supple as possible on both sides. With some horses this will be harder work than others, but there are alway ways to gradually improve the physiology in order to approach straightness. One of the most important things to think about is that the rider is far more able to influence the shoulder than the hindquarters. Lots of riders struggle with the horse’s quarters coming in, particularly on one rein, and the natural reaction is to try to use the inside leg to push the quarters away. This is hard work, and often results in the rider becoming crooked, losing their own weight through the outside hip, making the problem even worse.
More often than not, the issue lies with the horse throwing his weight onto the outside shoulder. The quarters coming in is more of a symptom than the root problem. It is therefore much easier and more effective to think about moving the shoulder in, straightening the neck, and rebalancing the horse’s weight over both shoulders. This way, it feels much more natural to stay centred in the saddle and guide the horse towards straightness.
Of course, in dressage, straightness isn’t just about the straight lines. Straightness applies to turns, circles, and the lateral work, too. If the horse is ridden forward and straight to both reins, the outside rein will have a little more weight around the turn and provide support to help the horse with his balance. This frees the inside rein to guide the bend around the inside leg and keep a conversation with the horse’s mouth. If the reins do not perform these roles, it can manifest in the quarters wobbling one way or the other, the horse showing too much or too little bend, or losing the rhythm and engagement.
Without straightness, the horse tends to carry its weight more on one shoulder than the other. Until that weight is lifted through forward and straight riding, the shoulders will not be able to show maximum freedom or expression, and the hind leg will be blocked from pushing genuinely through to the bit. Any energy created will always disappear through that one shoulder. Straightness is a key to every exercise and always needs to be in the back of the rider’s mind or the horse will easily slip into old habits. Next time you ride and you are having an issue with an exercise, just ask yourself: ‘Is he forward? Is he straight?’.