The scales of coaching are the stepping stones we use to coach our horses. They assist us consider the place our horses are of their training, and kind the idea of how judges assess dressage exams. Also called the German coaching scale, the scales of coaching are used the world over.

What are the scales of coaching?

The scales of coaching are rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and assortment. Every builds on the others and works collectively to attain development by way of the ranges of dressage.

1. Rhythm

Rhythm is the regularity of the beats in all paces. The regularity is the right sequence of the footfalls and the tempo is the velocity of the rhythm.

2. Suppleness

Suppleness describes how a horse is transferring when it comes to resistance and considers pliability, potential to easily modify the carriage (longitudinally) and the place (laterally) with out impairing the stream of motion and steadiness.

3. Contact

Contact is the delicate, regular connection between the rider’s hand and the horse’s mouth. Horses ought to go rhythmically ahead from the rider’s driving aids and search contact with the rider’s hand, going into the contact. The horse seeks the contact, whereas the rider supplies the contact.

4. Impulsion

Impulsion is balanced power and shouldn’t be confused with velocity. It’s the transmission of managed, propulsive power generated from the hindquarters into the athletic motion of the keen horse. Its final expression could be proven solely by way of the horse’s delicate and swinging again, and is guided by the light contact with the rider’s hand.

5. Straightness

A horse reveals straightness when its forehand is according to its hindquarters, that’s, when the longitudinal axis is according to the straight or curved monitor it’s following. A horse can nonetheless be described as straight when bending – the horse’s forefeet ought to all the time be aligned with the horse’s hind toes on straight and curved strains.

6. Assortment

Assortment is the elevated engagement and exercise of the hindlegs, with joints bent and supple, stepping ahead below the horse’s stomach. It’s the re-balancing of the horse carrying the overseas weight of the rider and instructing him to hold extra of the mixed weight on his hindquarters moderately than on his shoulders.

How one can progress by way of the scales of coaching

The development although these scales isn’t linear, and it may be irritating attempting to work out how all these attributes apply to your specific horse. On the 2019 British Dressage Nationwide Conference, held at Addington Equestrian Centre, British crew medallist Michael Eilberg captivated the viewers along with his clarification of how the scales of coaching work — and typically don’t work — in tandem with one another.

“There are 4 staple items referring to the primary part of the scales of coaching: rhythm, steadiness, suppleness and rest,” defined Michael. “These are 4 core qualities that you simply by no means need to lose all through any work that you simply do along with your horse.”

Michael laid out 4 poles in a sq. form with open corners, every pole representing certainly one of this stuff.

“After I get on my horse I management velocity, path and description, and if I can begin to take an affect over these three issues I begin getting near linking these 4 qualities collectively,” he continues, transferring the poles one after the other so that they find yourself touching, in a closed sq. (pictured beneath), demonstrating how rhythm, steadiness, suppleness and rest all feed into one another.

When that is established within the early levels of coaching, Michael explains {that a} rider can begin to work the horse ahead right into a stronger contact, in addition to introducing impulsion. He units up two containers outdoors the sq. to signify every of this stuff, however explains that more often than not, whenever you begin to deliver contact or impulsion into the combo, it’s initially on the expense of one of many 4 unique “pillars”.

“For instance, I can herald impulsion, however initially solely on the expense of excellent rhythm,” he says, putting one of many containers in the midst of sq. and rolling away one pole to exhibit this.

“So when that’s the case, I’ve to take a step again and reintroduce contact or impulsion to a lesser extent, solely as much as the purpose at which one of many 4 pillars breaks away.

“Finally, a horse ought to be capable to settle for contact and impulsion whereas additionally sustaining rhythm, steadiness, suppleness and rest, after which it’s the identical course of with straightness and assortment.”

Including that it is a course of that takes years, Michael additionally reminds the viewers that upon getting all these qualities securely in place and dealing collectively inside your horse’s coaching, it doesn’t all the time keep that approach.

“As years go by nonetheless, and your horse good points power, this stuff do turn out to be an increasing number of set in stone,” he concludes.