Impulsion not speed

Judges take a lot of bashing on forums and at the score boards. It is a difficult job trying to be positive and not patronising when writing comments. Sometimes judges would really like to write as they think but then we would probably be hung drawn and quartered! Of course privately we all moan about judging, to our friends, trainers and long suffering family! Realistically and without rose coloured glasses on we can actually see where the judge is coming from. Yes some mark harder than others, no grey areas, just black and white and yes some are policemen taking off marks instead of looking for the quality or positives but in the main most are on the side of the rider and the horse. So as riders we have to make sure that we do not make any mistakes, stay focused on way of going and not compromise our training to please this judge and that judge. If you are pleased with the horse at the end of the test thats all that matters. The judge does not know that thats the best hes ever gone! She can only judge the test in front of her. So lets deal with one bug bear, impulsion!


Something that comes up time and time again is the difference between impulsion and speed. How often do we see horses going at nine to the dozen, hind legs going like sewing machines, out of balance and on the hand. Someone somewhere has said more forward and the rider has interpreted this as going faster. When I started showjumping I thought that the faster I went the higher the horse would jump! This led to some disastrous rounds and eliminations as well as falls! A very nice professional took me to one side and explained just how the horses body worked. He said, 'Imagine concord taking off. This is contained power, now imagine a volcano exploding, this is uncontrolled power. Which one would you rather have?' He procceded to prove to me how high my horse could jump if I kept a controlled rhythm and let the fence come to me. So long as I kept my leg quietly there and did not interfere the horse would meet the fence correctly every time and negotiate it really well. Speed flattens. Impulsion is contained power. As we advance further up the levels the impulsion increases so that the horse appears more and more uphill. During the training phases less is more. Slowing the rhythm and tempo down without taking on the rein allows the horse to find his own balance and take more weight on the hind leg. This can be done while stretching and loosening the horse, riding forward and back for a few strides, making transitions upwards and downwards,legyielding and shoulder in. These exercises develop elasticity and cadence and improve musculature and self carriage. Once the horse is brought up into competition outline and is truly over the back and taking the contact lightly and softly more power can be developed so that the paces gain more height and cadence.

Much has been written about roll kur and long deep and round. Personally I cannot see a difference except in how riders perceive how to ride this way. If riders concentrate on lightness and ease, looseness and softness this can only be beneficial. Force however, has no place in any equestrian discipline.

So the next time you receive your test sheet and it says 'needs to develop more self carriage' it means your horse is still dependent on the hand and is not supporting on his hind legs. If the judge says, 'on the forehand at present' she means he needs to be taking more wieght behind and lightening his shoulders etc etc. This cannot be achieved by just raising the hands and hoiking the head up as then the horse will be hollow and his hind legs will be out behind. Training is all consuming, fascinating and frustrating. Training takes time and each horse is a work in progress. Training takes a life time and then another life time is needed to enjoy it.