Dressage Technique: Choosing the right posture

Choosing the right posture and alignment for your horse's neck, poll, and face

What is the correct posture and alignment for your horse's neck, poll, and muzzle? Learn to vary different postures, including those for relaxation, work, and competition!

The truth is that there is no right or wrong posture as long as the horse is supple, on the bit, and not stuck in a single position. Depending on the horse's age and level of training, the rider will have a variety of options in their toolkit for positioning the neck and poll of their horse. There are the requirements of competition, and then there are all the other postures that the horse should adopt during training, warm-up, and throughout the training session. What matters is being in control of the posture and being able to change it at will. Indeed, it's essential to vary the positions to ensure a well-rounded and complete musculature.

Warm-up should be approached as a prolonged period of gymnastics and stretching. The rider should aim for an elongation of the topline, with the horse stretching its neck down and forward. However, it's important to note that this should be done while maintaining a supple spinal alignment, contact on the reins, roundness, and activity in the hindquarters.

The highest point of the neck is ultimately a position almost reserved for competition or specific moments during training. Lower, higher, further, shorter... the most important thing is variation! Changing the frame of the horse's neck shouldn't affect the pace. The rhythm and stride should remain consistent. Just because you lengthen the reins and allow your horse to stretch out doesn't mean it should accelerate. Short reins shouldn't always equate to collection. Conversely, you can collect your horse to perform a canter pirouette or piaffe with longer reins and a lower head carriage. After a highly collected exercise in a presentation frame with the neck at its highest point (you should see the browband), and the muzzle vertically aligned, let the horse stretch and lower its neck before giving it a break.