To get your horse to move from behind, you need to encourage its hind legs to step actively under its body, engaging the core and propelling the horse forward with power and balance. This fundamental concept, often called engagement or impulsion, is crucial for athletic performance, soundness, and lightness.
Understanding Hind Leg Engagement
Moving from behind means that the horse's hindquarters are the primary source of propulsion, rather than just trailing along. When a horse engages its hindquarters, it brings its hind legs deeper under its body, allowing the hindquarters to carry more weight and push off with greater power. This improves balance, makes the horse lighter on the forehand, and enables more collected, agile movements.
Key Steps to Encourage Movement From Behind
Achieving true engagement is a progressive process that involves specific exercises and consistent rider aids.
1. Bringing the Inside Hind Leg More Under the Body
The initial focus is to encourage the horse to step its inside hind leg further underneath its center of gravity. This action helps to activate the core muscles and prepare the hindquarters for weight-bearing and propulsion.
- Enlarging the Circle: By gradually making a circle larger, you invite the horse to step out and forward, naturally encouraging the inside hind leg to reach further under its body. This can be a gentle way to introduce the concept.
- Shoulder-Fore: In shoulder-fore, the horse's shoulders are slightly to the inside of the track, while its haunches remain on the track. This position helps to bring the inside hind leg under the body, aligning it to step more effectively. Learn more about its benefits at Equestrian Training Hub.
- Shoulder-In: A more advanced lateral movement, shoulder-in asks the horse to bend its body so that the inside hind leg steps directly under the horse's mass, increasing engagement and suppleness. This exercise is a cornerstone of classical dressage for developing the horse's hindquarters.
2. Flexing the Hind Leg for Strength and Propulsion
Once the inside hind leg is stepping further under, the next step is to encourage it to flex and carry weight, building the strength needed for powerful impulsion and collection.
- Riding Turns, Corners, and Voltes: These curved movements naturally encourage the horse to bend its body and flex its hind legs to maintain balance.
- Turns and Corners: Riding precise, well-executed turns and corners helps the horse learn to engage its hindquarters to navigate the bend rather than falling onto its forehand.
- Voltes: A volte (small circle) demands greater engagement and flexion of the hind legs due to its tight radius.
- Turn on the Haunches: This exercise specifically asks the horse to pivot around its hindquarters, requiring significant flexion and strength in the hind legs to lift and step. It's an excellent exercise for developing collection and control of the haunches.
- Half Halts: The half halt is perhaps the most crucial aid for engaging the hindquarters. It's a momentary, rebalancing aid that asks the horse to shift its weight slightly back, bringing the hind legs further under, and preparing for a new instruction or gait. It encourages the horse to "listen" and become more attentive to the rider's aids. Discover more about half halts at The Dressage Foundation.
- Down Transitions: When ridden correctly, down transitions (e.g., from canter to trot, or trot to walk) require the horse to engage its hindquarters to absorb energy and smoothly rebalance into the slower gait, rather than simply falling onto the forehand. This builds strength and responsiveness.
Practical Exercises for Hind Leg Engagement
Here's a summary of exercises that help develop a horse's ability to move from behind:
| Exercise | Purpose | Rider Aids (General) | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enlarging Circles | Encourages forward reach of hind legs | Soft inside rein, yielding outside rein, active inside leg, outside leg for balance | Suppleness, initial engagement, forward thinking |
| Shoulder-Fore | Guides inside hind leg under, aligns body | Slight inside rein flexion, inside leg at girth, outside leg behind girth | Improved straightness, engagement, preparation for shoulder-in |
| Shoulder-In | Stronger engagement, lateral suppleness | Inside rein for bend, inside leg at girth, outside leg behind girth, outside rein for control | Collection, suppleness, strength of hindquarters, improved balance |
| Corners/Voltes | Promotes hind leg flexion and weight-bearing in turns | Inside rein for bend, inside leg at girth, outside leg to control haunches | Balance, suppleness, prepares for collection |
| Turn on the Haunches | Direct request for hind leg pivot and weight-bearing | Outside rein to maintain circle, outside leg at girth, inside leg behind girth | Collection, control of haunches, agility, strength |
| Half Halts | Rebalance, prepare, ask for engagement | Brief squeeze of fingers, slight seat aid, immediate release, supportive legs | Responsiveness, collection, communication, prepares for transitions |
| Down Transitions | Requires hindquarters to bear weight and rebalance | Deepening seat, gentle rein aid, active leg to maintain impulsion | Strength, balance, obedience, teaches horse to use hind end for braking/rebalancing |
Rider's Role and Aids
To effectively ask your horse to move from behind, your aids must be clear, consistent, and harmonious:
- Seat: Maintain a deep, balanced, and elastic seat that follows the horse's movement. Your seat is the primary aid for influencing the hindquarters.
- Legs: Use your legs actively to encourage forward momentum and to bring the hind legs under. The inside leg typically asks for bend and engagement, while the outside leg supports and prevents the haunches from swinging out.
- Hands: Your hands should maintain a soft, elastic contact, allowing the energy generated from the hindquarters to flow through the horse's back and into the bridle. Avoid pulling back, which blocks the energy and pushes the horse onto its forehand.
- Voice: Use verbal cues consistently as secondary aids to reinforce your physical aids.
Benefits of a Horse Moving from Behind
Developing hind leg engagement offers numerous advantages:
- Improved Balance: Transfers weight from the forehand to the hindquarters, making the horse lighter and more agile.
- Increased Impulsion: The horse develops more power and elasticity in its gaits.
- Enhanced Collection: Allows for shorter, higher steps and the ability to gather the energy for difficult movements.
- Reduced Strain: Distributes the workload more evenly, lessening strain on the horse's front legs and promoting longevity.
- Better Communication: Fosters a more responsive and obedient horse that understands and reacts to subtle aids.
Consistency and patience are vital. Start with simpler exercises and gradually build complexity as your horse develops strength and understanding.
