Relaaax

One can not talk about jaw flexions without talking about relaxation, and how important it is to a dressage horse--or any happy horse, for that matter. It is easy to explain what they facilitate, but its impact is lessened if the reader doesn't understand the importance of it.

Relaxation is first on some dressage pyramids, and second on some others, which I don't agree with. Collection, power, and impulsion all come from controlled muscle movements. They all can be done with tense muscles, but this is when you see specific errors popping up in their work--swishing tails, grinding teeth, gaping mouths, tails stiff and held out behind the horse, four-beat trots, etc. etc.. Tension is the cause of a lot of problems for a lot of horses, and once you start unlocking the muscles and letting them loosen, you start to see a change in your horse. Horses that work relaxed, love their work--it's just that simple. Relaxed horses feel safe, and safety is more important to horses then food.

The German school of dressage finds balance through movement. Horses are moved forward in order to find their balance--eventually a horse that is pushed forwards will gain muscle to balance itself. The German school also uses the reins to 'shape' the front of the horse, and hold the reins to create a 'block' to stop the energy from escaping.

The French school is 'balance before movement'. Horses are relaxed, and brought to a slower gait if not. They are taught to be balanced before impulsion is often brought into the picture. Jaw flexions are used to relax the horse and allow his head to drop at the poll, and are also used to teach forward, down, and out (long and low). The french rule is 'legs without hand, hand without leg'--ie, you will not hold with the reins and push the horse into it.

The German school is what is rewarded in the dressage ring today--they want a lot of contact with the reins, and big flashy gaits. The problem, however, is tension. The German school thinks that jaw flexions are 'hand riding', and only address the head of the horse. Oddly, this is what most traditionally-trained horses look in the dressage ring today:





Focusing just on the headsets of these horses, they have just as many pictures above the bit as they do broken at third and behind it. This is because the horses are taught to curl their head when the reins are taken up, so when the rider needs to slow the horse, it is the same aid as telling the horse to put his nose down. The degree of the head on or behind the vertical is entirely dependent on the amount of rein the horse is given. The horse's headset is entirely dependent on the rider; the rider can put it wherever he wishes.

By nature, if force is used to pull the horse on to the bit (this doesn't have to be rough or mean), then a certain tension will result. If a horse's head is behind the vertical, his upper neck cannot be relaxed, because it takes muscular tension for the horse to hold its head in that position. Once the head curls up and over the bit, look at the vision of the horse--it is forced onto the ground. When you are learning a sport of balance, what do instructors tell students? 'Don't look down or that's where you'll end up'.

I think the biggest test to see if a finished horse has been pulled or 'set' into a frame is the piaffe. (For a less finished horse, it is the halt.) Since the piaffe requires impulsion on the spot, a lot of hand is used in competition, along with a lot of leg. Watch the tails fly, the gait deteriorate, and as the point of this post, the head curl under as the horse can not differentiate the difference between 'set your head' and 'stop moving forward'. Yet when one looks at those who practice jaw flexions, the horses piaffe like this:



The horses set their own heads, and as long as they are relaxed, the rider will leave the head alone.

This is not to say that all German riding is bad, as wonderful horses come out of those programs as well, and for the most part it becomes a mean to the same end of the French. However, as I am more French-classical then I am a believer of German, I may come across as a bit biased. ;) Perhaps the argument is more French classical vs. competitive dressage, but whatever you call it, you cannot deny that these horses have been trained correctly.

Jaw flexions take the place of setting your hands, 'taking up the reins', pulling back, etc. The goal of correct contact is for the horse to take up the slack in the reins, which means he comes to meet the hand. This is practically impossible if the horse is taught to 'back off' from the bit. Often these horses do not stretch long and low, because following the bit is a foreign concept to them.

But why are they so important? Jaw flexions help release the TMJ, which then releases the first few vertebrae of the neck. This is like opening a doorway to the spine and eventually, the hind end. The goal is back to front, yet a young horse knows nothing of this. You can push forwards as long as you like, if the horse is blocked in the front, you will never gain access to the back end. Those who know the importance of a relaxed TMJ are those who've had teeth problems--horses with ragged edges will have sore or locked TMJs, and it is a common known fact that tooth problems can effect the whole horse. Those of you who've called a chiropractor or massage therapist out for a problem have often heard that the TMJ was blocked--and then see how much better the horse travels afterwards.

The reality is that how the horse perceives the bit and his reaction to it affects the whole.

So we have established the importance and the logistics: but how to do it?

When you are asking for jaw flexions, one of the most important things to remember is that you use a fixed hand. You do not pull. Very important! If the horse thinks you are going to pull on him, he will clench the jaw. If the horse softens and chews and your hand recoils towards you, you were pulling.

Start on the ground, as it is easy to see what you are doing and you will learn to match what you are seeing with what you are feeling in the reins, so that it will transfer over to riding. If you typically use a figure eight or a tight noseband, fit your horse in a normal loose noseband. If he cannot chew, or if you make it hard for him to do so, there will be no relaxing. If you normally use rubber reins or reins with stops in them, switch to smooth reins--you will need to let the reins slide through your fingers, and they are the easiest to do so with.

Stand by your horse's side, and take the rein in your hand and bring it up so that when you ask for the flexion, you will be acting up on the corner of your horse's lips. Me and Odie demonstrate:



(This picture was stupid-hard to take by myself! I am currently riding in 7 ft western reins, as I have no other plain black ones... but they work fine for right now!)

Now at this point, I usually set my elbow against the horse--this is a good mental reminder to 'anchor' your arm and help prevent you from pulling. One the rein is almost taunt, you make a fist, and hold. Don't release if the horse turns his head, as that's not what you're asking him to do. You don't have to fix him however, just hold and wait. When he chews the bit softly, it is a momentarily up and down movement, and it will feel like the bit is melting in his mouth. Do not reward gaping, grinding on the bit, or nervous chomping.

Some horses will get this right away, as when the bit is activated against the corners of the horse's mouth, it helps stimulate a chew reflex. Others will stare off into the distance and wonder when you're going to finally quit, lol! Sometimes, releasing with your fingers will work--often times, horses will chew the moment you begin to uncurl the fist. Other times--and this is what often works for me--you vibrate the rein softly.

Some horses you will have to just work on learning to chew, but if your horse gets this relatively easily, you will often find that after they chew, they want to put their head down. Let them. This begins to teach them how to follow the reins down. If the horse does not offer this on his own--and some just won't--you can pull both reins softly down just under the bit and encourage him down. Pet, release, and tell him he's awesome. Practice on both sides, then practice at a walk with you walking beside them (in-hand work). (This step isn't necessary, but it helps some horses understand that they have to do this walking too, and gives you greater control as you can see everything.)

If your horse doesn't come down in-hand, don't worry too much. I find forward movement and bending helps offer the final piece to long and low. When you start practicing under saddle, again start at the halt and move from there. As the horse starts learning to reach into the reins and stretch down (I find a lot of horses will offer long and low at the trot, through long serpentines, with emphasis on correct, soft bending through the turns), the bit is no longer something to resist, it is something to hold. I have yet to try to 'set' Odie's head, and yet he carries it, without fuss, calmly and nicely.

They tell you that headset is the result of work and will come naturally, and then you watch them ride with the horse's nose on it's chest or in draw reins behind scenes. They tell you that you have to help them, and then for the first year the horse flings its head all over the place. A head on the vertical is just a horse relaxed at the poll, who has been worked correctly--no fussing, no head tossing, no confusion.

Isn't that what we all are looking for?