Straightness. It’s a key building block on the classical dressage training scale and, although the concept seems simple enough, straightness is something many riders struggle to achieve. The horse must be developed evenly on both sides of the body in order to achieve straightness, balance, and suppleness, yet most horses naturally have a weak or stiff side. Given the fact that most riders are stiffer or weaker on one side as well, it becomes easy to understand why straightness can be such a challenge.

Leslie Reid of Langley, BC, is a grand prix rider who has represented Canada on some of the dressage world’s biggest stages, including the Pan American Games, the Olympics, and the World Cup Finals. A certified Level III dressage coach who operates Top Fox Equestrian Centre, Reid sees riders struggling with straightness at all levels of the sport.

To begin with, riders must have a very correct seat themselves to ride a horse straight. A lot of straightness issues in the horse stem from the rider. They simply do not ‘feel’ when the horse is not straight, and do not achieve the degree of suppleness from their horse on both sides that is necessary to achieve straightness. However, it’s a skill every dressage rider must learn to master. Without straightness, there is no proper balance on the hind legs for the exercises and the horse cannot come round and travel with the croup down.

Riders must sit well; this really influences a horse’s straightness. They must analyze how they are applying their aids and ensure that the contact is even on both sides and their legs are applied evenly on both sides. The horse cannot be allowed to lean on a rider’s leg. The rider must also look up; so many of us tend to look down at the head and neck. Mirrors in the arena are very useful, as we can often feel straight, but not actually be straight.

In order to truly achieve straightness, the rider must first establish the fundamentals of rhythm and relaxation. Tension, resistance, and the rider not sitting well are all common pitfalls at the lower levels that affect the straightness of the horse. At the upper levels, tension can be a factor, as well as soundness of the horse, too much dependence on the inside rein, and the horse not being in front of the rider’s leg.

Try this at home – Going sideways to improve straightness

Reid often uses lateral exercises to improve straightness, as they develop suppleness through the horse’s body on both sides. Lateral work also helps to strengthen the hind legs, so the horse can improve its self-carriage. For lower level riders, she suggests trying the following exercise at home:

“Leg yield from the wall to the centreline, then straighten the horse. Then perform a 10-metre circle either to the right or the left as the rider chooses. Watch out for common mistakes such as having too much sideways movement in the leg yield. The rider must keep the horse in front of both legs and not feel that the horse drops away from going forward. Too much neck bend is a frequent problem as well. The horse’s body should be straight and only slightly positioned in the opposite direction of movement. The circle must be round and exact, with more bend through the horse’s whole body.”

For riders working at Fourth Level and above, Reid suggests a more challenging exercise performed in the canter:

  • In canter, ride shoulder-fore from the corner by M to R.
  • At R, leave the track with a straight horse in more collection toward X.
  • At X, ride slightly more forward again in shoulder-fore toward A up the centreline.

“Be very careful that the horse is not losing balance. The horse must be very stable on both hind legs and the outside rein to do this well, especially in the transitions to more collection at R and forward again at X. When performed correctly in both directions, this exercise really improves straightness.”