“In the French philosophy, we don’t ‘make’ the horse do, we ‘ask’ the horse to do,” says the French dressage clinician. These were humbling words when I took an honest look at my riding and its effect on my horse. Yet, it transformed how I ride today.
Make vs Ask: What Kind of Rider am I?
By Jennifer Klitzke
“In the French philosophy, we don’t ‘make’ the horse do, we ‘ask’ the horse to do,” says the French dressage clinician. These were humbling words when I took an honest look at my riding and its effect on my horse. Yet, it transformed how I ride today.
Riding with Lightness clinic
In 2013, I brought one of my non gaited horses, to a “Riding with Lightness” clinic with Susan Norman, a classical French dressage instructor. She had been a 15-year student of the late Jean Claude Racinet and a 3-year student of Philippe Karl—both classical French dressage masters and authors. Susan, among others, introduced me to the teachings of Philippe Karl and his Ecole de Legerete (School of Lightness).
Among the highlights are:
Slowing the tempo WAY down to teach the horse balance
Lightness doesn’t mean a riding with a long floppy rein—the horse needs to learn balance and self-carriage before releasing to a light contact
The introduction of demi arret and descent de mains (lifting my hands up to touch the corners of the horse’s lips and release when my horse stops leaning). This teaches my horse not to lean on my hands for balance, rather to carry his own head and neck
Yet, the biggest transformation came from a simple statement: “In the French philosophy, we don’t ‘make’ the horse do, we ‘ask’ the horse to do.”
Experiencing the ‘Ask’ difference made me take an honest look at how I ride and its effect on my horse.
What kind of rider am I: ‘Make’ or ‘Ask’?
My Trakehner/thoroughbred, Seili in 2013 at 29 years old
Thoughtful, gentle, kind. That’s who I thought I had been as a rider when I began dressage lessons in 1988. That’s how my German dressage instructor taught me to ride and train my Trakehner/Thoroughbred gelding, Seili. He was my best friend, and I thought I had always considered his needs.
In the German dressage system, I learned to confirm our training in the show ring. When we reached consistent scores of 60% or above, we were ready to move to the next level of training. Thirty years ago, achieving 60%-plus at recognized shows wasn’t easy to do. Over the years the scoring system has become more generous.
I unknowingly had become both an ‘Ask’ and ‘Make’ rider. I was an “Ask” rider at home (which is how my German dressage instructor taught me to ride) and a “Make” rider at shows: perfectionistic, demanding and controlling to meet the test requirements and appease the judge, my peers and the crowd of onlookers.
Adding to the pressure I took on, was how my horse reacted while being away from home: nervous, spooky, and tense—Seili became a monster.
I felt even more out of control. Fear overcame me. All I thought about was MY ambition to attain those 60s so that I could advance to the next level. (Or if I am really honest, be on the leader board, win, or at the very least, not be completely humiliated before my peers and a crowd of onlookers.)
I felt pressure because many of those watching knew Seili’s talent riding at home. Yet I could not understand why I couldn’t replicate this at a show. Seili was two horses: a calm and exceptionally talented horse at home and a monster at the show grounds.
Then Susan’s words repeated in my mind, “In the French philosophy, we don’t ‘make’ the horse do, we ‘ask’ the horse to do.”
My riding paradigm at home is ‘Ask.’ My riding paradigm at a show had become ‘Make’.
My horse needed my support as an ‘Ask’ rider at a show. Instead of helping him relax away from home, my self interests clouded my horse’s needs. As a ‘Make’ rider, I felt out of control and frustrated that Seili didn’t meet my expectations.
I didn’t recognize my horse at a show. My horse didn’t recognize me at a show. Susan’s words helped me realize I had two horses because I was two riders: ‘Ask’ and ‘Make’. My horse became a monster in my own ‘Making.’
‘Make’ isn’t fun for me or my horse. ‘Make’ doesn’t relax me or my horse. ‘Make’ produces perfectionism, control, tension, and dominance in me. ‘Make’ creates more tension, resistance, fear, shutting down, and wanting to run away in my horse. Seili became a monster of my own ‘Making.’
If I am the leader in our partnership, I realized the importance of becoming an ‘Ask’ rider wherever we are together: at home or away from home. ‘Ask’ invites relaxation in the rider and horse, leading to harmony, partnership, and trust.
Obstacles arise at home and away from home. Yet, the answer is still ‘Ask’ which leads to relaxation. When tension or fear creep in, I need to help my horse find relaxation before I ‘Ask’ again.
‘Ask’ paradigm put to the ultimate test
After processing Susan’s words, I wondered if it possible to show dressage with an ‘Ask’ paradigm? Could I let the perfectionism of the test requirements go? Could I look beyond the crowd of onlooks and my peers while facing the judge’s evaluation as we rode through the test requirements? Could I let go of the fear of failing? The fear of losing control if my horse become a monster? Instead, could I focus on being an ‘Ask’ rider and lead my horse into relaxation, balance, engagement, rhythm and connection? Could I let go of the outcome?
I put this new paradigm to the test with my non gaited horse, Indy. Not only were my peers watching, my first riding instructor was watching, who I hadn’t seen in 34 years!
2014 winning dressage ride and highest score of the day with 73 percent!
Would you know that this dressage test became a test of a lifetime and a turning point. Not only was our ride the most joy-filled, harmonious, connected and relaxed dressage test I had ever ridden, it became proof that ‘Ask’ can produce wonderful results. It was our very best ride ever!
At the final halt salute, the judge popped out of the booth and applauded, “Bravo!”
My horse and I received the highest score of the SHOW (73 percent) and placed first among18 riders in the class.
This paradigm shift made all the difference. ‘Ask’ produced partnership and relaxation between me and my horse. I rode my horse like I would at home and this transformed my horse while at a show.
From that moment on, I became an ‘Ask’ rider with my non gaited and naturally gaited horses wherever we ride: at home, the trails, at shows, at cow sorting league, endurance rides, clinics and lessons.
Taking an honest look in the mirror has been humbling. Yet, it has been profoundly rewarding for my horses’ sake.
How to become an “Ask the Horse to Do” Rider
Showing dressage with my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse with ‘Ask’ in mind.
Susan, among others, introduced me to the work of Philippe Karl and his Ecole de Legerete (School of Lightness) that teaches this paradigm in great detail. I have been studying Karl’s book Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage and his DVDs: Classical Dressage (Vol 1-4), Classical versus Classique and Legerete 1 & 2. I do my best to translate and apply this philosophy with all of my horses.
Ecole de Legerete teaches a step-by-step progression in how to become an ‘ask the horse to do’ rider. You learn how to train your horse without harsh bits, big spurs. weighted shoes, chains and pads or artificial aids. You’ll learn how to lead your horse into relaxation of mind and body, balance, and impulsion to be light to the hand and light to the leg.
Legerete instructor, Linda Kaye Hollingsworth-Jones coaches me in organizing my aids to draw my naturally gaited horse’s haunches into the circle.
Then you’ll learn how to develop symmetry, flexibility, strength, and softness through lateral exercises that will help your horse become ambidextrous through its full range of motion and produce its best quality gaits. All the while, you’ll learn how to become an ‘ask the horse to do’ rider which will transform your partnership into joy and harmony whether at home or away at a show.
If you are interested, below are others posts I’ve written about how I have applied Legerete with my naturally gaited horses:
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