Nexus Center for the Horse > Positive Training Solutions > Training Articles > Teach a horse to stretch down ( DNN 4.3.5 )

Before any 'real' dressage training can begin the horse must be relaxed, both mentally and physically. This relaxation must evolve out of trust and confidence. Many horses have not had the benefit of a training program that is built on a strong foundation. All too frequently the horse is expected to somehow just figure it out all by osmosis. That appears to work sometimes but usually at some point the holes in the basics will show themselves.

So if you really want to give your horse a chance to be truly relaxed and freely forward begin on the ground. You can even start in a halter. I would. Remember this is the stuff that should have been done with your horse during his pre-riding ground work. Since it most likely was not you'll want to go back and fill in that hole.
joey head down.jpg

The first lesson is to teach your horse to touch his nose to the ground (or within an inch or two) from a light pressure on the halter. By light pressure I mean basically the weight of your hand and arm. Not pulling downward. Get so that he offers it freely as soon as you put that light pressure on the halter. All the way to the ground.

In the beginning he will not have any idea what you mean. So you put your hand on the cheek piece of the halter and wait. As soon as his nose drops a teeny bit let go and reward him. I would click and treat for each tiny increment. Usually you'll get the nose to the ground in one session. With practice you will be able to guide his nose all the way to the ground with just a small amount of direction. The more he is rewarded for stretching the better he will feel about it. It is not unusal for geldings to become so relaxed during these lessons that they drop their penis.

Do this exercise every day till it is easy in a halter from both sides. Then put on a bridle. Do the same thing only this time hold the rein instead of the halter. Hold the rein close to the bit at first. Same protocol: take a 'feel' (not down but upward as if you were holding the rein from the saddle) and wait. Initially you will release/reward if the horse just 'mouths' the bit. If he puts his head up stay with him and release/reward when he drops his nose. Again, continue the routine until the nose is at or near the ground. Work on both sides until you can take a feel of the mouth and have him reach down to the ground. As he gets better and reaching down you'll soften your 'feel' which will open the door for him to go down but you'll stay with him lightly. That way you'll start the process of him learning to follow your feel down and stay in a light contact. This all takes time. Timing and feel too. :-)

To further reinforce the Idea of stretching we need to find a way to introduce the concept in motion too. I'd return to the halter to keep it simple. Ask him to stretch down with a feel on your lead rope. Then ask him to walk. His head will likely come up. Just walk with him and put the same feel on the lead rope/halter as you did while standing still. If you can reward him quick enough when his nose drops even a little (clicker training is ideal for this type of lesson) he'll soon be walking with his nose near the ground. :-)
Jr stretching.jpg

Another worthy lesson that is ideally suited to clicker training (which allows you to reinforce behavior from a distance) is to develop stretching in all the gaits at liberty. Once the horse has been rewarded a lot for the stretching response he will want to do it more. It is very easy to capture the moment with a click. The horse at left is 5 years old and has not been ridden yet. He has however had extensive groundwork, clicker training and now longeing in the the round pen as this image shows.

Next you get on and do the entire process from the saddle. Yes in halter first if you dare. ;-) But if not, in the bridle. One rein at a time. This isn't the time to get hung up on having to be 'on the bit' all the time. This is contact, just a very long rein. You are teaching about contact and how you will promise him that you will not block him. Follow his mouth with your hand if he raises his head to keep the feel 'there'. Don't try to make him put his head down, just wait with that feel. Be patient. Release him to the buckle in the beginning and reward a LOT for stretching down. With all the effort put in on the ground hopefully it will carry over quickly. It should but be patient. Nothing is more important right Head down at walk.jpg

now than the horse's ability to relax and release into the stretch. Go one step at a time.

Hopefully it is obvious now that the next step would be to encourage this same stretching nose-to-the-ground while walking. :-) You'll have to be able to nimbly operate the reins very long, near the buckle. Touch one rein and release him down, then the other rein and release him down.

Just going through this process you should find that your horse becomes more willing to go forward. But it is not time to get greedy and expect to put the whole thing together. First I'd want to make sure that the horse was very comfortable with leg pressure meaning to 'go' without pressure to deal with the whole into the hand concept. That is for later. So for a little while walk on the buckle and reward him when you put your leg on and he gives you a bigger swingier walk. He needs to feel loose and relaxed all the time and any time you loose that you need to step back. The trickiest part of all this is taking the request to stretch down into the trot. Again I work one rein at a time and release to the buckle. Having a way to reward VERY QUICKLY makes a big difference and will move the process along. You want the horse VERY happy to try and the more he tries the more comfortable he gets with the idea and soon it becomes rewarding in of itself.

These lessons will have several positive effects. One is it will start the stretching ball rolling. But even more important you will be beginning to tap into your number one priority: relaxation and release of the neck and back muscles. This relaxation/release response is crucial to getting the horse truly moving FREELY FORWARD. Why? Because a lack of forwardness is due in large part to tension in the back and neck. There is a block there which is preventing the horse from allowing his energy to pass through his body back to front. It goes without saying that the rider can't be contributing to any tension in the back!

What about 'contact'? In the beginning it is always best to work on just one thing at a time. So, initially it is JUST about getting the stretching response. But we go into this knowing that the point is to work on contact and have the horse freely forward into your hand. As the horse gains confidence, balance and freedom you will gather the reins a little bit and still feel like you can tap into that stretching response. Reward a lot with frequent breaks on the buckle and your horse will soon be moving out forward to your hand when you pick up the reins.