There are certain things riders hear about and mentally check out – assuming they are for ‘other riders’. Self-carriage is one of them. I think from years of misinformation, many riders think it sounds too technical, or ‘dressagey’. Just too fancy or advanced – and because of this, perhaps a little intimidating!
But self-carriage is not just for dressage riders. It is not just for horses working at a high level. And it is definitely not something you only need to think about if you are chasing a prettier outline or a more impressive way of going.
In fact, self-carriage matters to almost every rider because it is the backbone of so many of the things we do every day with our horses. Or that we ‘want’ to do and have every day! The light contact, balanced transitions, flow through corners.
If the majority of your rides are leaving you feel exhausted, is it because of a strange feeling that if you take your mind and effort off for even a second, the whole thing will unravel? If so, self carriage is a great place to begin working!
Because, if we get down to the nitty gritty, self-carriage is really about one simple question: can your horse organise their own body without you micromanaging every stride?
The Real Problem Most Riders Are Feeling
A lot of riders think they are chasing better transitions, lighter contact, or a horse that feels more “together.” And yes, those things matter. Of course they do. But so often, underneath all of that, there is a bigger issue.
The horse is not yet truly taking responsibility for their own balance. And that is just not how ‘team work’ comes together!
If you are the one constantly micro-managing, that gets tiring very quickly! Micro-managing can look like balancing, correcting, slowing down, steering, reminding, adjusting, gathering, etc. So many ways for us to ‘helicopter ride’ our horses! And, let’s be honest, when it gets to this point, often riding starts to feel like more work than it’s worth! Not necessarily bad. Not always dramatic. Just hard, heavy, and often not as enjoyable as it could be.
What Self-Carriage Actually Means
In plain English, self-carriage is when your horse is able to carry themselves with a reasonable degree of balance, rhythm, and responsibility – and without needing you to constantly hold them there! Now, this does not mean that you are perched up there having a holiday and allowing your horse to pick up all of the slack! Nor does it mean that everything is perfect.
What it does mean is that your horse begins to contribute more to the partnership. They become an active team member who is working with you to achieve something together.
They are not leaning on you for balance or falling onto the forehand the second things get a little harder. They are not relying on your hand to hold them up or your leg to keep everything from weaving or wandering across the arena. Instead, they are organising their own body to suit the level of the work involved.
This is one of those things that can be easier to feel than to define. A horse with more self-carriage often feels lighter, and there’s more ‘flow’. The contact is an agreement by both parties, and they can maintain a good quality rhythm without constant correction. Smoother transitions, movements, and just an overall way of going. They are also much more adjustable and have ‘manoeuvrability’.
It is not that everything suddenly becomes ‘easy’. It is that they begin taking more responsibility for their share of the work, the partnership, and the outcome.
Self-Carriage is Not…
Unfortunately, we sometimes get a little carried away with the idea of self-carriage – and our desire to make this happen in our riding and training! Not a good thing because this often leads riders to becoming ‘stuck’. Self-carriage is not how your horse is carrying his head, or a ‘frame’ that you hold your horse in.
Head carriage and ‘frames’ are a result of developing self-carriage – they do not help to produce self-carriage!
A horse can look more put together than they really are. They can appear ‘on the bit’ while still leaning on the rider, bracing through the body, or depending on the rein for balance. The outline may look better, but the feel underneath it is still one of management rather than true organisation and that distinction matters. A horse can still manage to ‘look’ good but still feel heavy. Just like a horse that appears ‘put together’, but still falls apart the moment the rider softens.
That is why self-carriage must be properly understood and worked on as a rider. That it is a shared responsibility and developed balance, rather than just the appearance on the outside.
When self-carriage improves, things often do look better. But they look better because the horse is now actively working on their own way of going. Not because the rider has arranged something to create an overall prettier picture!
Ask Yourself This Question…
Next time you are working with your horse, take the time to ask yourself the following question:- “If I softened or allowed a little here, would my horse maintain or would things begin to fall apart?”
It is such a simple question, but what you learn can change everything! And I would suggest asking this throughout your ride, not just at one good moment! So, for example, would your horse remain balanced on that circle if you softened a little? Would they keep the same rhythm in trot, or would they get quicker, longer, heavier, or wobblier? Would they go through a transition and come out the other side still balanced, or would everything have fallen like a sack of potatoes onto the forehand?
Would your horse be able to maintain what the two of you had built together, or would it all fall apart the second you stopped actively managing every piece?
That question can tell you far more than a pretty photo ever will. And, worth repeating, this should be asked at lots of different points throughout the ride. Maybe your horse can stay organised in walk, but not in trot. Or perhaps they can hold things together on a straight line, but not on a circle. Your horse may find the upward transitions are fine, but downward transitions are just too much.
And, potentially, you’ll get two or three good strides before it beings to unravel. If so, good – that is useful information, because now you know where the work actually needs to happen.
Self-Carriage in Everyday Riding
Now, before you become completely bored or intimidated about the work that lies ahead in your training, I have a few different points to consider. Firstly, as mentioned, this is not just about schooling in an arena.
A horse that has developed some self-carriage is generally more rideable. And rideability matters whether you are hacking out, doing polework, jumping, retraining an ex-racehorse, coming back into riding after a break, or simply trying to enjoy your horse more.
When a horse can carry themselves better, the contact feels lighter and transitions become clearer. Any adjustments that do have to be made don’t have to be so dramatic. Corners stop feeling like wheelbarrow exercises. And turning starts to feel more like turning a nimble little speedboat and less like a desperate attempt to redirect the Titanic!
There is also less nagging and that matters more than most riders realise. Because when the rider is constantly correcting, reminding, and just holding everything together, the horse can easily begin to feel nagged as well. The ride becomes mentally tiring for both horse and rider. Everything starts to feel a bit over-managed!
As self-carriage improves, the aids can become lighter, clearer, and more meaningful. You are no longer doing the horse’s job for them every second. You are communicating, not compensating. This is team work!
Start with Lunging…
Lunging is one of the most overlooked ways of helping your horse to develop self-carriage. Which is a pity because in my opinion, it is hands down one of the best places to begin. When you are working with your horse on the lunge, you can see what is really happening. You get the trainer’s perspective, rather than what the rider ‘thinks’ they feel.
Lunging allows you the luxury of no longer sitting in the middle of the horse’s movement, trying to interpret everything from feel alone! Now you are seeing the actual feedback from your horse.
You can watch the rhythm, pinpoint where any rushing begins, notice when the circle gets smaller because they are falling in, or if they begin drifting out and start leaning on the line for support. There is also the advantage of observing the transitions more objectively. And you can see whether the horse is maintaining a steady tempo or needing constant help to maintain the basics.
And you can begin supporting your horse without, accidentally or not, holding everything together in quite the same way as you might do in the saddle. Your horse has the space to figure things out.
That matters because many riders, usually with the best of intentions, tend to take on too much responsibility! They want to help and they want to get it right. For their horse to feel supported. But sometimes that support becomes so constant that the horse never really learns to carry their own share.
There has to come a point where the horse is allowed to, with support, patience, and compassion, begin doing more for themselves. And that is where real development starts.
Doing The Work
So, if you have now realised that there may be work to do, this is where I am going to invite you to come and spend this month with us inside of Connection. The theme is Building Self Carriage on the Lunge and I think that you will love it, especially if your horse feels heavy in the hand. Or if transitions are exhausting and if each ride regularly leaves you feeling as though you were responsible for absolutely everything… Let’s do the work together. Not because self-carriage is glamorous. And definitely not because it sounds impressive!
But because a horse who can organise their own body is a horse who becomes lighter, more responsive, more adjustable, and more enjoyable to ride.
You should not have to hold your horse together every second of every ride. That is not the goal. The goal is a partnership where both of you come to the party.
Happy Riding
Lorna
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