Dear H&C Experts,

I would like to ask a question in regards to training a horse to be "round" in the neck and body etc.

Firstly, can any horse, or pony for that matter, be trained to carry their head in that beautiful round position even if they were before very flat looking in the neck, i.e. no shape at all.

Secondly, how do you begin to train a horse or pony to become more round and then how you progress from that etc.

Hope you can help,
Neil Lowndes.

H&C bloggers and dressage riders Alice Oppenheimer and Jo Barry have both replied. Alice says:

"There is a very simple answer to your first question, yes they can. It is possible for any horse or pony, from little fluffies right through to heavy hunters, to be trained to work correctly through the body and neck, resulting in the beautiful head carriage that is synonymous with dressage horses.

My personal preference is (but I do produce a large number of youngsters so I would say this!) to train them to willingly accept a contact on the lunge using side reins as a tool. We start off with them very loose so there is little contact to enable the horse to start to learn to accept a contact, no matter how small, down the reins. As the horses start to understand a contact and lower their head and neck towards the correct position, we gradually shorten the side reins until they confidently work with their head in the correct position. Once they are confident on the lunge, it is possible to train them under saddle, replacing the side reins with the actual reins. As long as the horse has truly accepted the contact on the lunge, it will be easy under saddle.

However, every horse is different and some take longer than others. Also, if the horse does not have the correct musculature, he/ she will find it difficult until they have built up the correct muscle tone, which will take time, so little and often is the best way to start with them. There is no point in trying to teach a tired horse new things, that would only lead to resistances and resentment, and, of course, having a happy athlete is paramount."

Jo replies:

"Yes, any horse/pony if they have no physical problems can be training to be in an outline or 'round'. Some do find it easier than others depending on their confirmation and previous ridden experiences. The reasons why they don't take this shape willingly can be due to various reasons ranging from the wrong aids being used, lack of strength and fitness, badly fitting saddle, sore back..etc etc. The best advice I can offer is to find a good flatwork trainer in your area and have a consultation visit where advice could be given from eyes actually evaluating the situation/horse/rider."