There are certainly other phrases of three words that I don’t care for, but “make him round” makes my top ten list.
It’s a popular instruction to a rider whose horse has his head above the vertical — horrors! — and who seems stiff or hollow in the back.
Let me preface by saying that I have nothing against helping a horse to relax over his topline and stretch into the contact. Unfortunately, that’s not usually the meaning of “make him round,” which is the dressage trainer’s answer to the hunter-jumper trainer’s equally misguided “put your horse in a frame.”
The command to “make him round” ignores both the why and the how — why is the horse not round? And, if you try to make him round, how do you do it? Beyond that, there is an additional why — why would you want the horse to be round? And beyond that, how round is round?
Let’s look first at why the horse isn’t round. There’s a reason. There may be many reasons.
Has anyone checked saddle fit? Recently?
Is the horse in the proper bit? A bit that fits and is comfortable? Or was the bit chosen because it’s the bit du jour (for dressage horses, that would be a KK Ultra). Has anyone ever looked in the horse’s mouth to see what bit might fit? Has anyone tried more than one bit to see what the horse responds to and goes well in (without a flash noseband, I might add)?
Is the horse sore somewhere? Has anyone put their hands on the horse to feel where there might be a tenderness or touchiness? How’s the horse’s lateral flexibility? Are specific exercises or massage or other forms of bodywork in order? Or would a visit from the vet be more appropriate?
How are the rider’s hands? Does the rider pull? Many (dare I say, most) riders today pull all the time and are completely unaware of doing so. Likely because they’ve never been taught otherwise.
How is the rider’s seat? Is it balanced? Does it respect the horse’s back, which is after all, at issue here? Does the rider come down harder than necessary when mounting? When posting? Is there a bounce-bang at the canter?
Is the horse using his hindquarters? Is he forward? Or is he mincing around, with a wobble around the stifle, in a parody of a collected trot?
I’ve got a secret for you: Get the horse forward, build up the propulsive strength in the hindquarters, have giving hands, and your horse will make himself round.
The fact is that if your horse is weak and stiff and if your hands aren’t giving, and you still want him to be a pretty picture — that exalted round — your only option is to fake it. Sure, you can make him round. Just pull on your horse’s head with low hands while using stronger driving aids. Voila!
Unfortunately, this solution has everything to do with force, and nothing to do with skill. Precipitous longitudinal flexion won’t give you a good mouth, a happy horse or teach you to be a good rider or a better horseman.
Here’s what will: If your horse is stiff or hollow in his back, and above the bit (not above the vertical), run through all the possible reasons why, so you make sure there’s not a physical reason or a reaction to the wrong tack. Then work on your equitation. Get your horse working from behind. Always, always have giving hands. And one day, your horse will give you the roundness you’re after.
Which brings me to the last two questions: Why would you want your horse to be round? And how round is round?
Here are my answers: You don’t really want your horse to be round (all popular comparisons to a beach ball aside). What you want is this: a horse in self-carriage, who can carry you. A horse who looks proud, with the poll the highest point, withers high, shoulders free and expressive, hind end engaged, back strong and supple.
It is not roundness but rather elevation that you seek.
Anyway, how do you feel when someone makes you do something?
I thought so.
Well, so does your horse.
Reflections on Riding 
Forcemanship – boooo! Partnership – yay! 🙂
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“Forcemanship” — I love it!
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I have to give credit to Erik Herbermann for that one!
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So I was watching the videos from the last George Morris Horsemanship clinics over the weekend, the one where George was sick so he had some other people cover for him.
Anyway, the very first video shows a famous rider with the initials AK getting on a student’s horse. The horse had been traveling very hollow so AK got on and the horse proceeded to throw himself into the air, rearing and leaping to escape the pressure she put on his mouth. He did eventually give in and tuck his nose and stop rearing. I was simultaneously impressed by how she sat through that and a little flummoxed because it just didn’t seem right.
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I just watched this. What I saw was a horse that had no respect for the leg. Anne asks for respect for the leg and that causes the first protest. Then she asks for respect for her hands.
The horse has mouth issues and you can see that before Anne gets on. I would have liked to know what bit was in the horse’s mouth, but I’ve seen Anne change bits before to simple snaffles, so I wouldn’t assume she doesn’t know.
As she says in the clinic, “sometimes it’s physical, sometimes it’s training.” Sometimes the physical stems from the training, with stiffnesses that come from resistance to the wrong tack or the lack of tact.
I don’t know if she’d ride the same way she does here if she were not in a clinic environment, but she was making a point, giving a short demonstration, and “getting it done.”
The horse was more compressed than it needed to be, in my opinion. At the end of her ride, you can see the horse’s neck telescoping at the walk. That’s in him, and I would have liked to have seen that come out with less domination.
But it’s Anne. She’s tough. She insists. And she expects the horse to accept her aids. That’s reasonable, especially with a horse that’s spoiled. I still would have liked to see the horse given more of a chance to participate in the conversation. Because sometimes horses surprise you.
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Thanks for clarifying that, Katie. I understand better now. I have to admit I’m relieved that isn’t necessary for every horse though.
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Well, it’s just my opinion from watching the footage and from attending several of Anne’s clinics over the years. She might tell you something entirely different!
While I don’t think it’s necessary to handle problems in one way for different horses, I do think it’s necessary for every horse is to accept the leg. It’s surprising how many don’t or aren’t asked to or whose riders shy away from having the conversation because there’s a strong protest. That goes for backyard horses straight through FEI. When someone who is going to insist on acceptance to the leg gets on ready to have the conversation, there are often dramatics from the horse, but if the rider gives and rewards, things settle down. You can see some of that going on in GM’s Horsemanship Clinic 2012 Day 1.
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