Do you ride with the feeling that your horse is constantly “fighting” the bit? Is he restless in the mouth, does he pull the reins out of your hands, or does he lag behind the rein? Then you lack a fine contact.
What is true contact?
True contact is not the result of pulling on the reins, but a trust between the rider’s hand and the horse’s mouth. If a horse is crooked, he cannot establish that connection properly. He locks up in his neck, clamps his jaws shut, and either “escapes” from the pressure or leans heavily into it.
Causes of a difficult contact:
1. A locked jaw due to crookedness
When a horse locks his jaws, the energy from the hindquarters cannot flow forward through the back. This is often because the horse is “hollow” on one side and “arched” on the other.
2. Pushing the back away
When a horse pushes its back away, the lower neck protrudes and the contact becomes hard and restless. The horse cannot follow the hand because it does not have control over its own center of gravity.
3. Pulling behind the bit
Some horses appear very light, but curl their neck to avoid contact. This horse does not carry itself but evades the aids. In the Art of Riding, we call this a lack of “forward-downward” tendency.
From Resistance to Connection
True contact only develops once the horse is properly aligned. As soon as the inside hind leg moves under the center of gravity and the back relaxes, the horse will once again feel comfortable seeking the rider’s hand as a point of support. The contact then becomes a soft, springy connection rather than a tug-of-war.
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