Collection..?

while attempting collection with my horse i started thinking...

if it is natural for a horse to move collected, and it is easier for a horse to move collected, then why don't they do it on their own?
of course, my horse can do great things when i'm not riding him.. in the paddock he canters and does lead changes with perfect collection, and when theres food he can do WONDERFUL turns on the haunches&forehand, but put me on his back and he can do them (even with proper ques)

is it just because we're on them? Or is my "thought process" wrong?

any clarification is MUCH appreciated!

Collection is more natural for some horses than for others. It is like teaching someone to run properly, or do gymnastics with the proper form. Does everyone do gymnastics? No - does that mean that gymnastics is unnatural? No, it just means it takes more skill.

Most domestic horses will not do dressage moves out in the field. A lot of dressage moves, especially at the lower level, are a natural part of spooking and defense.

Two examples - I was riding a horse that was being touchy about the shed in one corner of the ring. There were people standing in the shed watching and as we passed, the one girl commented that he was leg yielding beautifully - well, yeah, because he didn't like what he saw and was not allowed to run, so he was moving away from the shed in a way he was allowed.

The first show with my mare was a hunter show - just to get her used to the atmosphere. We were standing near the ring, watching the classes and someone was commenting on how pretty she was - and isn't she a quarter horse? No, a thoroughbred. They reached out to pet her and she sidepassed away from them. She wasn't standing stock still because she was good, she was full of tension but knew I wanted her to stand. So long as no one touched her, she would be fine.

I have seen horses do dressage movements at the higher level out in the field and acting up when riding as well. How well a horse can do dressage has to do with confirmation and athleticism.

This is similar to someone like myself. In high school I was a pretty good runner, but I am built for long distance running and just cannot get the speed up to do well against sprinters.

I think that it's just because when they do them on their own, they're doing it because it's more convenient/easier for them. They're not really thinking about it, and they only have to focus on THEMSELVES, instead of the added weight/aides of the rider. While in the arena, they are just listening to us, and aren't always quite sure where the next turn or something will be, and they don't always quite get the aides....

For instance, if you take a horse on a sharp enough turn, it has to do a flying in order to keep it's balance, so it does it out of necessity. Then the ponies at my barn, even on sharp turns, are so agile that they can just keep their lead (even though that gets annoying sometimes)...

Good question, though.

A lot of the time horses have a hard time collecting themselves when we come into the picture because people don't move with the horse, or stay in balance with them. Most of the time when a horse is hollowed out it is because the rider is also hollow in the back, too stiff and not on there proper balance point. So to help themselves compensate for this, horses will hollow out and have a harder time collecting, not because they don't want to or can't, but because it becomes more difficult and too uncomfortable for them to round out. Even the best riders have certain habits they learned was "the right way to sit" that create an uncomfortable ride for there horses, without even realizing it. I've thought a lot about this very thing when I was trying to get more collection from my horse. He is extremely sensitive to your body language and seat, so even if he felt I was a little stiff or off balance, he'd hollow out and it was difficult for me to get him collected and underneath himself. It took me a while to learn how to sit to him in a way that was more natural and easier for him, and now he collects up without me even asking. He also had a much more difficult time turning on his haunches, but again once I worked on my body, he did it with ease. It's all about your body and balance.

Think about it like a person having good posture, it's not not something that happens naturally for everyone.

If you watch a horse on turn out and playing around you will see them collect....and it's a lot of work to move in frame with a rider on it's back...that's why there is so much emphasis in dressage on building up muscle on the back, haunch and gaskin of a horse. It takes time to do that....Also, with a rider on his back and not being directly centered on him can make things really difficult for a horse in terms of collection and balance.