Decades of dressage taught me to lighten the forehand by engaging the hindquarters. Research by Dr. Hilary Clayton proves the chest muscles are a key to balance and collection. What does this mean for the naturally gaited horse?

Research Proves the Importance of the Chest Muscles for Balance & Collection

By Jennifer Klitzke

The article: Equine Biomechanics Research the Significance of a Horses Chest Sling Muscles has opened my eyes of awareness! This research by highly credentialed veterinarian Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, DACVSMR, FRCVS spans over 40 years of collecting data on gait analysis for dressage horses, most recently in the McPhail Equine Performance Center at Michigan State University where she conducted studies to evaluate a horse’s body during collection.

Dr. Clayton is not only an accomplished research veterinarian. She knows the how’s and why’s of collection and balance from the inside out. Dr. Clayton is a United States Dressage Federation Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist, which requires showing through the Grand Prix level.

“I’ve been studying equine biomechanics for over 40 years,” said Dr. Clayton. “And I am convinced that understanding the action of the horse’s sling muscles and the role of the forelimbs are crucial to understanding the mechanics of self-carriage in the dressage horse.”

Awakening to the Biomechanics of Balance

I dreamed of owning a horse from the time I was three. Then in 1988, when my career could support a horse, I became the proud owner of a five-year-old Trakehner/ thoroughbred gelding named Seili. Dressage became my passion and study. Seili’s lofty trot was far from smooth, yet I learned to ride and show him as an adult amateur dressage rider/trainer.

Dressage taught me to stretch my horse’ top line, engage the hindquarters, and encourage my horse to step deeper under the belly in trot as the energy carried through the body to the bit.

Seili and I did lots and lots of long and low trotting on a 20-meter circle to strengthen his top line muscles. As an adult amateur dressage rider/trainer, it took us several years to move from Training Level to First Level and then Second Level.

Several years of long and low didn’t prepare us for Second Level

Second Level dressage is when the horse demonstrates collection and balance through movements as the shoulder-in, haunches-in, walk pirouettes, and transitions between collected and medium gaits.

Several years of long and low didn’t teach us collection and balance. Several years of long and low taught us to travel on the forehand. Second Level was like starting our training all over again.

It took a couple more years of schooling Second Level before Seili and I were ready to show Second Level. The exercises of shoulder-in, haunches-in, walk pirouette, and transitions between gaits did their job to develop balance and collection. All along I had thought my horse become lighter and more balanced because I had engaged the hindquarters to step deeper under the belly with the hind legs, activate the abdominal muscles to lift the back and raise the wither. Then capture the energy through his body to the bit.

Yet it never occurred to me these balancing exercises activated the shoulder and pectoral muscles.

The chest muscles were never talked about: Not in my lessons, not in the clinics I attended, not in the books I read, not in the videos I watched.

My Trakehner/Thoroughbred and I began schooling Third Level dressage before his age took over, and we dropped out of the show scene. When Seili reached his mid 20s, I began searching for another horse.

Bumpy to Smooth Gaits

Thinking back to sitting Seili’s trot made me long for a smoother ride. That’s when I set out to find a naturally gaited horse.

On a cold February day, a just turning three-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse named Makana met me at the fence and warmed my heart. She became my first naturally gaited horse on Valentine’s Day 2007.

I applied the dressage principles I had learned with my new gaited horse. We did lots of long and low on a 20-meter circle at a walk and flat walk to develop her top line muscles. I encouraged her to step deeper under her body to increase her depth of stride.

As Makana matured, I began balancing exercises as the shoulder-in, haunches-in, rein back, and transitions between the smooth gaits.

Then I learned of a DVD by Lisa Maxwell: Getting Started with Lightness: The French Classical Dressage of Francois Baucher as taught by Jean Claude Racinet presented by one of his students Lisa Maxwell. This DVD introduced the counted walk—something I had never seen before.

When I began teaching the counted walk to my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse is when I began to FEEL balance like never felt before. It feels like she is lowering behind, rounding her back beneath me, and lifting her wither, neck and head while lightening her forehand.

Still, all along, I believed that lightening the forehand and raising the wither were due to the engaging the hindquarters. Yes, this is part of the equation, but Dr. Clayton’s research opened my eyes. The important role the shoulder and pectoral muscles play in collection and balance is as much of an epiphany to me as it must have been to people who learned that the world was round, not flat!

Over 30 years of dressage study never taught the importance of engaging the shoulder and pectoral muscles in order to raise the wither and lighten the forehand until Dr. Clayton’s research proves it.

Now I know WHY the shoulder-in, shoulder-out, rein back, and counted walk are so effective in developing balance and collection. Now I know why I FEEL balance and collection during these exercises, because they activate the very muscles that lift the wither and lighten the forehand. 

What does Dr. Clayton’s research mean for the naturally gaited horse?

Thanks to Dr. Clayton I have new eyes of awareness as I ride and train my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, Makana, and fox trotting horse, Lady.

Do you have a gaited horse that feels heavy on the forehand, like riding in a car with no suspension in front as your horse pounds the ground with their front feet? Does your horse lean heavy in your hands?

Well, I do. That’s my naturally gaited fox trotting mare, Lady.

Bit problem or posture problem

I had been conditioned to think “back to front” in my dressage riding. Before learning about Dr. Clayton’s research, I had been trying to engage Lady from behind to lighten the forehand. Lady’s response: rush quicker and get heavier in my hands. Not the result I hoped for. So I tried all kinds of bits. Same result.

Dr. Clayton’s research helped me notice when Lady gets heavy in my hands, it is because she is heavy on the forehand. Why? Lady had slouching chest muscles. Lady didn’t have a bit problem. She had a posture problem. It’s like Lady had a flat tire in her chest. Once I began to inflate her flat tire with chest-engaging exercises, Lady became lighter in my hands and more balanced.

Dr. Clayton’s research proves to me the answer lies in chest-engaging exercises to help Lady find balance and collection. Anytime Lady feels heavy in my hands, I transition her to exercises like the shoulder-in on a small circle and shoulder-out, pivot the fore, counted walk, or rein back.

These exercises activate Lady’s shoulder and pectoral muscles while they also engage the hindquarters and abdominal muscles. The result of engaging Lady’s chest-engaging exercises: she becomes more balanced, lighter in my hand, and lighter on the forehand.

Whether you ride a naturally smooth gaited horse or a non-gaited trotting horse, Dr. Clayton’s research about chest muscles for developing balance can help you no matter what stage of dressage training your horse is at.

Many thanks to Dr. Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, DACVSMR, FRCVS for her equine research that can help us improve our horse’s quality of balanced movement.

If you are on this gaited dressage journey, I’d love to hear from you. Contact us»

Stay connected by subscribing to the Naturally Gaited youtube channel and join our community on facebook.com/naturallygaited.