Dressage Solutions Through Ground-Based Überstreichen Exercises
By Carolyn Resnick

What I like about the uberstreichen exercises is they can be used on all horses no matter what level of training they have received. The purpose of the exercise is to enhance the forward expression of the horse’s gaits. They improve collected and extended gaits by giving the horse the ability to perform with ease. They support the horse’s way of going by removing locked muscles while simultaneously schooling the horse to respond correctly to rein and leg aids.

The eight uberstreichen exercises are exaggerated requests of the half halt. There are eight because they cover the different ways we want the horse to respond to the half halt request. Half halts to create upward and downward transitions, to increase the engagement in the same gait and/or to re-establish self-carriage or a collected frame, are just a few uses of the half halt. The secret to a well performed half halt is how well the gas pedal and brake work in relationship to the suppling and directional aids. A good thing for a rider to remember is that a half halt is not completed until you release the contact of the half halt to an unlocked performance that you were wishing to establish. This is what creates elastic gaits.

I use the uberstreichen exercises on all horses, from beginner to finished schoolmaster. They have three uses. First I use them for schooling. After the horse can perform them easily I use them as warm-up exercises before riding. I can also use them as a test to find the horse’s response to the rider’s aids.

As schooling exercises on green horses they prepare him to respond lightly to turning, suppling and halting aids. In a step-by-step way, they teach him the meaning of rein aids in relation to the leg aids used in various forms of half halts. By separating each case scenario for how the horse should respond to the many forms of half halts, the horse acquires a better understanding of the rein and leg aids. Once the horse has learned the uberstreichen exercises, my first ride is light and forward and the horse is much more in balance than one started without this technique.

Once the horse has learned these exercises I continue to use them as daily warm ups. I also use them to evaluate horses for clients. How a horse responds lets me know the his skill level under saddle, how he will perform under saddle and what needs to be developed in his training for a better performance. With an untrained horse, they give me an understanding of the horse’s athletic ability, personality and trainability. If I am going to ride a strange horse, I use them to evaluate the direction of my warm-up exercises under saddle.

As a daily warm-up, I first test the horse’s response to each exercise. Then I work from the ground on getting the perfect response by continuing to ask him to perform each exercise until he does so with ease. When he is soft and willing from the ground they regulate the inconsistencies in the response to the aids a horse develops during day-to-day riding. When at ease with the ground exercises, the horse is nicely to the aids before he is ridden. It cuts down time and wear and tear issues compared to under saddle warm-ups. It’s amazing how well the groundwork translates to the saddle.

The exercises isolate and address blockages in the horse’s body, whether in the neck, jaw, shoulders, back or hocks. Once the horse performs the exercises easily and properly, he will be in front of the leg. I have found that the exercises’ greatest benefit appears in their use before competition. They enhance the horse’s way of going, its attitude and desire to perform.
Clarity of aids is the key to a horse’s willingness to perform. A horse commonly gets turning rein aids mixed up with supplying rein aids and half halt aids. We can hardly get angry at a horse for turning off to the subtle differences of our rein aids and leg aids. Many times, when asked to supple, a horse will drift in or out of the turn because he thought the rider was using a turning rein rather than a suppling rein. I believe most performance problems are caused from the horse’s lack of understanding, which can create defiance.

Some individual problems can occur. Aggressive horses with big performing gaits can find it difficult being submissive to rein aids when they are at the top of their performance. Self-carriage can create the same out-of-control result in a normally calm horse. A wild horse will posture a collected frame as a way to communicate. Putting a domestic horse in self-carriage can trigger his wild instincts and affect his performance. He may want to look around and shy because his blood is up. Shying is another form of expression a horse uses to control other horses. His body language says, “Watch out, I’m in charge.” When a horse is in a collected frame he is feeling his self-importance.

Once you have brought your horse to a higher level in dressage, where he puts more energy into his performance, you may be dealing with more submission issues than in the past. A common problem with horses that are naturally submissive to the rider’s aids in moderate gaits is that, when asked to perform to their maximum in self-carriage, they lack the desire or energy to do so. Some horses learn to pull or lean on the rein with green riders. All these problems can be addressed with the uberstreichen exercises.

Many times problems between self-carriage and manual control of rein aids and leg aids are related to a rider’s inabilities. I will not address these errors because there are many schools of thought regarding riders’ training techniques in developing collected and extended gaits. But no matter how the horse is being ridden, the exercises are beneficial because an unlocked horse in self-carriage at the top of his ability is what all the different riding schools wish to achieve. If the horse is being ridden incorrectly, the exercises will help but you must learn how to ride correctly or they will lose their effectiveness.

The exercises school horse and rider. While they are most effective in the hands of a skilled rider; they will advance the beginner’s understanding and skill level on how to communicate half halts for self-carriage. All riders can use them to identify where the horse is locked, where the problem is in the horse’s performance and reaction to rein and leg aids.
It is important to remember to keep dressage in the act of your riding and training your horse. One rule that should never be broken is never asking your horse to perform any movement before he is prepared and willing to try.