The aim of work on two tracks is to improve the horse’s obedience and decontraction, to develop the engagement of the hind legs, and thus to increase collection to reach an ideal balance and great lightness.
In work on two tracks, the following movements are identified:
- Leg-yielding
- Shoulder-in
- Travers
- Renvers
- Half-pass
LEG-YIELDING
Leg-yielding is an exercise to soften up the horse and improve its decontraction, elasticity, and obedience.
During the exercise, the horse must remain slightly bent, and if the leg-yielding is executed along the diagonal of the riding area, the horse must proceed almost parallel to the long side towards which it is moving.
The horse’s front legs must always slightly precede the hind legs, while the front and hind legs of the inside side overtake and intersect the outside ones.
The rider’s inside leg is positioned slightly towards the back and with pressure it determines the lateral movement of the horse.
The outside leg has the function of moving the horse forward, and if necessary, to prevent the hind legs from advancing too far during the execution of the movement. The inside rein has the task of bending the horse slightly inward, while the outside rein determines the degree of bend wanted. It is important for both of the reins to act to promptly manage any attempt by the horse to rush the gait, while the rider’s weight should remain correctly aligned with the horse’s center of gravity and be ready to move in the direction of the movement.
SHOULDER-IN
Shoulder-in is the fundamental exercise for all of the work on two tracks, it is said that is the aspirin of dressage ; it assumes a certain degree of collection (balance) and is to be executed with a clear bend for the entire length of the horse. If executed in trot, it is very important for the horse to maintain a regular gait for the entire duration of execution of the movement. Thus, particular attention must be paid to the fact that the horse is bent in such a way as to allow it to maintain a regular rhythm in trot, and not, as is often seen in practice, with an excessive bend of the neckline, that in general causes the irregularity of the gait.
A perfect execution of shoulder-in requires systematic training adapted to the horse’s ability, with the warning that the movement should not be practiced too often and for long periods. To the contrary, this exercise should be alternated with requests for the horse to move decidedly forward to re-establish the impulsion that is inevitably somewhat compromised by the frequent execution of this movement.
In shoulder-in, it is the inside rein that leads the horse towards the inside of the track and indicates the direction of the movement, the outside rein makes correct contact and fixes the degree of lateral positioning of the horse, while the inside leg stimulates the horse to go forward, bending along its whole length, and the outside leg, kept slightly behind the girth, supports the forward movement and also acts with a restraining effect.
These “classical” aids must however be adapted to the individual reactions of each horse, until reaching the final result of ideal contact with reins and legs. In the execution of shoulder-in, it is of primary importance, including when riding in the corners, for the horse to always maintain the same angle, remaining in the same lateral position assumed at the start of the exercise. If the horse is trained correctly in shoulder-in with both hands, then the foundation will be set for all of the other movements on two tracks.
The preliminarily condition, though, is that the horse must move correctly and absolutely straight before starting any attempt to work on two tracks.
If at the beginning of this exercise the horse shows an irregularity in the gait, then the rider should immediately re-establish the proper balance again riding on straight lines, and re-start the work on two tracks, for rather short periods, only after this balance has been re-established.
TRAVERS
In travers the horse’s outside legs cross and pass in front of the inside legs. The horse looks in the direction it is moving, and if travers is done in the corner, the front legs will cover more space than the hind legs. To give an idea of the maximum lateral position in relation to the horse’s line of movement, we can speak of an angle of approximately 45 degrees.
In both travers and renvers, that we will analyze subsequently, we must be able to observe the bend of the entire silhouette of the horse. This aspect, which is of fundamental importance, implies that the neckline will remain fixed well to the withers and will not be bent more than the horse is bent along its entire length.
It is important to always remember that travers and renvers must be executed for relatively brief periods because they are rather demanding for the horse since they require considerable collection and an accentuated degree of bend.
During the execution of this exercise, the horse must always maintain a regular, collected trot, and a clear tendency to proceed with the same gait that would be shown if executed in straight lines.
RENVERS
Renvers is the counter-exercise of travers, this time with the croup instead of the head on the wall. The degree of bend and the positioning of the horse, as well as the position of the head and the neckline, are exactly the same as in travers.
In this movement as well, the horse looks in the direction it moves, with the difference that this time, in the angles the hind legs will cover more ground than the front legs.
What is stated above for travers also applies to renvers.
If a horse shows signs of resistance in the execution of both travers and renvers, no corrections are to be made during the performance of these exercises, but it is necessary to return to perform a correct shoulder-in, always keeping in mind that the horse must first of all be worked on straight lines, since excessive training through work on two tracks can cause a certain loss of impulsion, even in the most experienced horse.
If the horse tries to avoid the movement by shortening the gait or breaking into the canter, it will be necessary to immediately bring it back in to a shoulder-in position, riding it decisively forward. The horse must show that it is again moving in a correct trot before returning to perform the work on two tracks.
Particular attention must be paid to the correct position of the neckline, that must not be bent from the withers to the poll, but the bend must correspond to the entire curvature of the horse; this means that the horse must bend in the rib cage thanks to a correct intervention of the rider’s inside leg.
When judging a high-level dressage class, the judge must evaluate whether greater bend in the rib cage is required compared to what happens in a shoulder-in in more elementary classes. The judge must also observe if the rider is seated in the correct position, not with the upper part of the body that tends to bend from one side or even causing the internal hip to collapse. In any case, the rider must always follow the horse’s movement, keeping his shoulders parallel to those of the horse, and not, as we often see, turning towards the direction of the movement.
HALF-PASS
The half-pass is the figure of the work on two tracks equivalent to travers and renvers when the movement is executed diagonally through the dressage arena, while if a counterchange of direction is executed in the half-pass, we speak of counter half-pass or a so-called zigzag movement.
In executing the half-pass, the rider, and thus the judge as well, must pay attention to whether the horse is moving freely forward on two tracks with its head, neckline, and shoulders always slightly ahead of its hind legs. The horse is bent slightly and looks in the direction of the movement, and its position must be almost parallel to the straight line of the riding ring.
In the counterchange of half-pass it is a sign of good training when the horse shows that it changes direction rapidly and fluidly, for example from right to left, always preserving the same degree of bend at the rib cage and the same collected trot.
The rider’s inside leg creates the proper bend and determines the forward movement, while the outside leg influences the horse in going to the right or the left depending on the direction of the half-pass.
When changing from one side to the other, and thus changing the corresponding bend, in changing direction the horse must not show the croup in the new direction taken. In the event that the horse tends to lose impulsion, the rider must interrupt the execution of these exercises, and ride the horse firmly forward in straight lines, although without the use of force, to then return to the shoulder-in, travers, renvers, and half-pass exercises only after the impulsion has been correctly and promptly re-established.
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