The essence of the academic art of riding is collection. A horse can only show a correct collection if it is able to carry itself while moving in total relaxation, without any form of tension.
The basic principle of the collection is to ride the horse long and low in order to to teach the horse to search a forward-down contact on the bit. By teaching the horse to follow the rider’s gentle hand and relax, we will achieve the positive effect of the horse beginning to lift its back where the rider is sitting.
At first the horse is ridden in bending on a circle, both on the left and the right hand to assure that both sides are equally exercised. As soon as the horse starts to understand the rider and to think in the right way, it is time to start focussing on the hind quarter to carry. This starts with the shoulder-in.
