Piaffe: How to start correctly

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Will Faerber from Art2Ride discusses the correct development of the Piaffe

[@ArttoRide]

If you have the horse working in the weight of the reins you simply let the horse move into the contact and then block that forward movement by closing your hand for a moment but always giving again to the weight of the rein. It is good to let the horse move a little forward at first and in fact, the correct Piaffe always feels like it's ready to move forward if you close your legs and allow with you seat, that is relax your seat and back and allow the energy to flow forward again.

[@RunLikeAFilly]

Much respect for this guy, he is a true horseman!

[@kristinemcclain9028]

Happy Eq . Will is Master trainer.

[@SigneofHorses]

Can't thank you enough for posting this, to many videos showing teaching piaffe with focus on leg lifting and not on dropping the pelvis. So thank you!!!!

[@chamfrom]

This is the first vid I have seen from this guy - I really really like how gentle he is with the horse and safety comes first with everything - so often forgot with training. I love how he stresses that the horse has to be ready - and how he should be ready and that this needs to be done by someone with experience or with the help of someone with experience. So nice to watch! :-) now - on to his other vids!!!! :-)

[@SarahK293]

This seems like a great method, I'll have to try it! Also I have to say I'm very impressed with this horse, I can't believe he's only been worked consistently for a few years! He looks amazing for a 20 year old and has obviously been taught to collect properly. :)

[@AthenaHawksDA]

When I heard that ya took care of his feet, I was very happy :3 good for you guys!! This stallion is beautiful

[@PhantomQueenOne]

I'm glad you got his feet healthy, it must have been very painful for him.

[@SaphiraWyndsong]

Hi. I often see the Classical teachers use the whip on the lower leg, but I like your way better if you use the whip on the croup. It seems to encourage the steeping under and lowering of the croup more, and doesn't just get the horse to 'lift the legs' Why do you think it is so common to use the 'lower leg method'?

[@ArttoRide]

Remember not to be in a hurry, if you get the horse to just lift the legs on the diagonal pairs as in the trot, that's enough. Stop and reward the horse and keep building it slowing a few steps at a time. It takes a least a year to develop a good piaffe and two years for the horse to master it to the point that it can maintain lowering of the hunches for fifteen or twenty strides and then move out of it into a collected trot or Passage.

[@ArttoRide]

The "fly" was just the light catching the frayed lash on the end of the whip. Nuno did use correctly fitted flashes on the young horses that I watched him start. If they don't like sugar anything else that they like will do, apple or carrot.

[@1827Beethoven]

Fantastic advice, I wish you lived near me I would love to have some training myself. I don't own a horse but, I could ride all day if I could! Keep up the amazing work. Your horses are beautiful and incredibly content in their work, great to see!

[@jaciau]

Thank you for taking the time to offer all that the helpful advice. I'll keep it in mind

[@Em-dh2eh]

How hard should you tap the horse on the hindquarters with the whip? And should you reward your horse for every little movement he makes with his legs? Even he just moves very slightly? Trying to teach my QH this

[@ArttoRide]

A horse that is ready to do this should respond to a fairly light touch of the whip, if you have to hit the horse really hard to get him to move, he is probably not ready for this work. Yes, at first you just reward the horse for activating it’s hindquarters even if that is only a small movement.

[@Nicole39859057]

Looking good!!

[@ingridthechef44]

Nicely presented. Logical.

[@usaGoldie]

Hi there. I like your method. I have seen this work in hand in the Classical sense. It is hard to see on the video, do you use the lead line on the bit? Do you think this is better than a cavasson, or is it just more convenient? Thank you for your generous information.

[@jennyass1409]

Hi! I'm teaching my mare to piaffe, and I've only started. I was wondering what to do if they only walk? Since the piaffe is a derivative of the trot, should I just start at a collected trot? I am using the whip, but I think my mare is just a teeny bit confused. Thanks!

[@ArttoRide]

Jennyass Remember in the first stage of teaching the piaffe, you are only looking for the horse to lift one diagonal pair of legs, front left and right hind for example. As soon as you see the horse do that stop, even if it just bends them at the same time rather than a full step. Be sure that you have fulfilled all of the requirements that I outline in the video before attempting this on your own. That is, the horse must be working over it’s back and have accepted a light contact with reins. If your horse pulls on your hands when you ride or if you hold against the horse’s mouth when you ride, more than likely the horse will try to bolt away when you try to teach piaffe.

[@SuperMazorquero]

You are awsome great stile thank you for shareing

[@ArttoRide]

Hi, I have the line connected to the bit. As the horse progresses I use just the reins in the same manner as work in hand.

[@OxanaBarratt]

fantastic

[@jaciau]

Hi, probably a silly question but I don't have anyone I can work with locally on this. I've watched the video through a number of times and I know my horse is capable, Occasionally s she will spontaniously piaffe (usually when she's impatient) but it doesn't happen regularly enough that I can teach it by rewarding that. Tapping with the whip in hand causes her to walk forward, How do you tell them to move up rather than forward? (Guessing your collecting from the ground?)

[@katttleesi]

One day this will be one beautiful, proper piaffe :) xx

[@persnicketyponies2201]

Hi! I'm currently working on my guy to do this, but he wont do/have any forward movement so he's having trouble actually picking up front legs and hinds together. Any suggestions?

[@ArttoRide]

Try tapping him on the hind leg above the hock to ask for forward movement, then on top of the croup to activate the hindquarters, alternate the two until you get the horse to lift a diagonal pair, then reward. Remember it takes a year to develop a good Piaffe. Take your time and stop if the horse is getting agitated. This is difficult work that should be done under instruction so be careful, you can create more problems than you solve if you don’t do this work correctly.

[@leealexander3507]

ArtToRide, I don't know how to get my horse to respond to the whip. He treats it as if it doesn't exist. I've never run into that with a horse before. If I go back and tap with my fingertip I get the response I'm looking for but it would be nice to have the added reach of the whip. It frees me up to deal with the front end.

[@ArttoRide]

Answered by Art2Ride Associate Trainers: Chelsea MacPhail My mare did not react to the whip when I would tap - luckily I was in a clinic with Will and he had me tap increasingly harder on the top of her hindquarters until she reacted so that I was not simply "nagging" her and then rewarded when she would simply move on if her hind feet at all! She still requires more pressure at times as though she is not paying attention and doesn't notice but once she does finally react she starts to become slightly more sensitive so I can tap lightly again. It sounds like he just needs to understand that you want the same thing from the whip that you do from your finger so you may need to take the pressure up a bit and then reward! Sugar cubes help

[@CalmForward]

Watched the entired video. Nice :) What is the "fly" on the end of the whip? Why are you using a flash noseband? Did Nuno use a flash noseband? You mention sugar, what if you horse did not like sugar, then what?

[@MyBaronMyMacho]

WOW..so no leg tapping...I must say your method makes the most sense...I will be giving it a try...THANK YOU!

[@karenrogattoft9366]

When you say - what sounds to me - " El dip" do you mean the dip most horses have at their shoulder?

[@ArttoRide]

Karen Rogat Toft No, I’m talking about at the top of the hip where it connects to the spine, people often refer to a bump there as a, “hunters bump”. I call it a bad riding bump. If the horses continues going hollow, it can cause Kissing spine. Which is when the top of the vertebra begin to rub together causing pain and lameness.

[@watchgoose]

ArttoRide there is a disc between each vertebra just like ours.

[@jadegreen5861]

my horse is an Arab I'm wanting to move him to dressage, he is orgianaly a hunt seat horse, have any advice for a jumpy kinda hot Arab into a graceful patient disapline as for dressage?

[@ArttoRide]

+Josey Green Yes, train the horse correctly and all your problems will disappear in time. Start with Lunging, see our videos on the subject and go from there.

[@jadegreen5861]

Okay thank you!

[@j1ecp]

can see he likes you eh?

[@nicholasalvestegui4347]

Can you show how to start the passage please??

[@watchgoose]

To CalmForward below, there was no Reply link: Nuno Oliveira did not use flash noseband because his horses were taught to properly yield to snaffle with cavesson in the right position to begin with. Back in the day, a dressage rider wouldn't have been caught dead using any kind of dropped noseband, it was a sign of lack of training.

[@patrickdragovic8055]

I rilly like how thay trin the horses because wen horses in the padik thay run away