The International Training Scale 
With Uwe Spenlen
Collection
Collection is the highest step in our pyramid of training. It must be built squarely on the foundation of the previous five elements.
The aim of all gymnastic training is to get a useful and ready horse that is willing to perform with the horse’s and the rider’s weight evenly distributed over all four legs.
To achieve this carrying power of the hind legs has to be increased. This includes reducing the amount of weight on the forehand, which naturally carries more load than the hind legs and increases by the same amount the weight on the hind legs to allow them to come more forward and under the rider’s weight. This elevates and lightens the forehand and gives more freedom to the movements of the forelegs. The horse looks and feels more ‘uphill’, making possible the seemingly effortless execution of difficult and small figures.
The steps become shorter without losing their energy or activity, the impulsion in trot and canter is maintained; as a result the steps become much more expressive and cadenced.
Two factors make this transformation possible: The horse must be straight and the haunches must be well bent and lowered.
To achieve this change, the propulsive force must be increased by hearty forward driving aids, but should not be let out forward. The horse is framed in by the reins with a non-allowing or even a regulating rein aid and then returned to the quarters through a supple, swinging back. This is the way propulsive power of the hind legs is transformed into carrying power.
All joints of the hind legs are interrelated and complimentary to one another and the horse should be able, if the carrying power of the hindquarters is sufficiently developed, to move in balance and self-carriage in all three gaits. The increased bending of the haunches results in the neck being raised. A collected horse carries more weight on the quarters and accordingly less weight on the forehand and moves with a more acutely arched and shorter neck.
Self-carriage is a goal and a result of proper training. If self-carriage is good, the horse will trustful stretch his frame in walk, trot and canter extensions and shorten his frame in returning to collection.
The horse’s ability and level of collection should grow harmoniously with his training. It should be a slow growing process. The collection should never be started too early or forced nor should the horse be made to maintain collection for long periods too soon.
In general the carrying capacity of the quarters can only be developed after the propulsive force has been established. The rhythm in all three paces has to be established simultaneously, maintaining Losgelassenheit and contact. The development of Schwung concerns both the propulsive force and the carrying capacity. Schwung is the ‘go’, for which contact provides the control. Suppleness (Losgelassenheit) is the flexibility and softness which is needed for straightness. Collection is the result of them all.
The rider must always remember that after and between collection and straightening exercises he must actively ride forward. Remember Steinbrecht’s words: ‘Ride your horse forward and straighten it’.
Therefore the quality of medium trot is a sure indicator of the horse’s training. The quality and regularity of a medium trot after work in collection will clearly show how effectively and correctly the collection was executed. A medium trot is of good quality if the trot is produced with regular, pronounced steps and the horse moves relaxed and straight forward with Schwung, light in hand.
Don’t confuse slow and collected.
Remember: ‘Always quiet (calm) but never slow, always active but never hurried.’
DURCHLÄSSIGKEIT
SUBMISSIVENESS/THROUGHNESS
And last but not least the icing of the cake:
‘Durchlässigkeit’/ Submissiveness/ Throughness
Sorry – here comes another German word to learn and to understand: Durchlässigkeit. Durchlässigkeit/ Submissiveness plays a very important role in the basic training but unfortunately there is no equivalent word in English.
After the horse achieves Losgelassenheit/Suppleness, it then can become durchlässig. The first part of this word ‘durch’ means through, the second part ‘lassen’ means to allow something. The horse allows something to go through its body. It describes the horse’s immediate willingness to accept the ride’s aids so that the energy goes through its body from the back to the neck via the poll to the mouth and back to the hind quarters. The horse should respond to the aids with total absence of resistance, without hesitation and without being blocked by tension at any point. This is the description in German, in English one uses the word throughness.
As already mentioned earlier, to achieve Durchlässigkeit the horse first has to be ‘losgelassen’, supple and loose throughout its whole body, the horse must first swing and be content. This can be developed by logical and systematic gymnastic training.
The more submissiveness is improved the quicker the horse will respond to more and more delicately applied aids.
A submissive horse does not resist either the harder or softer (chocolate) side.
A horse lacking submission resists and avoids the aids by leaning on the reins, being above or behind the bit, opening its mouth or tossing the head.
The degree to which Durchlässigkeit/ Submission exists in a horse is the measure of the correctness with which the training programme has been applied, for example at transitions. If there is still some hesitation left to let the aids through, then the degree of Durchlässigkeit is not quite good as a horse that performs transitions flowing and effortlessly.
A fully submissive horse permits his rider to use desirably subtle aids to enhance the beauty of the overall picture with almost invisible aids.
With other words:
Durchlässigkeit is the hallmark of a correctly trained horse. A horse which can be collected at any time and in all three gaits has achieved the highest level of Durchlässigkeit.
Epilogue
The various sections of the Training Scale could be considered as the basic qualities of a trained horse.
Any serious rider and trainer must take this to heart. If he does he will become a ‘confirmed advocate’ of the classical training and riding method, realising that this system really works.
Those who buy horses and attempt to train them by their own theories and philosophies will end up in the middle of nowhere.
None of these six points of the Classical Training Scale can be considered in isolation.
They must be taken in conjunction with each other.
My short contribution was just an appetiser. Interested riders may find recommended corresponding literature.
Just read, think it over, understand the theory, practise, trust and succeed.
Good luck.
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