Create The Gait Farms

Our biggest condolences go out to her family and connections. bluegrass Bandit was one of my absolute favorite horses. What a sad year. May we celebrate this lovely lady. When I was a kid I used to take her model out to the barn and make her touch noses weigh Romeo and Co. in heaven today Romeo gets to meet her for real. 💔

When we train horses, the dictum of 'calm, forward and straight' should be the mantra at all times.
Should a contraction (resistance) occur, which they inevitably do, we must not just continue to keep doing as we have done. We must do 'something' in order to interrupt the pattern of behaviour. This is as simple as just stopping/halting the horse. (Or slowing down the pace for an advanced horse).
This will not only 'decompose the force and the movement' physically, but has a huge psychological flow on effect as well.
It is true that if we allow a behavior to continue, we are supporting this behavior for the future. Everything we allow to occur is remembered by the horse.

Most often the resistances stem back to the rider, generally due to a lack of basic knowledge. If for example, we continue to force the horse to do a movement he is not prepared for, then we lose calm, then we lose the necessary softness, or giving of the horse. He will instead, create tension in his body (and his mind) which will be detrimental to the movement requested. A horse will not learn if he is agitated. He will only try and protect himself. He will also not be light.

This is what Alexis L'hotte called ; 'unnecessary contractions'. Contractions which not only take 'away' from the movement, but also inhibit the horse's ability to perform the movement properly, and in a state of health and well-being.
"Perfect lightness... finds its formula when the rider puts into play those forces and how the horse makes use of those very forces useful to the movement envisaged. All other manifestations of strength will produce a resistance which, as a consequence, will alter lightness.”
L'hotte
Further;
“Never ride a horse forward with a contraction. It teaches resistance. Re-establish instead, lightness of the mouth at the halt or walk, and then, only then, ride forward. New horse, new rider. “
Capt. E Beudant