Elimika Sport Ponies

04/17/2026

In 2019, the USDF issued a revision to the Dressage Training Pyramid, changing “relaxation” to “suppleness," Brenner Klenzman writes. The pyramid is a translation from the original German, where the word in question is Losgelassenheit, a term that does not directly translate to “suppleness.”

I majored in German in college, studied in Graz, Austria, and am a “new” rider, having started in my fifties. As I learn more about how to ride, this incorrect translation made me wonder: Have we in the U.S. gotten off track with the overall intent of the pyramid? Did we translate it incorrectly, and then revise that translation in a way that moved us even further from the original meaning?

Losgelassenheit literally translates to “being in a state of having let go.”

- Losgelassen is the past tense of loslassen, meaning “to let go.”
- The suffix -heit means “a state or condition of being.”
- The entire word literally means “being in a state or condition of having let go.”

Does this sound like “relaxed”? It actually feels closer to “relaxed” than “supple,” but even “relaxed” isn’t quite right. It describes a mental state of non-grasping, of letting go. It’s the absence of external anxiety, a state in which learning and performance can happen freely.

What stands out when comparing the correct translation of Losgelassenheit with “suppleness”? The original meaning is psychological, not physical. “Relaxation” was closer to the intended meaning, while “suppleness” moves even further away. “Supple” is purely physical.

The purpose of the pyramid, as described in German, is:

Basis der Skala ist die Zwanglosigkeit – die physische und psychische Entspannung –, die in jedem Stand der Ausbildung erhalten bleiben muss, um die volle Leistungsbereitschaft und Leistungsfähigkeit des Pferdes zu erhalten. Ein Verlust der Zwanglosigkeit hat meist auch einen Verlust des Taktes, immer den Verlust der Losgelassenheit zur Folge.

This translates to:

The basis of the scale is Zwanglosigkeit (freedom from tension)—both physical and mental—which must be maintained at every stage of training in order to preserve the horse’s full willingness and ability to perform. A loss of Zwanglosigkeit usually results in a loss of rhythm and always results in a loss of Losgelassenheit.

A literal breakdown of Zwanglosigkeit is also informative:

Zwang: force, compulsion, coercion
-los: without
-keit: state or condition of being
Zwanglosigkeit describes a state free from force, compulsion, or coercion.

While the USDF interpretation of the scale leans heavily toward the physical, the original intent clearly carries a psychological component. Looking more closely at the first three steps of the scale reveals a very different, and arguably more complete and humane, understanding of the pyramid.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/04/16/what-losgelassenheit-really-means-and-why-it-matters-for-the-training-pyramid/
📸 © Olivia Danielle Photography

01/09/2026

“LAZY” horses…
It’s so easy to nag at a low energy horse! But of course that just makes them even less responsive. 
Typically, these horses are unbalanced, on the forehand, and it feels like their front and their hind are not even in the same ZIP Code! When you put leg on them, it feels like trying to build a Sandcastle with totally dry sand. You ask for more forward, and not only does nothing happen, but it feels like you are doing all the work.  The more you focus on getting them forward the worse things get!

 In these scenarios, I challenge you to forget about forwardness. 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙, 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨!! How quickly can you go from forward to backward? Do a trot to rein-back transition… forget the halt. How easily can you maneuver the shoulders? Try an 8 m half circle with counter bend. How quickly can you get into a shoulder in position? And then travers? Then renvers? How long does it take to go from a leg yield left to a leg yield right?

If your horse feels like a bicycle built for multiple people, and you are just one person trying to pedal him up a hill, STOP PEDALING HARDER, and instead try to turn your horse into a unicycle. Get him handy. Do exercises that force him to balance. Don’t try to use your aids to force him to balance, but let the exercise exercises do the work!
If you try going from trot to back up and it takes your horse forever to transition, try trotting him briskly right into the corner and last minute ask him to halt and back up. Let the wall help you do the work. (please don’t do this if your fence is low and your horse is a jumper.) Likewise, if your horse needs 40 acres to complete a turn, try traveling eight or 10 m away from the fence and half circle towards the fence.

I love working equitation obstacles because they really encourage Horses to balance! Even Intro level Working Eq horses are often asked to do very small circles, and a ridiculous number of transitions… WAY more then they would ever do in a dressage test.

If you and your horse are not used to riding at this level of intensity, do it for five minutes and then take a break!!!! But the whole idea is that when you put on your aids you expect the horse to give a response!!  Instead of constantly using your leg to just keep the horse going, do so many transitions and hairpin turns that it sparks some interest in your horse and makes him responsive!!

11/11/2025

Lately it feels like things are closing in.

Our farm used to be miles away from the city. Now residential homes and a new school are 700 meters from our fence line. My parents are getting older. A few special horses had to leave sooner than my heart was ready for. Emotions that used to float now seem to sink straight to the bottom.

It’s strange, getting older. The world that once felt wide and endless slowly narrows. Responsibilities grow. Silence thins. Loss becomes a more familiar visitor than I ever agreed to.

And somehow, I keep thinking about dressage.

Because what getting older feels like to me…
is exactly what we ask of our horses as they become more trained.

Their world, too, closes in.
But in a refining way.

The big, loose, sprawling gaits of youth become gathered, intentional, distilled. We ask them to take all that freedom and organize it. To compress power without losing softness. To collect, to carry more weight without losing spirit. To become more by using less.

That is what life is asking of us, isn’t it?

To stay supple while our surroundings compress.
To keep our hearts forward while the world narrows.
To hold more weight with more grace.
To find balance inside smaller spaces.

But if done right, a well-trained horse doesn’t feel trapped in collection, it feels powerful, supported, and ready.

And maybe a well-lived life is the same.

Maybe the closing-in is simply the beginning of a different kind of strength.
Maybe it’s the moment we learn to elevate.

Maybe the narrowing isn’t a negative, maybe it’s refinement.
Maybe it’s strength gathering at the center.
Maybe it’s our chance to discover that we can still lift, still soften, still carry.

Dressage isn’t the antidote to life closing in.
It’s the companion that teaches us how to stay open as it happens.

And in that way, yes, dressage is absolutely a metaphor for life.

Both ask for the same thing:

When the world closes in, don’t shrink.

Stay supple. And rise.

10/23/2025

Uta Gräf of Germany that this exercise is an important part of training not just for young horses or dressage horses, but for all horses.

10/22/2025

So many paradoxes, so little time!

10/13/2025

🐴"It’s very common for riders to try harder when something isn’t happening. We get into that desperate feeling, and that doesn’t help the horse at all. Quality riding really goes back to basics of rhythm, regularity, the correct contact and the correct outline. Those things, at the end of the day, are what gets the points in a test."🐴
~ Chrissa Hoffman, on how to improve communication with your dressage horse

Click on the link in the Comments below for Hoffman's 15 tips on improved communication to better the partnership you share with your horse.

📸 Stephanie J. Ruff

10/11/2025

The Interplay Between the Thoracic Sling and the Fascial Sleeve of the Forelimb

The horse’s forehand is a marvel of suspension and flow — a dynamic system that relies on the thoracic sling and the fascial sleeve of the forelimb working together as one continuous, responsive unit. The efficiency, elasticity, and comfort of the horse’s entire front end depend on how these two systems share load, tension, and sensory feedback.

🩻 The Thoracic Sling: The Horse’s “Living Suspension System”

Unlike humans, horses do not have a bony joint connecting their forelimbs to the trunk. Instead, the thoracic sling — a network of muscles and fascia — suspends the ribcage between the shoulder blades. Key players include:
• Serratus ventralis cervicis and thoracis
• Pectoralis profundus and subclavius
• Trapezius and rhomboideus
• Latissimus dorsi
• Related myofascia

These structures stabilize and lift the trunk during movement, absorb impact, and allow for fine adjustments in balance and posture. A supple, strong sling lets the horse “float” the ribcage between the shoulders rather than brace against the ground.

🩹 The Fascial Sleeve of the Forelimb: A Continuum of Force and Flow

Each forelimb is encased in a fascial sleeve — a continuous, multilayered sheath of connective tissue that envelops every muscle, tendon, ligament, and neurovascular pathway from the scapula to the hoof.

Rather than separating structures, fascia integrates them, distributing tension and transmitting force both vertically (hoof to trunk) and laterally (across the chest and back). The fascial sleeve is both a stabilizer and a sensory network, richly innervated with mechanoreceptors that inform the central nervous system about position, pressure, and movement.

🔄 A Two-Way Relationship

The thoracic sling and the fascial sleeve of the forelimb form a mutually dependent system.

When one is tight, weak, or imbalanced, the other compensates — often at a cost.

1. Force Transmission

Each stride begins with ground contact. The impact and rebound forces from the limb travel up through the fascial sleeve, into the shoulder girdle, and directly into the thoracic sling.
If the fascial sleeve is supple and well-hydrated, the sling can absorb and redistribute force smoothly.
If restricted — for instance, by myofascial adhesions or muscular guarding — the load transmits as sharp, jarring impact into the sling, leading to fatigue and microstrain.

2. Postural Support

The sling lifts and stabilizes the thorax between the shoulders. But that lift depends on the integrity of the fascial tension in the forelimb.
If the limb fascia loses tone or the deep pectorals shorten, the ribcage can “drop” between the shoulders, leading to a downhill posture, shortened stride, and overload of the forehand.

3. Neuromuscular Coordination

Fascia houses thousands of sensory receptors that communicate constantly with the nervous system.
The thoracic sling relies on this feedback to coordinate timing and symmetry of movement.
When fascial tension becomes uneven — say, due to unilateral limb restriction — proprioceptive input becomes distorted, and the horse may appear crooked, heavy on one rein, or unable to maintain even rhythm.

4. Reciprocal Influence
• A tight thoracic sling can compress the fascial pathways through the shoulder and upper limb, restricting glide and muscle contraction below.
• Conversely, a restricted fascial sleeve can inhibit normal scapular rotation and ribcage lift, forcing the sling muscles to overwork.

💆‍♀️ Myofascial Release and Massage: Restoring the Dialogue

Manual therapies that target both regions — not just the limb or the trunk in isolation — are key to restoring the horse’s natural balance.

Effective bodywork can:
• Release adhesions within the fascial sleeve to restore elastic recoil.
• Improve scapular glide and thoracic lift.
• Normalize sensory input through mechanoreceptors, refining coordination.
• Encourage symmetrical movement and postural awareness through gentle, integrated mobilization.

When the thoracic sling and limb fascia move as one continuous system, the horse’s stride lengthens, the topline softens, and forehand heaviness diminishes.

🧘‍♀️ Training and Conditioning Support

Beyond manual therapy, proper conditioning maintains this balance:
• Hill work and gentle pole exercises enhance thoracic sling engagement.
• Lateral work improves scapular mobility and fascial elasticity.
• Regular checks of saddle fit and rider symmetry prevent recurring restriction.

🐎 The Takeaway

The thoracic sling doesn’t work in isolation — it’s an extension of the fascial sleeve of the forelimb, and together they form the foundation of forehand function.
Healthy fascia enables the sling to lift, absorb, and respond.
A supple, responsive sling protects the fascia from overload.

When they operate in harmony, the horse moves with effortless balance — powerful yet soft, grounded yet elevated — the way nature intended.

09/17/2025

✨ The Truth About Exercises ✨

When it comes to riding, especially in dressage, it’s easy to get caught up in the exercises. Shoulder-in, half pass, transitions, circles — the list goes on. Riders often search for the “magic” movement that will unlock progress with their horse.

But here’s the secret: exercises themselves are not the solution. They are tools to encourage the horsr to use his body in a beneficial, gymnastic way. A circle ridden on the forehand is just a shape in the sand. A half halt done without timing or clarity is just pressure without purpose.

What truly makes an exercise effective is how it’s ridden. Correct ex*****on — with patience, precision and understanding. This is what develops suppleness, balance and harmony. A simple walk–halt transition, done well, can be more beneficial than any advanced movement done poorly.

So instead of searching for the next “new” exercise, focus on the quality of your riding. Slow down, listen to your horse, and refine the basics.

That’s where real progress in dressage begins.

09/16/2025

09/13/2025

Train Long to Grow Strong: What Science Says About Muscle Length and Performance

Did you know that training muscles at longer lengths leads to greater strength, growth, and athletic performance?

Research shows that when muscles are loaded in their lengthened position — rather than short and compressed — they experience:
• More mechanical tension
• Greater muscle fiber remodeling
• Stronger signals for growth and performance

🏇 What does this mean for horse training?
Exercises that encourage a full range of motion — like hill work, cavalletti, and long-and-low frames — promote:
• Stronger, more resilient muscles
• Better stride length and joint stability
• Improved dynamic performance in sports like dressage, jumping, and barrels

⚠️ Short, choppy movements or always working in a collected frame can limit muscle development by avoiding these lengthened positions.

✅ Want to build strength that transfers to real performance?
Encourage your horse to move in full, fluid ranges — not just for fitness, but for long-term soundness and athleticism.

Follow this link for more interesting info -
https://koperequine.com/articles/