So first, we start with one hind leg. Put away your whips. We want a slow, thoughtful response.  We want the horse to just raise one hind leg high and hold it there for a few seconds. You need to find something that will get the leg up without producing kicking. A horse that is kicky may need to have his hind legs gentled first. I have giant reeds growing here which often are just the right item.  Dowels, broken lunge whips, 1/2 or 1/4 pvc plastic pipe, bamboo, or molding will work.  You must find what works best and then, much harder, figure out how to use it.  It will be different for every horse.  Somewhere between the hock and the coronet, you apply your object, cluck.  Once you get piaffe started, the cue can be moved anywhere we wish. As the horse gets dull to one object, you will have to change to another.  In one session, I may change several times and then end up with the same object I started out with! Usually a week is enough to work each leg separately. By then, the cluck alone will get the legs up. The hind legs tend to get lazy on clucks alone, losing elevation. So you'll still use an object. Then, you can alternate the legs and slowly increase the tempo. This may take a few weeks. When the horse is steady and calm in this, you are ready for the first step of piaffe.

You must get one leg up before the other comes down. This may take a lot of experimentation to find what works for your horse.  I like to have an object for each leg. Possibly a whip at this stage.  After a week of dubious progress, I found the trick with one horse was a short, lashless whip on the near leg, and with the other whip, a lash long enough to reach around the back of the horse to the other side to lightly cue the far leg.  And, remember, these must always be applied in rhythm and with the cluck.  Be happy with one hop, or even the hint of a hop and put the horse away.  Remember, attitude is the most important thing. I don't just keep banging on the horse's legs, hoping to get something. If six taps don't bring something, I'll change my approach.  Sometimes I may use objects on both sides of the leg,

rather than get heavier with one object.  Don't worry about the front legs. When you get enough bouncing to increase the number of hops a horse can easily give, I concentrate on getting the hop on the very first cluck.  A little extra effort here will save arguments with the horse later.  It is not enough that the horse merely drops his haunches and catches himself with the other leg.  He must push upwards first to get the bounce, otherwise he's just stepping in place, not trotting in place.  And, if he's just stepping, the horse may not engage the front legs.

As the horse develops more impulsion in the piaffe, but is prevented from going forward by the crossties, the hind end will swing to one side, trying to expend the extra energy.  When the horse is piaffing, he will be oblivious to other cues, even ones he knows.  When the hind end bends toward you, you have an opportunity to teach the horse that he can obey a cue and still remain in piaffe.  I take a dowel or stick and sand one end into a point, just sharp enough that the horse won't try to move through it.  I just let him meet it in the general area on his side where my spur will be when I am astride.  At first he will stop piaffing.

But keep trying and eventually he will learn to obey the stick and maintain his piaffe.  Then you can straighten him out easily.  Of course, you can always put the bitting rig on him, but that only treats the symptom and doesn't train the horse.  My method will save a lot of work under saddle as you can control any sideways drift without sacrificing piaffe. Once you get the piaffe in the corssties off the clucks alone, you could probably ride the horse right there. Just clucks produce it.  However, as my horses are extra hot limit testers, I find great value working the piaffe in hand all over the arena.  There are other reasons too.  The piaffe we have taught does not need reins.  Should you sit the piaffe and apply any pressure ot the reins, the horse will probably back up, though still in piaffe.  Working in hand we can encourage the horse to lean on the bit so we can ride the piaffe with contact.  Also, without the crossties we can lead the horse forward with lighter contact.  I may piaffe the horse 20 or 30 feet, teaching him to maintain the rhythm and with even steps.  This will prepare the horse for the transistion into passage, so that the rider won't have to push to get it, but will have it smooth as glass just by lightening a bit on the reins.  With the transition you develop with it will be separate from the snaffle work.  also it helps to round the horse so the hind legs can come farther underneath, thus allowing the front to elevate with more extreme leg action.  I suggest developing the particular piaffe you desire on the ground before ever riding it. Working on the ground you can help the horse so much.  In the saddle, you have little control and can only hinder and confuse the horse.

HOME