Could someone 'horsey' explain just how the rider controls the horse? I know they use their knees in some way but how does that translate into different movements for the horse? Also, does the horse 'learn' the routine and practise it or does the rider rely on instructions every time?
It’s a combination of signals (called aids) from the rider’s legs, seat, weight and hands. Particularly with the leg aids, it’s a further combination of where those leg aids are in relation to the horse (e.g. further back or forward on the horse’s side) and to each other (e.g. left leg further back than the right). The weight comes into play as a horse will naturally move “under” a rider’s weight. If I want to move sideways or create a bend, I will shift my weight slightly in that direction by placing more weight on one seatbone than the other.
Legs and seat (the latter of which works in the sense of “following” the horse’s stride - if I allow my pelvis to swing along with the horse’s movement I’m encouraging forward movement, whereas if I deliberately restrict how much my pelvis follows the horse’s movement I’m restricting it) also create and control energy - I can create energy from the hind legs with my legs (horses being, effectively, rear wheel drive!) and then hold it with my seat to redirect that into a more elevated step, or allow it forward into a lengthened stride. My hands stop the energy flowing out the front, like putting a cap on a toothpaste tube before you squeeze it, but you don’t want too much hand because it creates unnecessary tension and tightness. Too much hand also creates heaviness at their front end, which is not what you want - you want them to hold their weight in their hind legs and core, and not your hands, so they can power forward but retain lightness and relaxation in their overall movement.
The higher the level of training, the more refined the aids are not just in the sense of being hard to see (which is why riders look like they’re not doing anything!) but in terms of a tiny difference in where a leg aid is applied creating a different effect.
As for the dressage tests, the rider will learn them off by heart but the ideal is that the horse does not. You’ll see lettered markers around the arena and movements have to be carried out precisely at those markers. If the horse starts to learn the test they can anticipate and do things early/in the wrong place which will be marked down.
That said, I have occasionally taught my horse a section of a dressage test because it’s a movement that’s tricky or something she finds hard, so them knowing what you’re going to do works to your advantage!
Thank you for asking 🙂