10/03/2026
The term “collection” gets thrown around in conversations about riding every day.
Last week this young lady, who is a novice rider, asked what the term meant. She had overheard it somewhere.
Instead of simply answering, we gave her homework to do an internet search and see what she found. We know, we know…. But there was a method to the madness!
Today at her lesson we opened the can of worms.
“Issy, what did you and your mom discover about collection this week?”
They said they were even more uncertain of what collection was now than they were before they turned to the internet.
Jodi smiled and said, “well, you have me to help fix that confusion. I sent you to the internet first so that you could see all the various ways people describe collection and see how many people don’t know what it truly is. Even “internet experts” and trainers with big followings. Now, in your lesson today we will start teaching you correct collection.”
Things they saw in their internet search.
Some guy pulling a horse around in tiny circles kicking it with his inside leg to “yield its hip for collection”.
A guy teaching grazing position (see this weeks earlier post), a valuable skill, as collection. But the grazing position is not collection.
A dressage rider going around and around talking about collection here and there but the horse didn’t ever seem to change… this one, we suspect was just that it was so subtle the novice eye struggled to identify it.
And so on. Some of the things they saw, they couldn’t even describe.
Collection:
It is not all about a slow speed. Some people think it is. That is called a “collected gait” ie collected trot vs extended trot, but that is not whole collection. It’s just a shortening of stride. A horse can do this and still go too fast or even be upsidedown in the bridle.
Yet, It is not all about a tucked head. Or a low head. Think of the difference between a Reiner, a dressage horse and a western pleasure horse. They can all collect, but they each have a different head and neck carriage. A tucked head is often a horse that is just hiding behind the bit and dumping onto its front end.
Collection is a frame, a balance and stride length or suspension all in one. Different styles of horses look different from one another when doing it. Even within the same sport. Example, Not ever hunter under saddle looks the same while performing the same task. So the winner is determined by the one who appears to most effortlessly execute the task within its desired frame with quality movement (collection & suspension they are intertwined).
But the main thing is collection is balance and softness. Collection is a lifted back with a soft poll and jaw, collection is organized, slow moving (although not necessarily short strided) legs. Meaning the strides can stay long and ground covering and the horse will still be slow legged because it holds its feet on the ground longer with each stride. (Suspension). But, if the back isn’t lifted, the head can be down and the horse can be going so slow you could walk to the Walmart faster than the horse, it still won’t be collected.
Collection, we used to say came from the hind legs, a horse driving from behind. And while that still holds water, more accurately, collection is a horse that uses its core muscles to lift its back and shoulders so that its hind leg can swing through in a full, ground holding stride. The last piece of this puzzle should be speed or head position.
So, to muddy the waters even more if you aren’t already scratching your head…… an extended gait, like a hand gallop or extended trot, can and SHOULD be performed in a collected frame, back lifted, shoulders up, hind legs swinging through, core engaged.
We don’t make all lessons this complex. These are the kinds of details we discuss at lessons as our beginners start to reach towards the next level. We have discussions of methods and ideas that we love and we discuss methods and ideas that are commonly used that we shy away from and we discuss why.
If we don’t like a method or technique around here, it’s not a lack of understanding. Or a dislike for a certain trainer. It’s because of understanding. Understanding of balance, biomechanics and form to function.
Anyhow, here is Issy’s very first attempt at collection after her assignment to discover what it means.
She’s well on her way! And as her timing, feel and understanding grow, well…… the door just opened for so much more learning. Maybe someday, pirouette, lead changes? A horse show???
