The Dressage Training Scale Explained

Why the Training Scale Exists

The Training Scale (Skala der Ausbildung) was developed by the German National Equestrian Federation as a systematic framework for developing the horse's physical and mental capabilities over time. It's not a dressage-only concept — it underpins all correct horsemanship across disciplines, though it is most explicitly taught in the dressage world.

Its core insight: you cannot build a higher element without the lower ones being stable. You cannot have Impulsion without Relaxation. You cannot have Collection without Straightness. Every problem has a root one or two levels below where you see it.

Element 1: Rhythm (Takt)

Rhythm is the regular, consistent, pure footfall of each gait. Walk is four beats. Trot is two beats (diagonal pairs). Canter is three beats plus a moment of suspension. Any deviation from these pure footfalls — a lateral walk (pacing), a four-beat canter, a trot without suspension — is a rhythm fault, and rhythm faults cannot be hidden by higher training.

What breaks rhythm?

• Tension — the horse cannot swing through its back when tense, breaking trot rhythm into a choppy shuffle
• Rider interference — blocking the swing with a rigid hand or locked seat
• Pain — back pain, hock pain, or foot pain create compensatory rhythm faults
• Incorrect training — trying to collect before rhythm is established creates a horse that slows its legs rather than carrying its weight

Element 2: Relaxation (Losgelassenheit)

Losgelassenheit is the most nuanced element — and the most commonly sacrificed in pursuit of higher work. It refers to mental and physical looseness: a horse that is mentally at ease with the work, and physically free of tension so that energy can flow through its back, over its topline, and into the contact.

Signs of true relaxation:

• A swinging back — you can feel the horse's back move under the saddle at walk and trot
• Tail that swings gently from side to side (not clamped, not flagged)
• Soft chewing or mouth activity on the bit
• Soft eye, slightly forward ears, a generally unconcerned expression
• A sigh or deep breath during or after work
• Stretching into a longer frame when you offer a longer rein

Signs of tension masquerading as work:

• Horse appears "through" because it's moving fast, but the back is tight
• Tight, clamped tail
• Busy mouth — chewing hard, overbending, tongue over the bit
• Horse hollows when leg is applied rather than stepping under
• Does not stretch down when offered the rein

Element 3: Contact (Anlehnung)

Contact is the soft, elastic, consistent connection between the horse's mouth and the rider's hand. It is not something the rider imposes — it is something the horse offers by pushing from behind, over a relaxed back, and reaching for the bit. A horse "on the bit" is on the contact because it wants to be, not because its head is forced down.

The contact should be even in both reins, consistent regardless of gait or movement, and soft enough that you could hold the reins with three fingers. A horse leaning on the contact (heavy in the hand) has not found balance from behind. A horse behind the vertical has evaded the contact by tucking away from it.

Element 4: Impulsion (Schwung)

Impulsion is often misunderstood as "more speed" — it is not. Impulsion is contained, elastic energy from the hindquarters that flows through a relaxed back and into the contact. A horse can trot around a ring at high speed with zero impulsion if it is running on its forehand with a tight back. A horse can trot at a relatively slow tempo with enormous impulsion if it is pushing energetically from behind over a swinging back.

Impulsion has two components: energy (the horse wants to go forward) and the ability for that energy to be channeled through relaxation into elastic, expressive movement. It exists only at trot and canter — walk and halt have no suspension and therefore no impulsion, though they require energy.

Element 5: Straightness (Geraderichtung)

A straight horse is one whose hind feet track into the prints of the front feet on a straight line, and whose haunches track inside the forehand on a curve — matching the bend of the horse to the bend of the track. Most horses are naturally crooked — they favor one side, just as humans are right or left-handed.

Straightness does not mean rigid. A horse can be "straight" on a 10-meter circle if its spine tracks the curve of that circle. The concept is about alignment of the horse's haunches behind its forehand — not about going in a perfectly straight physical line.

Why straightness matters for collection: a crooked horse cannot load its haunches evenly. An uneven load means one hind leg does more work, which creates muscle imbalance, resistance, and eventually unsoundness. Straightness is both a training goal and a welfare requirement.

Element 6: Collection (Versammlung)

Collection is the apex — and the most misunderstood. Collection is not a head position. It is not the horse "coming onto the bit" or being ridden in a specific frame. Collection is a physical state in which the horse shifts weight to its hindquarters, lowers its haunches, raises its forehand, and takes shorter, higher, more energetic steps while maintaining all five elements below it.

True collection cannot be forced or rushed. It develops gradually as the horse's musculature strengthens over years of correct training. The muscles of the hindquarters — particularly the glutes, hamstrings, and hip flexors — must develop sufficient strength to carry weight rather than just push it. This strength cannot be manufactured; it must be built through progressive training.

The difference between real and fake collection:

• Real collection: Horse carries itself. Steps are elevated and active. Back swings. Rider's seat moves with the horse. Contact is light.
• Fake collection (Rollkür / LDR): Head is behind vertical, neck is shortened. Horse is compressed, not elevated. Back is tight. Contact is heavy. Hind legs trail rather than engage.

Using the Training Scale as a Diagnostic Tool

When something goes wrong in training, the Training Scale tells you where to look. Work backwards from the symptom:

• Horse won't collect → check Straightness. Is one side weaker? Is the horse tracking evenly?
• Horse is crooked or drifts → check Impulsion. Lack of energy often creates crookedness as the horse seeks the path of least resistance.
• Horse is dull to the leg, losing impulsion → check Contact. A horse behind the contact cannot receive the leg properly.
• Horse won't accept contact / tenses against the hand → check Relaxation. You cannot fix contact in a tense horse.
• Horse is tense, rushing, choppy → check Rhythm. Find the tempo that allows relaxation, then work up from there.

The Training Scale is not a one-time progression — it is a continuous reference point. Even Grand Prix horses need to return to rhythm and relaxation work regularly. The pyramid is never "completed"; it is always being refined.