Equestrian Shop Online » Horse FAQs » How to Teach a Horse to Do a Levade and Courbette?

How to Teach a Horse to Do a Levade and Courbette?

how to teach a horse to do a levade and courbette

Introduction

Courbette and levade are two of the most difficult and impressive movements in dressage. These movements require horses to be well-trained and strong, as well as a trusting relationship. It is not easy to teach a horse these movements, but patience and dedication are key. This article will give you an overview of how to teach a horse to do a courbette and a levade.

What is a Levade and how does it work?

Levade refers to a dressage movement where the horse stands on its hind leg and its front legs are off the ground. The horse should stand straight with its head elevated and its hind legs bent slightly. This movement is a challenge for dressage horses and requires coordination, strength, balance, and strength.

How to Teach Horses to Do a Levade

It takes patience and willingness to work with horses to teach them how to levade. These are the steps to teach a horse how to do a levade.

Step 1: Establishing Balance

Establishing balance is the first step to teaching a horse how to do a levade. You can start by teaching your horse basic dressage movements such as shoulder-in, half-pass and other levade techniques. These movements will aid the horse in strength and coordination and build trust between rider and horse.

Step 2: Introduce the Levade

The rider can introduce the levade once the horse has become comfortable with basic dressage movements. You can do this by asking the horse to walk in a circle and ask it to lift its front legs slightly above the ground. This should be rewarded to the horse for its efforts.

Step 3: Increase the Duration

The rider can increase the length of the levade if the horse becomes more comfortable with the movement. You should ask the horse to keep the position for longer periods of time. To reinforce desired behavior, reward the horse for his efforts.

Step 4: Increase the height

The rider can increase the speed of the horse’s movement by making sure that he is comfortable walking at a normal pace. Ask the horse to lift its front legs off of the ground. The horse should be rewarded for this effort, just as with the length.

What is a Courbette, exactly?

Courbette is a dressage move in which the horse jumps on one side and balances on the other. This movement is difficult for both horse and rider and requires strong horsemanship and good training.

How to teach a horse to do a courbette

It is very similar to teaching a horse how to do a levade. These are the steps to teach a horse how to do a courbette.

Step 1: Establishing Balance

The first step to teaching a horse how to do a courbette, just like the levade is to get him to balance. You can start by teaching your horse basic dressage movements like shoulder-in, half-pass and full-pass.

Step 2: Introduce the Courbette

The rider can introduce the courbette to the horse once the horse has become comfortable with basic dressage movements. You can do this by asking the horse to move in a circular motion and then asking it for a jump. You should reward the horse for its efforts in this direction.

Step 3: Increase the height

The rider can increase the horse’s ability to move at a walking pace once the horse has become comfortable with the courbette. Ask the horse to jump higher and greater. Rewarding the horse for his efforts will reinforce desired behavior, just like the levade.

Conclusion

It is not an easy task to teach a horse how to do a courbette and a levade. But it is possible with patience and determination. These movements are a challenge for a horse to learn and require coordination, strength and balance. They are also used as a test for a horse’s dressage training. A rider can follow the steps in this article to be able to control his horse.