De Gogue Training System

In an ideal world, we would not need any additional aids to facilitate the training of our horses other than good tack and a good surface. But as most of us don't have the luxury of being able to breed or buy our ideal equine friend, we have to make the best if what we have, and sometimes that can be a never ending story of frustration, heartbreak, exhaustion and finally, defeat. So, what can we do to break this cycle? Whilst I don't claim to be an expert, (heaven forbid) I have worked with various horses that have never previously been asked to do any kind of serious schooling at all; with the aim of being a dressage horse that is.

And the one thing that I would say each horse had in common, was, that they didn't carry themselves in the correct outline, because they didn't work through from behind, round the back muscles and consequently couldn't accept the bit. Now don't all jump up and down saying "ahh, but with correct schooling this will all come in time" because I hate to tell you folks, that isn't always the case, or you might not live long enough to see it!

It's a vicious circle, without the correct top line muscles the horse can't round its back, work through from the hind legs, and therefore, take up the correct contact, but to get the top line muscled in the first place, the horse needs to lower the head, stretch the neck, take a contact and work from behind; So now you see where I am coming from.

When you buy a youngster or a horse that has been correctly trained since weight was first put on its back, (which is when the cycle can first start to go wrong) a lot of these problems are not there, or if they are, they are not too well established as to make undoing them seem impossible, well, that's what we think when we start out! But let's say we have our dear friend with muscles in the wrong place on his neck, a weak back, an indifferent mouth, stiff to one side, likes star gazing, either runs or crawls and the only time his mouth is wet is when he sees his feed arriving, but hey! We love him to bits, (sounds familiar?) but we know he's got really good paces, no skeletal problems, is sound, healthy, straight moving and has a bit of pop in him.

So how do we begin to try to alter this life long "commitment" into the responsive, pleasurable schoolmaster we know lurks beneath? Just a minute where's that spell book gone? But I digress. Well, one training aid I came across that you might like to consider is the "de Gouge". Similar to that of the Chambon but a step further, in that it can be used whilst the horse is ridden, this means there is no break in the training method from lunging to ridden work.

Very useful indeed, how many times have we admired our hard work on the lunge, seen glimpses of a superstar as he powers along the long side of the school, only to feel it all vanish, as you sit ever-so-gently in the saddle, hoping he wont notice we are there? The de Gogue is an invention of the French horseman and trainer Rene` de Gogue and is based on Rene's theory of the "3 points of major resistance", and these are in the badly schooled or unschooled horse; 1. The Poll, 2. The mouth, and 3. The base of the neck.

The idea being that this aid overcomes stiffness in these areas. Within the "triangle" created by the device, the horse learns to carry its head comfortably in the required lower position. This is the "independent" position and is retained in the early ridden work. As with the Chambon, it is advisable to work the horse loose initially, thereafter, it can be used with the horse on the lunge,

The aim and effect is "to raise the base of the neck, free the shoulders, produce greater engagement and flexion of the hock and encourage the muscled development of a rounded top-line" E H Edwards (1990)

When the horse is moving freely and energetically forward, in the correct outline, it is possible, to start to produce a more advanced head carriage, with the nose brought in and greater flexion at the poll, however this must be done slowly and carefully and it is absolutely essential that you insist that the horse moves forward with undiminished energy and freedom.

Don't worry about the horse becoming over bent, because the "stops" fitted to the cord below the pulley on the poll pad, stops this happening

The next stage is to school the horse ridden..For this, ordinary reins are added to the bit, this does not affect the "triangle of constraint" so the established outline is maintained, but you will need to loosen off the de Gogue slightly, till the horse becomes accustomed to working with a weight on his back and is responding easily to the riders leg aids.

Once this has been obtained, the triangle can be tightened up again. The final stage is to attach the reins directly to the cords. (fig.3a). The triangle is now completed, by the rein going directly to the hand, a considerable advance on the limited use of the Chambon. It seems there are different opinions as to whether the rein attached to the bit should be left on, in addition to the direct one. If you are a less than confident rider, it may be wise to leave this in place until you are confident that you are able to handle the single direct rein with gentle forgiving hands.

According to the experts, the de Gogue can be used for jumping and cross-country. With a horse schooled in this system, the rider obtains maximum control with the minimum of effort, the horse responding smoothly to the indications of the hand performing with all the athleticism of which it is capable - an athleticism greatly encouraged by the correct and supple development of the form and musculature. And in brief is what the de Gogue is all about.

A note of warning (well you didn't think it was that simple did you?) This training aid is NOT to be used by the novice rider, and should not be used even by riders of higher level, without the supervision of an experienced instructor. It's not the sort of thing you can "have a go at", you need to be fully conversant with the undying theory of training horses in the correct way. But you may find it useful for establishing the "feel" and "way of going" for a not-so-perfect horse, which you might otherwise have given up on. Good luck.

Acknowledgements: Training Aids in Theory and Practice by Elwyn Hartley Edwards - Published by JA Allen 

Chambon - A Chambon is designed to encourage a horse to carry his neck in a long and low position when on the lunge. The Chambon works by putting pressure on the horse's poll and lifting the bit upwards if the horse raises his head too high. A Chambon needs to be used with care - if you are not sure how to fit & use it correctly get some professional advice.

Draw Reins - Draw reins are commonly used for quick results to achieve an "outline" by forcing the head down. It is unsuitable and unsafe for jumping in. It relies entirely on rider skill, depending on the use of the draw reins to encourage correct head carriage. They are no substitute, however, for proper schooling. Horses who have been schooled in draw reins will not work up into the bridle or take a contact, even though their heads are in an "outline", and they are reluctant to use their hindquarters correctly

Market Harborough - The Market Harborough, named after the town of it's origin in England , is a form of martingale, but is unsafe to jump in. It has a very precise action that only works when the rider chooses it to, and so relies on rider skill. When the horse has his nose perpendicular to the ground, the Market Harborough should be clipped to the appropriate rein ring, so the horse will be comfortable when he has his nose in that position. It will not be possible for the horse to raise his head but it doesn't make him overbend. It is very useful in skilled hands for as short a period of time as possible.

Running Martingale - The running martingale is designed to prevent the horse from getting his head above the angle of control, by changing the action of the reins to pull the head down again to the acceptable height. The rings of the running martingale should be able to touch the bottom of the jaw, no lower down the neck. Many people fit them far too tight, showing that they do not understand the correct application of it as a schooling aid.

Running Reins - Running reins are basically draw reins that are attached to the side of the girth , rather than the belly of the girth, making the horse pull his head IN rather than DOWN, as in draw reins. Otherwise they act in much the same manner and also rely on rider skill.

Standing Martingale - The standing martingale takes a more direct action than the Running Martingale and has the advantage that it does not apply pressure to the bit, but to the nose via the noseband. Many horses resent it however, and it is not suitable for jumping in, as the horse cannot stretch over the jump. It should also be able to touch the horse's jaw.