For many riders in Britain, training dressage “in-hand” still feels niche – something associated with the Spanish Riding School of Vienna or the Cadre Noir in Saumur. Yet, across Europe, it’s a staple at every level, and it’s now gaining ground here too.
At its core, in-hand training is straightforward: with a bridle or cavesson and a schooling whip, the handler works the horse from the ground to build suppleness, strength and understanding, either before or alongside ridden work.
Unlike lungeing or long-reining, it’s closer to “riding from the ground,” using the reins, whip and body language to communicate. The result? Better balance, clearer communication, and a horse more prepared – physically and mentally – to learn.
Why in-hand training works
“It’s almost like Pilates for the horse,” says Swedish trainer Charlotte Wittbom on classical in-hand work. “If I’ve done all the lateral movements and helped the horse fire up the correct muscles, then when I put a rider on, the horse is so much more prepared.”
Charlotte learned her craft in Portugal with the Valença family and at Morgado Lusitano before moving to the UK, where she now collaborates with five-star international judge Stephen Clarke.
However, at first, Stephen admits, he wasn’t sure. “Charlotte came to me wanting to adapt her classical background to competition,” he recalls. “Once I saw how she used groundwork, I was impressed.
“There are riders I’ve been teaching for years that I’ve struggled to get into real self-carriage – and one session with Charlotte, and it clicks. It’s a brilliant tool.”
Charlotte emphasises that the basics are always the foundation. “We can’t just tell a horse to fire up their core. We need to put them in a position where those muscles are engaged, breaking the movement apart so they can understand it without the added complication of a rider.
“I wouldn’t start piaffe before doing this, but even when a horse is advanced, the basics don’t stop.”
The results can be striking. “We used infrared cameras once to compare warm-ups,” she says. “It took 20 minutes ridden for the horse to get the topline engaged – with groundwork, it took 30 seconds.”
Trainer Kathrin Roida, who has written extensively on in-hand work, agrees that the benefits scale right up to the top of the sport: “Every horse can also passage gracefully in-hand when it’s taught with lightness. It develops body and mind together.”
Dressage Training In-Hand | Amazon
In this book, Kathrin details her methods, sharing the stories of horses of different ages, breeds, and training backgrounds, and demonstrating the steps to teaching them: shoulder-in, travers, renvers, pirouettes, half-pass, piaffe, passage, canter work, the Spanish walk, and much more.
Are you a fan of using in-hand work as part of your horse’s regular exercise routine? Let us know what benefits you’ve seen at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of Horse & Hound magazine. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.
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Oscar graduated from York St John University with a master’s degree in Literature in 2021 and joined Horse & Hound in October 2023. Oscar worked for top dressage rider Emile Faurie for four years after finishing an equine management course at college. Under Emile’s tutelage, Oscar competed at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelled with Emile’s horses to CDIs at Aachen, Vidauban, Saumur and Achlieiten. Oscar continues to compete in dressage, alongside his day job.
