The method is classical, in the German training-scale order: rhythm, relaxation, contact, impulsion, straightness, collection. Working Equitation obstacles and gymnastic jumping are layered on once the foundation holds, as schooling rather than tricks. Your horse's stage, and exactly what stands between it and the next one, lives in its training log.
A skill on a tense horse is not yet a skill
Any checkpoint completed with sustained tension is marked not yet, however clean the execution. Every session records the horse's relaxation at the start and the end.
Stage gates are on video
A horse passes a stage when a supervising trainer sees every checkpoint on video, ending with the stretch (from H4 up) and a horse at least as calm as it started. Gate videos are kept and compared to the day-one baseline.
Horses start where they actually are
A restart may place at H1 with holes noted; a well-started horse at H4. Stages below placement are checked pass or fail at the evaluation, not retrained line by line.
Ground Manners & Handling
The horse is safe and pleasant to handle on the ground, for anyone.
Everything else is built on this. A horse that catches, ties, loads and stands for the farrier is a horse the rest of the program can actually reach.
14 checkpoints in H0
- H0.1Catches in stall and paddock · approaches or stands to be haltered, no evasion.
- H0.2Leads at the shoulder · walk and halt from handler's body, lead rope loose.
- H0.3Stands tied · quietly, both cross-ties and single tie, 15 minutes.
- H0.4Accepts grooming everywhere · including belly, dock, ears; feet picked all four.
- H0.5Stands for the farrier · each foot held and worked on without snatching.
- H0.6Accepts fly spray and bathing · hose over the whole body, calm.
- H0.7Leads through gates and doorways · waits, walks through straight, turns and waits again.
- H0.8Backs from a light chest cue · two straight steps, no head raise.
- H0.9Yields hindquarters from touch · one deliberate step at a time, both sides.
- H0.10Yields forehand from touch · steps the shoulders over, both sides.
- H0.11Stands for vet handling · temperature, mouth, ears touched; accepts oral syringe.
- H0.12Loads and unloads on a trailer · walks on, stands, backs off calm.
- H0.13Ties at the trailer · stands at an away venue or simulation, settled.
- H0.14Respects personal space · never crowds, never rubs, waits at feed time.
Groundwork & Lungeing
The horse works on the ground: voice, posture, light pressure released instantly.
The horse learns the vocabulary it will hear for the rest of its life: voice, posture, and a light pressure that goes away the moment it answers.
14 checkpoints in H1
- H1.1Lunges at walk both directions · stays out on the circle, steady.
- H1.2Lunges at trot both directions · rhythm even, no cutting in.
- H1.3Lunges at canter both directions · picks up and holds the lead, no charging.
- H1.4Voice transitions on the lunge · walk, trot, canter, halt from voice alone.
- H1.5Halts and faces up on the lunge · waits to be approached.
- H1.6Lunges over a pole · no rush, no break of rhythm.
- H1.7Wears full tack on the lunge · saddle and bridle, works normally.
- H1.8Accepts the bit · takes it quietly, chews softly, no head shyness.
- H1.9Sacking out · rope, tarp, flag over body and legs without panic.
- H1.10Desensitized to overhead motion · objects swung, thrown, and dragged near.
- H1.11Ground-drives at walk · steers, halts, and backs from long lines.
- H1.12In-hand turn on the forehand · steps evenly around, both directions.
- H1.13Stands mounted-height at the block · parallel, immobile, both sides.
- H1.14Ponying or hand-walking out · leaves the property in hand, returns calm.
Starting Under Saddle
First rides: the horse carries a rider calmly at walk and trot in an enclosed arena.
The first rides. Short, quiet, and in an enclosed arena. Nothing here is asked until H0 and H1 hold.
13 checkpoints in H2
- H2.1Accepts mounting · stands at the block, both sides, until asked to move.
- H2.2Stands under the rider at halt · one full minute, loose rein.
- H2.3Walks off from a light leg · no rush, no plant.
- H2.4Steers at walk · opening rein both directions, large simple turns.
- H2.5Halts from seat and voice · rein last, no brace.
- H2.6First trot under saddle · short sets, straight lines, no scoot.
- H2.7Trots both directions · large circles, rider posting, rhythm forming.
- H2.8Backs under saddle · two soft steps.
- H2.9Accepts rider legs and weight shifts · leg on and off, rider two-point, no offense.
- H2.10Walks over poles under saddle · head down, looking.
- H2.11Works in company · another horse in the arena, no herd-bound anxiety.
- H2.12First canter under saddle · a few strides on the easy lead, comes back to trot without fuss.
- H2.13Stands tied tacked between works · patience under saddle culture begins.
Forward & Steering
Calm, forward, straight — the L'Hotte order. All three gaits, both directions, ridden anywhere in the arena.
All three gaits, both directions, anywhere in the arena. The L'Hotte order: calm first, then forward, then straight.
13 checkpoints in H3
- H3.1Walk, trot, canter both directions · reliable transitions up and down.
- H3.2Canter on both leads · correct lead from trot, kept on the circle.
- H3.3Steers on a 20-meter circle · trot, holds the figure without falling in or out.
- H3.4Rides school figures · change across the diagonal, three-loop serpentine at trot.
- H3.5Maintains gait until asked · no self-downshifting, no rushing home.
- H3.6Halts square-ish and stands · five seconds, light rein.
- H3.7Rein-back under saddle · three soft steps, straight.
- H3.8Rides out in company · walks a trail with a steady horse, crosses water or a ditch.
- H3.9Rates behind and beside another horse · no racing, no balking.
- H3.10Trot poles in rhythm · three to four poles, no rush before or after.
- H3.11Turn on the forehand under saddle · from the H1 groundwork, now ridden.
- H3.12Leg yield introduced at walk · a few honest sideways steps each way.
- H3.13Works fresh · acceptable first-five-minutes behavior without lungeing first.
Rhythm & Relaxation
The first two rungs of the training scale, proven. Gate: "Rhythm & Relaxation."
The first two rungs of the training scale, proven on video. The stretch at trot appears here and is on every gate video from now on.
14 checkpoints in H4
- H4.1Steady rhythm in all three gaits · metronome trot; canter neither builds nor dies.
- H4.2Works over the back at trot · neck telescoping out, back swinging, tail quiet.
- H4.3The stretch at trot · chews the reins forward and down, rhythm unchanged. The lie detector — on every gate video from here up.
- H4.4Free walk on a long rein · marching, nose reaching, no jig.
- H4.5Relaxation under routine pressure · arena traffic, weather, distant commotion; comes back within a few strides.
- H4.6Transitions without tension · trot–canter–trot on the circle, no head throw, no scramble.
- H4.7Trot–halt–trot · prompt, soft, straight.
- H4.8Starts calm, ends calmer · session relaxation trend reliably flat or improving over a 30-day window.
- H4.920-meter canter circles both leads · balanced, no motorcycle lean.
- H4.10Poles at the canter · single pole then a related pair, stride unchanged.
- H4.11Stands parallel to a gate · flexes, waits, sidles a step; the WE gate begins.
- H4.12Walks the WE bridge · or equivalent platform: even footfalls you can hear, head low.
- H4.13Ground-tie or stand-park · stands while the rider adjusts, mounts, dismounts mid-arena.
- H4.14Hacks out alone · leaves the property solo at walk and trot, returns at the same rhythm.
Contact & Suppleness
The horse seeks the hand. Bend both ways, honest connection, first lateral work under saddle.
The horse seeks the hand instead of bracing against it. Bend both ways, the first lateral work, the first Working Equitation figures.
15 checkpoints in H5
- H5.1Accepts steady contact · seeks the bit forward and down, never behind it.
- H5.2Bends evenly on 10–15 m circles · both directions, no jaw crossing, no tilt.
- H5.3Leg yield at trot · quarter line to wall both ways, body straight, rhythm kept.
- H5.4Shoulder-fore at walk and trot · the seed of shoulder-in, both reins.
- H5.5Spiral in and out on the circle · 20 m to 12 m and back, bend maintained.
- H5.6Serpentines with change of bend · four loops at trot, new bend by the centerline.
- H5.7Counter-flexion on the circle · a few strides on request, balance kept.
- H5.8Lengthens and shortens the trot · visible difference, same rhythm.
- H5.9Canter–trot–canter with lead awareness · correct lead every pick-up, both patterns.
- H5.10Simple change through trot · quiet, few trot steps, new bend.
- H5.11WE slalom at trot · bend changes at each post, rhythm even.
- H5.12WE drums (barrel figure) · 10-meter bending among witnesses, even both ways.
- H5.13Sidepass over a pole · from the halt, both directions, unhurried.
- H5.14The stretch at canter · offered and taken, lead and rhythm kept.
- H5.15Long-reining at walk and trot · figures and halts from the long lines.
Straightness & Obstacles
Hind feet follow front feet; the flatwork audited by obstacles and grids. Courses begin.
Hind feet follow front feet. Shoulder-in, counter-canter, the complete gate, gymnastic grids: the flatwork audited by obstacles.
15 checkpoints in H6
- H6.1Shoulder-in at walk and trot · three tracks, angle kept on the wall and centerline.
- H6.2Haunches-in (travers) at walk · both directions, bend around the inside leg.
- H6.3Straight on the centerline and quarter line · off the wall, no wander.
- H6.4Canter departs from walk · both leads, uphill, no trot steps.
- H6.5Counter-canter · shallow loop held in balance, no swap, no panic.
- H6.6Rein-back to trot · soft back, prompt forward, no gape.
- H6.7Gymnastic grid in rhythm · poles to crossrail to small vertical, adds nothing, rushes nothing.
- H6.8Single fences to 2'6" · trot and canter approach, straight, bascule over the middle.
- H6.9Related distances · two fences on a set stride count, count kept.
- H6.10The WE gate, complete · approach parallel, open, pass through, close; immobile where required.
- H6.11WE slalom at canter · with simple changes, rhythm judged, not speed.
- H6.12Bridge, bell corridor, and pen at working gaits · quiet feet, level head.
- H6.13Drags a pole or light log · accepts the rope over the haunches, walks off straight.
- H6.14Opens and closes real gates on the trail · the arena skill, outdoors, once.
- H6.15Works off seat and breath · visible downward transitions from exhale before rein.
Impulsion & Specialization
Thrust through a swinging back — and the horse's career direction chosen and begun.
Thrust through a swinging back, and the horse's career chosen with its owner: Working Equitation, dressage, jumping, or all-rounder.
15 checkpoints in H7
- H7.1True impulsion at trot · cadence and air time without quickening.
- H7.2Medium trot and canter · clear lengthening from the hindquarters, balance uphill.
- H7.3Collected steps introduced · a few strides of shorter, higher trot, poll up, back swinging.
- H7.4Half-pass at walk · forward-and-sideways with bend toward travel, both ways.
- H7.5Haunches-in at trot · both directions, angle consistent.
- H7.6Walk pirouette (half) · haunches active, front feet marching, no spin.
- H7.7Flying change introduced · single change on a figure-eight when balanced; clean more often than not.
- H7.8Courses to 3' · eight fences, related distances and a bending line, rhythm judged first.
- H7.9WE ease-of-handling course · full course at working gaits, scored on the flatwork inside each obstacle.
- H7.10WE speed round introduced · ridden as efficiency, not haste; horse returns to calm within a minute.
- H7.11Cattle exposure · walks into a herd, moves one cow quietly, no chase (where available; else herding-simulation flag work).
- H7.12Trail miles solo and in company · hills, water, traffic at a distance; forward on a loose rein.
- H7.13In-hand lateral work · shoulder-in and haunches-in from the ground, preparation for half-steps.
- H7.14Specialization plan on file · WE, dressage, jumping, or all-rounder: the horse's H8 is chosen with the owner.
- H7.15Carries a novice rider · safe and generous for a rider two levels below the horse.
Collection & Refinement
The finished Hussar horse: self-carriage, lightness, and a job it does beautifully. Oliveira's standard.
The finished Hussar horse. Self-carriage you can prove by yielding the reins, and a job it does beautifully for its own owner.
17 checkpoints in H8
- H8.1Collected walk, trot, and canter · carried from behind, poll the highest point, light in the hand.
- H8.2Self-carriage proven · descente de main: reins yielded for several strides, nothing changes.
- H8.3Shoulder-in and travers at collected trot · angle, bend, and cadence kept.
- H8.4Half-pass at trot · both directions, bend and cadence kept.
- H8.5Half-pass at canter · both leads, straightening before and after.
- H8.6Flying changes on request · single changes clean on lines and figures, quiet.
- H8.7Walk pirouettes · full, both ways, four-beat walk kept.
- H8.8Canter pirouette introduced · working half-pirouette in balance (dressage/WE track).
- H8.9Rein-back series · schaukel-style back–forward–back, soft throughout.
- H8.10Transitions within the gait on breath · collected–medium–collected from seat alone.
- H8.11Discipline finish: WE · advanced ease-of-handling course, one-handed where required, speed phase efficient and calm.
- H8.12Discipline finish: jumping · courses to 3'3"+ in rhythm and balance (jumping track).
- H8.13Discipline finish: dressage · through, straight test at the horse's level with the stretch on demand (dressage track).
- H8.14In-hand half-steps · the quiet door to collection, walked on foot (where the horse's build allows).
- H8.15Bombproof civic outing · off-property show, clinic, or public event: works as at home.
- H8.16Anyone's horse · safe, sound, and generous for its owner at the owner's level, documented in owner lessons.
- H8.17Finishes calmer than it started · the career-long telemetry trend, audited over the final 90 days. The last line of the program is the first promise of the barn.
Want to know where your horse would place?
A free evaluation session at Hansen Dam Horse Park puts your horse on this map and gives you a written plan for the next stage. No deposit needed to book it.