What is COLLECTION???

I am always curious about what people think Collection is...

I hear people saying that they have or ride their horses "in collection" or "collected up."  But what are they really saying and thinking they are doing?

I am a staunch purest in HOW the horse should be "Collected." For me, True Collection is a long road that takes years to obtain where the horse takes more weight on the hindquarters, engages the stomach muscles to help lift and engage the topline, creating lightness in the front end. It is a process over time, the rider being the influencing force for the horse to slowly shift his/her weight backwards through strength building exercises and the understanding of  equine bio-mechanics. I have heard it said that the Piaffe is the highest form of Collection.

So. I looked up the United States Dressage Federation's (USDF) definition of Collection in the USDF 2011 Glossary of Judging Terms. Their official definition is:

Collection/Collected (Walk, Trot, or Canter)
           At trot and canter, a pace with shorter steps and a more uphill balance than in the working pace, without sacraficing implusion. The horse's frame is shorter, with the neck stretched and arched upward. The tempo remains nearly the same in the medium or extended pace.

Then as a comparison,  I looked up "Working." Their official definition is:

Working (Trot/Canter)
             A pace in which the horse goes forward energetically but calmly, with a length of stride between that of collected and medium paces. The degree of uphill balance required is less than in the collected pace.

So. Then I looked up "Uphill" since it was mentioned in both definitions.

Their offical definition is:

Uphill
            Longitudinally well balanced as a consequence of engagement of the hindquarters (which allows the back to assist in elevating the forehand) and engagement of the thoracic sling muscles to lift the forehand. The pushing forces the hindlimbs are balanced with the elevating  forces from the forelimb.

I realized that I could keep looking up aspects of these definitions at not be satisfied.  

And THIS WHY PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT COLLECTION IS. To no fault of anyone, if the definitions don't calirfy, then confusion abounds.

How many people know what the Thoracic Sling is??

I do. Do you??

What about Longitudinal Balance??

Do you know what a Medium Pace is??

Where are the stomach muscles in all these definitions??

As everyone see things from their own personal perspective, each person will have  slightly different view on Collection.

But. Physics is physics...one force has an opposite and equal reaction. Horse's bodies respond to the forces of the bridle, saddle, and rider. But unlike inanimate objects,  a horse's body is dynamic, and in the opposite and equal reactions, we can get a lot of variations in those reactions.

Sometimes what we think is a correct respones for collection is actually a lock down, rather than a engagement, of muscle. To get to a true collected state, the horse and rider first must have a base of fitness and basic self-carriage where the horse and rider understand how to move through the gaits in a forward motion with the energy rolling through the horse's body from back to front.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter what kind of riding you choose. Knowing the whys and hows of what you do and how you influence your horse through your riding is most important.

If you want True Collection, learn what it is through quality riding and understanding how the equine body works.