The Historical Development of the Classical German Training Scale

The Classical German Training Scale (Skala der Ausbildung) stands as the definitive, globally recognized physiological and biomechanical roadmap for the ethical, progressive gymnastic development of the ridden horse. Formulated over centuries of classical equitation—tracing its lineage from the ancient Greek treatises of Xenophon, through the Renaissance academies of Antoine de Pluvinel and François Robichon de La Guérinière, to the systematic nineteenth-century cavalry methodologies of Gustav Steinbrecht, General Alexis L’Hotte, and Egon von Neindorff—the Training Scale was formally codified in the German Imperial Cavalry Regulations of 1912 (Heeresdienstvorschrift H.Dv.12). Comprising six interdependent, systematically organized pillars—Rhythm (Takt), Suppleness (Losgelassenheit), Contact (Anlehnung), Impulsion (Schwung), Straightness (Geraderichtung), and Collection (Versammlung)—this timeless doctrine ensures that the horse’s musculoskeletal framework is developed harmoniously, preserving sound physical longevity and mental tranquility while achieving the ultimate expression of equestrian athleticism.

1. Historical Foundations: From Cavalry Remounts to the H.Dv.12

The German Training Scale is not an arbitrary theoretical invention; it is the refined synthesis of practical military necessity, classical European academy traditions, and biomechanical science:

1. Classical Taproots: Xenophon to La Guérinière

• Xenophon (c. 430–354 BC – On Horsemanship): Established the foundational classical precept that true horsemanship is built upon physical harmony, psychological calm, and the complete absence of force: “Nothing forced can ever be beautiful.”
• Antoine de Pluvinel (1555–1620 – L’Instruction du Roy): Revolutionized Renaissance riding by introducing the pillars and gentle gymnastic schooling, replacing medieval coercive violence with patience and praise.
• François Robichon de La Guérinière (1688–1751 – École de Cavalerie): The father of classical dressage. Guérinière invented the shoulder-in (épaule en dedans)—which he termed the “alpha and omega” of dressage—as the premier gymnastic exercise to develop suppleness, engage the inside hind leg, and establish straightness.

2. The 19th-Century European Great Debate: Baucher vs. d’Aure and Steinbrecht

In the mid-nineteenth century, European equestrian thought fractured into two competing philosophies:

• The French School (François Baucher): Advocated for immediate jaw and neck relaxation before movement (flexions de la mâchoire), utilizing the famous principle: “Hand without legs, legs without hand.” While producing brilliant light horses, Baucherism risked losing forward impulsion in ordinary cavalry remounts.
• General Alexis L’Hotte (1825–1904): Synthesized French doctrine into the legendary imperial cavalry maxim: “Calm, forward, straight” (Calme, en avant, droit).
• Gustav Steinbrecht (1808–1885 – Das Gymnasium des Pferdes): Grounded training in dynamic forward thrust. Steinbrecht proved that true lightness at the bit is the anatomical consequence of active hindleg engagement pushing over a supple, swinging spine: “Ride your horse forward and set it straight” (Reite dein Pferd vorwärts und richte es gerade).

3. The Imperial Cavalry Manual (Heeresdienstvorschrift H.Dv.12)

Following the Franco-Prussian War, the German military required a standardized, highly reliable training doctrine to transform thousands of green, three-year-old cavalry remounts into disciplined, physically durable military horses within twelve months. In 1912, the German War Ministry published the Heeresdienstvorschrift 1912 (H.Dv.12), authored by master horsemen including General von Holzing-Berstett and Felix Bürkner. Refined in 1937, the H.Dv.12 codified the progressive physiological stages that were later adopted universally by the German Equestrian Federation (FN) and the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) as the official Skala der Ausbildung.

4. The Preservation Masters: Alois Podhajsky and Egon von Neindorff

Following World War II, classical doctrine was preserved from commercial dilution through masters such as Colonel Alois Podhajsky (Director of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna) and Egon von Neindorff (founder of the Riding Institute of Karlsruhe), who insisted that no sport horse should ever be forced into artificial frames without completing the fundamental stages of the Training Scale.

5. Osteological Maturation and Epiphyseal Fusion Timelines

The pacing of the Training Scale corresponds directly with equine skeletal development. Epiphyseal growth plates fuse in a strict ascending sequence from the distal limbs upward toward the spine:

• Ages 1 to 2 Years: Distal limb growth plates (coffin bone, short/long pasterns, cannon bones) fuse.
• Ages 3 to 4 Years (Phase 1 Training): Carpal, tarsal, and humeral epiphyseal plates fuse. Training must focus strictly on rhythm, relaxation, and long frames without heavy collection.
• Ages 5 to 6+ Years (Phase 2 & 3 Training): Scapular, pelvic, and finally the 32 complex vertebral growth plates fuse. Demanding carrying power (Collection) before vertebral fusion at age six causes irreversible chronic lumbar spondylosis and sacroiliac strain.

2. The Six Interdependent Pillars of the Training Scale

The Training Scale is structured into three progressive, overlapping developmental phases encompassing six core pillars:

Phase 1: The Familiarization Phase (Gewöhnungsphase)

1. 1. Rhythm (Takt): The absolute purity and regularity of footfalls and tempo in each gait. Walk is a four-beat lateral sequence without suspension; trot is a two-beat diagonal movement with suspension; canter is a three-beat asymmetrical gait with suspension. The horse must maintain an unvarying, metronomic tempo across straight lines, turns, and transitions.
2. 2. Suppleness / Looseness (Losgelassenheit): The complete absence of physical muscular tension and psychological anxiety. Characterized by a softly swinging back (schwingender Rücken), rhythmic tail carriage, rhythmic snorting (Abschnauben), and active chewing of the bit with moist, frothy lips. The horse offers its back voluntarily to absorb the rider’s weight.
3. 3. Contact / Connection (Anlehnung): A steady, soft, and elastic connection between the rider’s receiving hand and the horse’s mouth. True contact is never pulled from the front; it is generated from behind as the horse pushes forward from engaged hindquarters, over a swinging back, into the rider’s quiet hands. The horse seeks the bit, stretching forward and downward (Suchen des Gebisses) whenever the reins are lengthened.

Phase 2: Development of Thrusting Power (Entwicklung der Schubkraft)

4. 4. Impulsion (Schwung): The dynamic transmission of energetic forward thrust (Schubkraft) generated by the hind legs through a supple, swinging back into the aerial suspension phase of trot and canter. Impulsion gives the gaits elasticity, cadence, and expressive ground-covering airtime. (Note: The walk has no suspension phase, and therefore cannot exhibit Schwung).
5. 5. Straightness (Geraderichtung): Aligning the horse’s longitudinal spine so that the hind hooves track precisely in the footprints of the corresponding fore hooves on both straight lines and circles. Straightness systematically corrects the horse’s natural inherent crookedness (natürliche Schiefe), ensuring that both hind legs push and carry weight equally.

Phase 3: Development of Carrying Power (Entwicklung der Tragkraft)

6. 6. Collection (Versammlung): The ultimate culmination of classical gymnastic training. The horse lowers its croup, tilts its pelvis forward, and deeply flexes its lumbosacral, hip, stifle, and hock joints. The hindquarters assume greater weight-carrying burden (Tragkraft), relieving the forehand and allowing the withers and neck to rise naturally like an arched bridge into effortless, uphill self-carriage (Selbsthaltung).

3. Biomechanical Interdependence and Kinetic Transmission

The Training Scale is frequently illustrated as a pyramid, but in classical practice it functions as an integrated, circular feedback loop where each pillar supports and refines the others:

$$\text{Engaged Hindquarters} \xrightarrow{\text{Thrust}} \text{Flexed Lumbosacral Joint} \xrightarrow{\text{Kinetic Wave}} \text{Swinging Longissimus Dorsi} \xrightarrow{\text{Tension Release}} \text{Cervical Nuchal Ligament} \xrightarrow{\text{Soft Contact}} \text{Elastic Bit Connection}$$

If a rider attempts to force Collection (Pillar 6) before establishing Suppleness (Pillar 2) and Straightness (Pillar 5), the kinetic wave is blocked at the lumbar spine. The horse tenses its back muscles, drops its withers, shortens its neck, and loses the purity of its Rhythm (Pillar 1).

4. Comprehensive Matrix of the Six Pillars of the Training Scale

The table below provides a detailed biomechanical and diagnostic analysis of each pillar within the Classical Training Scale:

5. Pathological Deviations: The Rollkur / Hyperflexion Crisis

Modern equestrian sport has witnessed severe controversies when riders deviate from the Classical Training Scale in pursuit of rapid competitive results:

The Biomechanics of Hyperflexion (Rollkur)

Rollkur (extreme low, deep, and round hyperflexion achieved through forceful rein leverage) forces the horse’s cervical spine into extreme flexion, tucking the chin tightly against the chest:

• Skeletal Compression: Forces severe mechanical pinching between the second (C2 – axis) and third (C3) cervical vertebrae.
• Respiratory Compromise: Compresses the pharynx and larynx, narrowing upper airway cross-sectional area by up to 50%, causing respiratory stridor and hypoxia.
• Psychological & Visual Distress: Severely restricts the horse’s forward visual field, inducing learned helplessness, chronic fear, and acute salivary cortisol spikes.
• Somatic Breakdown: Deactivates the deep abdominal stabilizing core, causing the horse to drop its back and drag its hindlegs outward behind its body, producing artificial front-leg flailing without true hindquarter collection.

The Classical Remedy: *Dehnen vorwärts-abwärts*

True classical gymnastic stretching (Dehnen vorwärts-abwärts) involves the horse voluntarily reaching its neck forward and downward toward the ground while maintaining active hindleg step, opening the throatlatch and engaging the entire dorsal ligamentous system (Ligamentum nuchae and Ligamentum supraspinale) to pull the dorsal spines of the vertebrae apart, relieving spinal compression.

6. Practical Gymnastisizing Exercises for Each Stage

To systematically progress a horse through the Training Scale, classical masters utilize targeted gymnastic schooling patterns:

1. Developing Losgelassenheit: Trot-walk-trot transitions executed every 10 to 15 strides, combined with 20-meter circles allowing the horse to chew the reins out of the hand.
2. Establishing Straightness via Shoulder-In: Schooling the horse along the wall with the forehand brought inward at a 30-degree angle on three tracks. The inside hind leg steps directly under the point of gravity, absorbing weight and straightening the natural lateral curve.
3. Cultivating True Collection via Direct Transitions: Executing clean upward and downward transitions (e.g., collected canter to walk, walk to canter, and halt to trot) to activate lumbosacral flexion and develop carrying power.

7. Actionable Checklist for Classical Trainers, Riders, and Judges

To evaluate riding and training against the authentic classical benchmark, equestrians should execute the following operational sequence:

1. Audit Gait Purity and Tempo (Pillar 1): Verify that the walk remains a pure 4-beat rhythm without lateral pacing tendencies during all lateral exercises.
2. Inspect Back Motion and Chewing (Pillar 2): Confirm that the saddle area swings softly, the tail is carried with relaxed oscillation, and the horse produces white foam at the lips.
3. Execute the Überstreichen Test (Pillar 3): Release both reins forward for two full strides; the horse must maintain its self-carriage, rhythm, and frame without accelerating or dropping its head onto the forehand.
4. Verify Equal Tracking on Left and Right Reins (Pillar 5): Observe from behind to confirm that the horse’s hind feet step directly in line with the front foot tracks without swinging the croup inward.
5. Examine the Poll in Collection (Pillar 6): Ensure that the poll (articulation between occiput and atlas) remains the absolute highest point of the neck, with the nasal bone remaining slightly in front of the vertical.

8. Conclusion: The Timeless Compass of Classical Horsemanship

The Classical German Training Scale is far more than a competitive scoring guide; it is the universal moral and biological compass of ethical horsemanship. By honoring the natural physical and psychological laws of the horse, this time-tested system preserves the dignity, joy, and physical health of the equine athlete, transforming riding from mechanical domination into a sublime art of mutual harmony.