Impulsion is the movement of a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

when it is going forward with controlled power. Related to the concept of collection, impulsion helps a horse effectively use the power in its hindquarters. To achieve impulsion, a horse is not using speed, but muscular control; the horse exhibits a relaxed spinal column, which allows its hindquarters to come well under its body and "engage" so that they can be used in the most effective manner to move the horse forward at any speed. The concept and term was first written about by practitioners of

dressage Dressage ( or ; a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrian sport defined by ...

, but an ability to move with impulsion is a desired goal in most other

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

disciplines. Impulsion occurs when a horse is under human control and is one of the desired goals in

horse training Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when commanded to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrian activities from horse ra ...

, but it may sometimes be exhibited by a horse in a free and natural state. Impulsion allows any

horse gait Horses can use various gaits (patterns of leg movement) during locomotion across solid ground, either naturally or as a result of specialized training by humans.Ensminger, M. E. ''Horses and Horsemanship'' 6th edition USA: Interstate Publishe ...

to be more elastic and light, and also provides the animal with the power needed to perform complex movements, including the piaffe and the

airs above the ground The airs above the ground or school jumps are a series of higher-level, Haute ecole, classical dressage movements in which the horse leaves the ground. They include the capriole, the courbette, the mezair, the croupade and the levade. None ar ...

. Within the dressage world, there is an unresolved debate whether impulsion can only occur in gaits which have a period of suspension, the

trot The trot is a ten-beat diagonal horse gait where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time with a moment of suspension between each beat. It has a wide variation in possible speeds, but averages about . A very slow trot is someti ...

and

canter The canter and gallop are variations on the fastest gait that can be performed by a horse or other equine. The canter is a controlled three-beat gait, while the gallop is a faster, four-beat variation of the same gait. It is a natural gait p ...

, or if it occurs at any gait, including the walk and the ambling gaits.

Definitions

There are competing definitions of impulsion. The 2007 USDF rule book defines it as "...Thrust. Releasing of the energy stored by engagement. The energy is transmitted through a back that is free from negative tension and is manifested in the horse's elastic, whole-body movement. The

classical dressage Classical dressage evolved from cavalry movements and training for the battlefield, and has since developed into the competitive dressage seen today. Classical riding is the art of riding in harmony with, rather than against, the horse. Correct ...

trainer Nuno Oliveira described impulsion as, "...a mental and physical state of the horse to obey the rider's demands as fast as possible, to move forward, and to maintain his forward impulsion without support from the aids..." and ""Impulsion means to maintain the energy within the cadence.""Classical Quotes: Nuno Oliveira - with commentary by Thomas Ritter"
web page accessed May 25, 2008. Another definition is that " horse is said to have impulsion when the energy created by the hind legs is being transmitted into the gait and into every aspect of the forward movement. A horse can be said to be working with impulsion when it pushes off energetically from the ground and swings its feet well forward.""The Systematic German Approach to Training: The Training Scale"''citing The Principles of Riding, The Official Instruction Handbook of the German National Equestrian Federation – Book 1,'' pp. 136 – 141
web page accessed May 25, 2008 The USEF states that impulsion is "the transmission of an eager and energetic, yet controlled propulsive energy generated from the hindquarters into the athletic movement of the horse. Its ultimate expression can be shown only through the horse’s soft and swinging back to be guided by a gentle contact with the rider’s hand."United States Equestrian Federation Dressage Rules, DR-116, #3, 2008
Web page accessed November 12, 2012 In competitive

circles, impulsion is defined by the German Training Scale, which states that impulsion is only possible in gaits having a moment of suspension, such as the

and

, but not the walk. This is the current position of the USDF. Others differ, however. Oliveira described impulsion as necessary at all paces: "If your horse goes from walk to trot without changing the head and neck position, the walk had good impulsion." Outside the world of competitive dressage, impulsion is considered necessary at all gaits, encouraged in

gaited horses An ambling gait or amble is any of several four-beat intermediate horse gaits, all of which are faster than a walk but usually slower than a canter and always slower than a gallop. Horses that amble are sometimes referred to as " gaited", partic ...

, and in horses used for western riding.Quarterhorse 2000: "About Western Riding"
web page accessed May 25, 2008 Impulsion at the walk is encouraged and judged in many lower level dressage and combined driving competitions that do not necessarily follow the current trends in international judging.

Purpose and requirements

Impulsion is very important in all

disciplines, because good impulsion allows the horse to effectively utilize the power in its hindquarters. Impulsion is particularly important in

. It not only makes the horse's gait more elastic, light, and expressive, but provides the animal with the power needed to perform the required movements. This is especially true for those requiring collection, such as passage, piaffe, pirouette, tempi changes. In jumping poor impulsion is often linked to horses failing to clear obstacles Good riding is needed to create impulsion in any horse, although some horses may be built in such a way that they can more naturally create impulsion (such as those with an "uphill" build). The horse must be forward, yet relaxed, and coming correctly "

on the bit The phrases "on the bit", "behind the bit" and "above the bit" are equestrian terms used to describe a horse's posture relative to the reins and the bridle bit. "The Art of Classical Riding--On the Bit", ArtOfRiding.com, 2010, web: AoR-Bit. ...

" by coming up through the back. Additionally, a horse must be straight, with " throughness." The rider should use correct driving

aids Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

, and contain the energy created by the engaged hind legs. Ideally, this is accomplished through persuasion of the horse, not bullying."The Art of Classical Riding: On the Bit"
web page accessed May 25, 2008. Impulsion occurs in all gaits: the walk, the

, and the

and even the

ambling An ambling gait or amble is any of several four-beat intermediate horse gaits, all of which are faster than a walk but usually slower than a canter and always slower than a gallop. Horses that amble are sometimes referred to as " gaited", partic ...

gaits of gaited horses. Because the walk has no moment of suspension, it is a difficult gait to perform with impulsion. Impulsion at various gaits may not always appear the same. In the walk, it is seen when the hindquarters are engaged and the gait is "purposeful yet relaxed." The USEF describes impulsion at the piaffe as follows: "The piaffe must always be animated by a lively impulsion and characterized by a perfect balance. While giving the impression of being in place there may be a visible inclination to advance, this being displayed by the horse’s eager acceptance to move forward as soon as he is asked."

References

{{reflist Riding techniques and movements Dressage terminology