DISEECTED PIAFFE

DISSECTED PIAFFE:

Why Rhythm Isn’t Enough (and How to Train Your Eye to See What Others Applaud Without Question)

Introduction

In today’s arenas, we often see horses performing a rhythmic, powerful, and visually impressive piaffe. Yet beneath that polished surface lies a body that’s not cooperating, a broken biomechanics, and a disconnected expression. This article will teach you to recognize what’s not working even when it looks correct on the outside.

This isn’t about attacking anyone. It’s about clarity. It’s about seeing beyond rhythm and showmanship, and learning to recognize which muscles speak the truth… and which are just shouting under pressure.

What a correct piaffe should show

A live, pulsating back: the topline lifts and releases slightly, like a compressed spring. The rider feels a gentle elastic rebound through the saddle.

An active, flexible hindquarter: the glutes engage with each diagonal, and the pelvis performs subtle, continuous micro rotations like it’s breathing.

A neck that rounds from the base, with a soft, relaxed underside.

A relaxed jaw, mobile poll, and alert expression.

Hind legs that don’t just lift but actively gather under the horse’s center of gravity.

True muscular vibration: energy flows from behind forward. The horse seems to levitate, not hammer the ground.

What we see when the piaffe is false but appears “correct”

Let’s break it down:

No back engagement

The topline is flat or even dropped. There’s no visible lift or elasticity. The lumbar area stays rigid, and the saddle appears stuck to a dead frame. This indicates inactive deep abdominal muscles, and a horse that is not supporting itself through core engagement, but hanging between its limbs.

No rebound

Though rhythm may be consistent, and the timing correct, there’s no suspension or elasticity. The limbs rise and fall like hammers, not like springs. The rider experiences no upward impulse the horse is rooted to the spot.

Frozen hindquarters

The croup remains fixed. There’s no visible oscillation or engagement of the lumbosacral joint. The sacrum doesn’t move, the gluteal muscles stay inert. This is a key sign of functional disconnection: the hind end is disengaged from the movement.

Blocked topline

Rather than a muscular bridge connecting the hindquarters to the base of the neck, we see a chain broken into segments:- a static back,- a neck moving independently,- a croup parked behind.

This is the hallmark of a horse that performs the exercise mechanically, not neurologically integrated. The movement is conditioned, not understood.

Overdeveloped underside of the neck

This is one of the clearest signs of poor longitudinal balance:

The brachiocephalicus and sternocephalicus muscles are hypertrophied. * The neck forms a reversed curve: it arches from the top, not from the base. The throat latch is tight, the jaw is tense.

This is the infamous “bodybuilder neck”: appealing to the untrained eye, alarming to anyone familiar with equine functional anatomy.

A learned movement, not an integrated one

The horse repeats the sequence with precision, but without full-body participation. There’s no fluidity, no spontaneity, no initiative. The rider applies the aids, and the horse responds but not from understanding. It’s a rehearsed reflex.

This is not dressage. It’s choreography under pressure.

Nervous vibration of the hindquarters before lowering

This is subtle but telling: Before the hind leg descends, there's a small backward tremor or involuntary flick, like a muscular glitch.

This is not elastic vibration. It’s a nervous impulse, a signal of tension or neuromuscular fatigue. The horse is maintaining a compensatory pattern barely. It isn’t expressing power. It’s revealing strain.

Why is this still being applauded?

Because it looks powerful. Because the rhythm is correct. Because the legs rise. Because the music plays.

But the horse isn’t being educated. It’s being used to mimic something it doesn’t truly own.

Conclusion: How to train your eye

Each time you watch a piaffe, ask yourself:

Is the back moving or locked?

Are the hindquarters active or just stuck behind?

Are the legs rising with ease or out of pressure?

Is the neck a bridge or a mast?

Do I see vitality or resignation?

Is the rider building with the horse or simply managing a routine?

If your answers start to unsettle you, you’re seeing clearly. Clarity is the first step toward honesty. Because what we don’t name still exists but what we understand can finally change.

- Appendix :

The brachiocephalicus and sternocephalicus muscles are hypertrophied.

Brachiocephalicus muscle: connects the head and neck to the forelimb (humerus). Its main function is to extend the shoulder and move the forelimb forward. It also laterally flexes the neck when acting unilaterally.

Sternocephalicus muscle: connects the sternum to the head. It functions to lower and flex the head and neck.

What hypertrophy means

When these muscles are hypertrophied, it means they have become excessively developed, usually due to overuse or compensatory biomechanical mechanisms.

This kind of muscular development is often seen in horses that are incorrectly ridden, especially when:

There is constant rein pressure to artificially position the head

The horse is worked in hyperflexion or forced collection

There is a lack of engagement from the hindquarters and poor activation of the deep postural muscles

The horse uses these superficial muscles to pull against resistance or maintain balance, which signals a failure to use the thoracic sling and core musculature correctly.

The neck adopts an inverted curve: it arches from the top, not from the base.

Normal curvature of the neck

A horse’s neck should arch from the base, where it connects to the thorax. This enables:

Lifting of the thoracic base of the neck

Engagement of the nuchal ligament and deep dorsal muscles

Free movement of the poll and jaw

Activation of the back and pelvic mechanics

Inverted curve: what it means

When the neck arches from the top instead of the base:

The natural alignment is broken, with a forced flexion at the poll and a collapsed or rigid base of the neck

The shape becomes concave at the base and convex near the top this is biomechanically incorrect and harmful

Typical consequences

Cervical discomfort or pain

Articular compression (especially around C3 - C5 and the atlanto occipital joint)

Loss of natural balance

Muscular compensations hypertrophy of superficial muscles like the brachiocephalicus and sternocephalicus

Inhibition of dorsal swing and pelvic engagement

Increased risk of behavioral resistance or even lameness

General conclusion

These two statements describe a dysfunctional biomechanical pattern resulting from incorrect training:

The horse is not working from the base of the neck or engaging the back properly

Superficial muscles compensate, leading to hypertrophy and postural distortions

The neck posture is not a result of correct impulsion and relaxation, but of manipulation from the front

What does this look like in practice?

Imagine a horse with:

An S - shaped neck (sharp flexion at the poll, low base)

A tight jaw and hollow back

Overdeveloped muscles under the throat, but no roundness or softness through the topline

This is not true collection it’s a false frame that hides a lack of functional engagement.

Isaac Ares

If you find this article interesting, I'm giving away my mini-guide for FREE. You can download it for free at: www.dressage-isaac.com

Isaac Ares Classical trainer. Independent observer. Critical voice. For the horse. For the truth. For the art.

Legal disclaimer

This article expresses an independent professional opinion for educational and ethical purposes, promoting biomechanically sound equestrian practice. It refers to no specific rider, horse, competition, or governing body.