Introduction

A steady tempo (beats per minute) that is neither too fast nor too slow for the horse is the foundation of balance - together with correct arena patterns. That’s why it is the first element of the training scale. A steady tempo allows the horse to find his longitudinal balance. Accurate arena patterns that are performed in functional straightness (i.e. the horse’s feet are aligned so that the left pair of legs is on the left side of the line, the right pair of legs is on the right side of the line, and the spine forms a segment of the line) allow the horse to find his lateral balance.

When the horse is laterally and longitudinally balanced, he can relax his muscles and seek a light, steady, and even contact with the reins. Balance is, in fact, the prerequisite not only for relaxation (Losgelassenheit) and rein contact, put also for permeability (Durchlässigkeit), impulsion, and collection.

Tempo, Speed, Balance

I define tempo as beats (or strides) per minute. Speed (km/h or mph) is the product of tempo and stride length. If you increase the stride length while the tempo stays the same, the speed will increase. If the tempo increases and the stride length doesn’t diminish, the speed will increase as well, but that’s not desirable, as a faster tempo usually means that the horse has lost his balance.

If you shorten the strides while the tempo stays the same, the speed will diminish.

Speed has no value in dressage, which is why it is not used as a training category or as a parameter of the gait. By contrast, tempo and stride length play an absolutely central role in training.

Every horse has a certain range of strides per minute in which he can find his balance and relax. If you ride a tempo that is outside of this range (either too fast or too slow), the horse can’t find his balance and therefore won’t be able to relax. 
If the tempo is too fast, the kinetic energy will be shaped into flat, fast, hard strides, rather than into bouncy, elastic strides, and the horse will stay more or less on the forehand. If you slow down the tempo without reducing the energy output, the kinetic energy will be shaped into a more vertical direction because the joints of the hind legs flex more.

If the tempo is too slow, or the energy output too low, the gait becomes listless, and the horse falls onto the forehand as well.

Unfortunately, the tempo which the horse offers under saddle is often not the best one. Some horses move too fast, others too slow. In both cases, the joints and muscles can’t move freely enough. However, you can find the best tempo by deliberately riding a few circles faster or slower than what the horse is offering and then observing in which tempo the horse feels best.
Many riders simply adopt the tempo that the horse is offering without changing it. You can see this most often in the canter. It is possible and necessary, however, to influence the tempo and the stride length in all gaits.

In turns, speed (mph, km/h) plays a role in the same way it plays a role in driving a car. Just like when you’re driving your car, the speed has to match the turn radius, otherwise you will fly off the road. If the speed is too high for the turn radius and the inside hind leg isn’t flexing, the horse will get carried towards the outside, and the centrifugal force will damage the joints and tendons of the horse’s legs.

The majority of horses tends to move too fast, rather than too slowly which doesn’t allow enough time for the hind legs to run through the entire motion sequence of swinging forward - touching down - flexing/carrying - extending/pushing - lifting off. They touch down with a hind leg, skip the flexion phase, and immediately extend their joints again. This pushes the horse onto the forehand, which is unhealthy for the joints and tendons of the front legs. In this case, you have to slow down the tempo. The easiest way to achieve this is to apply two half halts into one of the hind legs (e.g. through stirrup stepping, rein aid, seat aid, when the targeted hind leg is on the ground). You can say SLOW - DOWN as you are half halting (2 strides, 1 stride per word). You should be able to see and feel the slowing down of the tempo. The horse should use the footing like a trampoline, not like the sprinter uses the track.


Tempo and Energy

Some horses reduce their energy output when you slow down the tempo with half halts. In this case you have to remind them with a driving aid that they have to keep working with the same amount of energy as before, even if the tempo is a little slower.

You have to find the tempo and the energy that matches the horse. This will probably be different for a Hanoverian than for a Haflinger, and different for a Haflinger than for a PRE, etc. There is no tempo or energy level that is equally suitable for all horses.

The big challenge lies in combining yin and yang. Energetic and with impulsion, but not hasty. A quiet tempo, but not sleepy. While you are searching for the best of both worlds, it is normal to go too far in one direction or the other. To complicate matters, it is not really intuitive for the horse that the energy level and the tempo are two different categories. The horse’s natural reaction to a driving aid is usually to get faster. The horse’s natural reaction to slowing down the tempo is usually a loss of energy. So, the rider has to explain to the horse that he can take shorter or slower strides, without losing energy, and he can increase his efforts without speeding up.

A little tempo exercise: Find out your horse’s trot tempo with a metronome when he is trotting in good balance at liberty or at the longe line. Then measure the trot tempo under saddle. Is it the same? Or is the horse slower or faster under saddle? If there is a difference, try to change the tempo under saddle so that it matches the tempo at the longe line. Does the horse feel better or worse now?

Conclusion

Find the tempo in which your horse is most comfortable, i.e. in which he can find his balance and relax. It should feel active and energetic, yet calm and relaxed. When the tempo suits your horse, he will be able to swing through his back and to relax his poll. He will be on the seat, in front of the legs, and the half halts will go through. You may have to experiment a little to find the best tempo, and you will have to fine-tune it over time because it will change as the horse becomes stronger and more supple.

As a rule of thumb: a slower tempo requires more strength than a quicker tempo, since the hind legs have to support the body mass longer in each stride. That’s why green horses will tend to prefer a slightly quicker tempo than highly advanced horses, and many horses tend to rush in order to relieve their hind legs.