Strides for Success

Tag: balance

  • When Your Horse ‘Runs’ From the Trot into the Canter

    When Your Horse ‘Runs’ From the Trot into the Canter

    Riding, just like life, is about enjoying the journey rather than just the destination.  However, when you’re transitioning from the trot into the canter – and your horse seems determined to show you just how fast he can actually trot beforehand; well, the journey is not all that enjoyable!

    I don’t know of a single rider who enjoys the ‘rush’ of a horse running from trot to canter. It is bouncy, unbalancing, and, sometimes, scary.  Also, it more often than not sets up a canter that feels like all of the above as well.

    The good news is that there are a few things you can do, starting today, to begin re-schooling this behavior; for you and your horse.

     1. Improve Your Suppleness, Coordination, and Balance

    This can seem pretty obvious.  However, for many riders, the struggle to transition from the trot into the canter is down to their lack of suppleness.  The suppleness required for a mediocre trot is not the same as what is required for a forward-thinking and moving canter.

    And as you begin to set up the canter, the increased energy and intention inside both you and your horse can become blocked by your lack of suppleness

    This shows up as excess tension in the rider’s body; the more energy they feel, the more than ‘hunker down’ and try to ‘control’ both themselves and their horse. This will naturally lead to more bouncing, less balance, and a breakdown in the coordination of your aids.

    Devote some time to practicing how you respond when you create more energy within just the trot. Work on channeling that energy, rather than ‘holding it’. 

     2. Spend Time Developing the Trot

    This leads me to the next point.  Developing a more rhythmic, spacious, and forward trot will really help you transition from the trot into the canter with greater ease and balance.  The trot is the gait where we often simply accept what we have been given with regard to our horse’s way of going.

    Most horses will have a natural rhythm in the trot, and it is important to keep in mind that you can positively influence this further.

    Work on forwardness (both thinking and going), responsiveness, lightness, and creating more space inside of each stride.  From here, you can then begin to ‘test’ yourself using the sitting trot.  If you are struggling to remain balanced, relaxed (correct tension), and coordinated inside of a better-quality trot, revisit the first point again!

    Working between walk and trot will also help you here as you can practice what you are doing before, during, and after the upward and downward transitions.  More on that in point number 4.

     3. Get Clear on EXACTLY What You Want

    Yes, you want to get from the trot into the canter.  And, if that is all you want, that is probably what you will get; and any way possible! Not ideal and often not enjoyable either. Okay, so if you were to rethink this, what do you actually want regarding this transition?

    Where do you want it to happen? How would you like it to feel? What type of canter are you looking to create when there? And what is the focus for the actual transition as training for you or your horse?

    When you are working with a younger horse or a green horse, you can be a little more relaxed with regards to getting things ‘exactly’ as you want them.  However, the longer you are working together, the more specific you should become on what you want and how you want it.

    I feel that ‘balanced’ is always a good outcome to work towards.  So too is accuracy. Lightness really does help it all feel better. As well as straightness throughout…

     4. Transition From Trot into the Canter

    When you know what you want, you can now go and make it happen. Start by modeling everything you expect your horse and the transition to be, through your own body and actions.  Ride the transition exactly as you want it to happen.

    Straighten yourself in the saddle.  Carry yourself and remain ‘light’, especially with your upper body. Be accurate and timely with your aids. And respond in a way that allows your horse to do what you ask him to do. 

    When you feel the trot beginning to deteriorate, change the focus.  Rather go back to balancing the trot again. Once you have it back to a quality you are happy with, set it all up and ask again.  Pushing on through for the sake of pushing on through is rarely the right way to develop a better transition from the trot into the canter.

    When you feel the quality of the trot, and therefore the transition begins to deteriorate; rather focus on improving that first. From this reestablished place, try again. 

     5. Allow the Canter to Flow

    The more attention to detail you devote to what happens in the lead-up to the transition, and through the transition, the better each transition will become over time. However, getting from a trot into the canter is a 3 part process.

        1. Establish a good quality trot
        2. Ask for a clean, timely, balanced, and light transition
        3. Allow the canter to go forwards

    As riders, we can often become confused with our role in each of the questions we ask when riding.  The canter is no different.  So many riders think that they have to ‘do’ canter in order to canter!

    Your job is to ask your horse to canter, and then get out of the way and allow him to canter. You do not canter; he does. 

    This means that leaning forward, especially with the shoulders to the inside, is not helping your horse.  In fact, it’s probably doing the exact opposite and blocking his inside shoulder. Similarly, collapsing into the back of the saddle to stop bouncing is equally unhelpful.  It blocks the flow of energy from back to front.  This prevents any connection, lightness, and self-carriage from happening.

    The canter is a gait that you can see an almost instant improvement in when you know what to look for and do. All it takes is some dedication, focus, and the right guidance.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Improving Your Canter

    If you are keen to develop your canter more, I would love to help you. YOU CAN FIND ALL THE DETAILS HERE for a 4-week program on the canter. Using a blend of audio horse riding lessons, and video, you will receive step-by-step guidance on how to improve your canter.

    Created with riders who are working alone without a trainer or coach, you will learn how to improve both yourself and your horse. Getting into, riding the actual canter, and transitioning out of it too.

    The course is self-study, and you get lifetime access to all of the materials, meaning you can go back and refine things over and over again. Created with the goal of 3 focused rides a week to work on your canter, this program can transform how you think about, ride, and develop the canter. For you and your horse. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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  • Becoming More Balanced without Stirrups

    Becoming More Balanced without Stirrups

    [fusebox_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/1250_Becoming_More_Balanced_Without_Stirrups.mp3″ title=”Becoming More Balanced without Stirrups” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”Here’s how to become more balanced without your stirrups while riding” hashtag=”horsepodcast” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    There is a point in every rider’s journey where balance becomes less about staying on and more about increasing overall effectiveness. However, in order to positively influence the horse, the rider needs to begin working on developing better balance.

    I feel that one of the best ways to do this is by developing independent aids.  Independent from both the influence of each other’s movement.  And independent from any potential ‘speed wobbles’ our horse might experience when working together.

    So, all of that being said, becoming more independent through your body will encourage better balance overall; for you and your horse. For the month of August 2022 inside of Connection, we are focusing on “Developing Independent Aids While Riding”. If you want step-by-step riding plans to help you achieve this, make sure you join Connection and check out August 2022’s training. 

    Working Without Stirrups

    For many riders having a conversation around balance can often turn to riding without stirrups.  And yes, I do think that this can be beneficial… However, riding for the sake of riding without your stirrups is not going to improve you or your horse.

    It is only by becoming aware of what you are doing and intentional about what you plan to do that you can genuinely benefit from riding without your stirrups.

    Focus on being symmetrical in the saddle.  Keep equal amounts of your body on the right and left sides of your horse.  Pay attention to your lines that help you remain ‘in position’ and ready to communicate using your aids.  The ‘head, shoulder, hip, heel’ line and the ‘elbow, wrist, thumb, rein, bit’ line.

    Riding without stirrups, especially when energy is added, can very quickly shine a spotlight on any minor habits that not serving you in your riding…  Rather than complaining – do something to change it!

    Be Intentional About Balance

    I don’t recommend that riders work for hours on end without stirrups.  This sort of ‘push on through’ work ethic rarely helps anyone to improve. And, it often can negatively impact both horses and riders.  Rather focus on short 10 to 20-minute sessions that are focused and have a specific intention behind them.

    By riding for too long without your stirrups, you allow tiredness to set in.  Over time, this will cause you to develop more unhelpful habits, which will work against your goal of ‘better balance’.

    A great exercise to ride is one that allows you to see possible differences in how your body responds on each rein.  My personal favorite for this is the serpentine.  By noticing where there is a lack of independence through your aids between the left bend and the right bend, you have definite things to work on and improve in your later sessions with your horse.

    Lacking Independence of Aids

    One of the biggest reasons we are not positively influencing our horses is due to a lack of independence between aids.  Things like being unaware that each time you engage your inside leg, you also twist your outside shoulder.  Or every time you ask for ‘more’ while on a circle, you also grip up with your inside thigh.

    Devote time in each riding session to working on really becoming truly independent with each of your aids.  Especially the ones that you have already put on ‘autopilot’ in your riding.

    Things we tend to do without thinking about them are the perfect places for bad habits to creep in.  They are also places where, if you are not regularly revisiting and upgrading, can be holding the rest of your skills as a rider back.  This could be the half halt, the transition from walk to trot, or trot to walk.  Maybe it is the transition into the canter.

    Some riders, when they feel their horse becoming crooked, react by trying to pull or push the horse back to where they want… Riding is not about moving your horse, it’s about asking your horse to move.

    Again, working without your stirrups can help you to begin to discover the parts of your riding that need attention, upgrading, changing, or replacing.

    Bouncing To Balanced

    So, all of that being said, riding without stirrups can really help your riding – if it is done right.  This is the focus for August 2022 inside of Connection, my online membership for equestrians working alone without a trainer or coach.

    The first group of new audio horse riding lessons is called “From Bouncing to Balanced Without Stirrups” and it will help you do just that…

    All of the lessons are created to be listened to while riding your horse so that you can work and improve in real-time.  Your own horse, your own arena, your own time; join Connection today and see if you can truly improve your independence and balance.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

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  • The Best Question to Ask Yourself when You’re in the Saddle…

    The Best Question to Ask Yourself when You’re in the Saddle…

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    Have you noticed how, for many people, the longer they spend in the saddle, the less curious they become about a lot of things ‘riding related’? Now, other riders are the exact opposite, they want to go deeper and further in all aspects of riding. Which is fantastic.

    If you have found yourself doing something for the sake of just doing something with your horse, I want to challenge you today.

    I want to give you a simple, extremely powerful way to both gain clarity, and assess yourself while you ride.

    Becoming Self Aware

    I believe that improving as a rider starts with becoming more self-aware. Being present with all of the things that contribute to your conversation with your horse. Your thoughts, your beliefs, your weight, your aids, your energy, attitude, mood… All of the things.

    1. One of the best ways to really assess your level of self-awareness while riding is to ask yourself ‘Why’…

    When you begin to develop this habit for yourself, you will start seeing patterns, actions, habits, and beliefs that are no longer serving you. In fact, many of these things will be actively holding you back from reaching the next level in your riding.

    Ask “Why?” and then Ask “Why?” Again…

    So, let’s pretend you are mounted up and about to ask your horse to step forward into the walk. If you start by asking yourself ‘why’, you will force your mind to become a little clearer on the purpose or intention of the transition.

    Once you are clear on why you want the transition to take place, think about how you will ask for the walk. Again, ask yourself ‘why?’. Why those aids in that sequence? Why that amount of pressure? And why do you assume your horse will respond the way that you hope he will?

    There are no right or wrong answers to the questions; the purpose of the exercise is to simply help you to become more self-aware as a rider.

    Problem Solving with “Why?”

    One of the most powerful ways you can use the question ‘why’ is to help overcome a challenge or issue while riding. When you are asking your horse for something and getting something very different from what you wanted in reply, it can feel frustrating.

    By asking ‘why’ your horse is responding like he is, you can begin to see things from a different perspective – his.

    Often we can become so fixated on the outcome we want that we fail to see it from the other person’s point of view. Maybe your horse doesn’t understand. Perhaps he is fearful or doubtful and needs more time to develop emotionally and mentally. It could be that there is something physically holding him back. You will often unmask these things by asking ‘why’.

    I will also usually follow this up by asking ‘why’ to how I am actually doing the asking. This often allows me to see where the lines are becoming crossed inside of the communication itself.

    “Why?” when Learning New Things

    Probably the most obvious place to ask ‘why?’ is when you’re learning something new. Maybe it’s how to ride a flying change. Or how to transition into the canter. Following instructions is all well and good to get you going and to get initial wins when in the saddle.

    Becoming a responsible, intuitive, and effective rider demands that you know ‘why’ you are doing anything you’re doing in the saddle.

    And this is only possible if you approach riding with a curious mind. And be open to all sorts of possibilities occurring.

    So, next time you’re in the saddle, remember to ask yourself ‘why?’ and keep asking it. You’ll be amazed at what you will potentially discover about yourself and your horse.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

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  • Syncing Your Seat in the Canter with Your Horse

    Syncing Your Seat in the Canter with Your Horse

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    All riders can be put into one of two categories when it comes to the canter… Those who can move their seat in the canter with their horse – and those who can’t. This is a bitter pill to swallow for those on the ‘can’t’ side of the fence.  And yet, it is something that they would secretly love to be able to do.

    Having the ability to control your seat in the canter completely changes how much influence you have in the gait – and it is a lot more comfortable. 

    So, if you’ve been stuck in the ‘can’t’ camp for longer than you would like, this is how to finally move forwards into the ‘can’ camp…

    It’s All About Practice

    And not just any old practice.  I am talking perfect practice.  Doing the same, middle-of-the-road things over and over again, hoping for a different result is madness.  Rather spend less time, but more intention and focus in order to make your practice work for you.

     1. Start with syncing your seat to your horse’s hindquarters in the walk

    This is something that will happen naturally if you have already learned to ‘follow’ your horse. Another way of saying this is that you are willing to allow your horse to ‘lead’ you.  This requires suppleness and self-carriage on your part.  It also requires a good quality rhythmic walk.

    Devote time and practice to perfect your ability to know what is moving when underneath you at any given time.  Remember to carry yourself so that you can simply allow your seat to move unhindered.

     2. Work on Your Alignment, Posture, and Position

    The head, shoulder, hip, heel line should remain visible throughout your flatwork with your horse.  This is true for halt, walk, trot, or canter.  Also throughout your transitions into and out of each gait.

    This correct alignment will allow you to be in the best possible position to accurately and effectively use your aids to communicate with your horse. And to control your seat in the canter. 

     3. Weight Dropped into the Heel

    When in the canter, many riders tend to ‘pull their leg up’.  I feel that trying to ‘grip’ is the cause.  It doesn’t help!  Work on lengthening your leg.  Think about allowing them to ‘drape’ over your horse.  This means that they are in direct contact, but not squeezing or gripping.

    Weight into the heels will allow you to remain balanced, centered, and effective as you move with your horse in the canter. 

    As you canter, focus on allowing the weight to remain in the heel. Especially the inside heel, as this will help you to also connection your inside seat bone.  it is common for the inside seat bone to ‘migrate’ to the outside of the saddle in the canter.  Especially when on circles and bends.

     4. Carry Your Shoulders, Arms, and Hands

    There seems to be something about the canter that, as soon as riders get into it, they want to drop the whole upper body.  Collapsing your upper body will not help you or your horse.  In fact, this is one of the big reasons riders ‘bounce’ in the canter.

    The lack of alignment, causes their seat and hips to become ‘squashed’ by the upper body – preventing any meaningful movement. This blocks the energy, which causes the bounce. 

    Carrying your shoulders, arms, and hands feels exactly as it sounds.  Simply engage your core, open your chest, allow your arms to fall down from the shoulders, bend the elbows, and carry the hands.  It’s as simple as that. This applies to both the canter and the transitions in and out of the canter as well.

     5. Notice the ‘Scoop’ Feeling

    This always reminds me of ice cream!  You know one of those metal scoops that ‘rolls’ the hard ice cream up into a nice little ball, ready for serving?  Your seat in the canter can feel like this.

    Dig or scoop too deep and you will get ‘stuck’ due to you blocking the energy. Don’t scoop enough and you literally skim over the top with nothing gathered or collected.

    Practice finding the right amount of ‘scoop’ for the work you are doing at any given time with your horse. This will help you to, later, begin influencing the canter itself using your seat.

    6. Lead with Your Belly Button

    This goes back to posture and alignment, self-carriage, and moving with your horse. When you truly begin to move your seat in the canter with your horse, it will feel like your belly button is ‘going first’.

    Think of it as every new canter stride, your seat (and belly button) are getting their first – the rest of you is following. 

    Your seat and your hands are connected.  Whatever your seat does, your hands will mirror a split second later.  Many riders get this sequence confused.  They want to lead with their hands and have their seat follow.  This is when you see riders dipping up and down, back and forth, with their shoulders in the canter.

    You rather want your shoulders to remain quiet, and your seat to move with your horse in the canter.  Seat before hand.  Always. 

    This can only happen when you are in correct alignment, have great posture, and are willing to allow your seat to be led by your horse first.

    Your Seat in the Canter

    From this place, you can then truly begin to use your seat to influence your horse in a more positive way.  When you can truly sync your seat, it becomes a tool – rather than a hindrance.

    If you are still struggling to ‘sit’ in the canter, try taking your feet out of your stirrups.  This can help you to brace less using your legs and, therefore, ‘swing’ more using your seat.

    Canter takes work.  It also takes time, patience, consistency and correct practice. And, just like the trot, once you have it – you have it :)

    From there it just becomes a case of how you can control your aids more, to have an overall more positive effect on your horse’s way of going.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

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  • Improving the Canter with Groundpoles

    Improving the Canter with Groundpoles

    [fusebox_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/1230_Improving_the_Canter_with_Groundpoles.mp3″ title=”Improving the Canter Using Groundpoles” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”Groundpoles and Cantering… So much goodness :)” hashtag=”horseriding” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    The canter and using groundpoles; as the song goes, these are a few of my favorite things! And I especially love how, with a few well-placed and simple groundpoles, the canter can begin to become more intentional, rhythmic, and balanced. The added bonus is that so does the rider… So, that being said, let’s improve the canter for you and your horse…

    Today, I want to give you a few simple, easy to follow tips so you can begin effectively using groundpoles in your training program with your horse to improve the canter

    You see, once you and your horse are comfortable cantering together ‘on the flat’ (no poles involved), groundpoles can really begin to help you both to develop on from here.

    Getting Started

    Before cantering over a pole, it is always a good idea to first become comfortable walking, and then trotting, over a single pole on the ground. Both horse and rider should feel confident and balanced. From here, the horse and rider can work through lines of poles, such as trotting poles.

    It is equally as important for the rider to feel confident, as it is for the horse, when it comes to working over the groundpoles.

    Any excess tension through each of the ‘team members’ bodies will result in a loss of forwardness, rhythm, and ‘flow’. All are essential if we want a smooth and enjoyable experience through the canter groundpoles. And, from here, working to improve the canter using them.

    The Rider’s Balance

    From here, I feel that it is important for the rider to have developed a secure and balanced light seat. This, in my opinion, is essential to initially riding groundpoles in a canter.

    Keep in mind that a jump is simply a large canter stride. Similarly, a canter stride over a groundpole can often feel like a small jump…

    This is where a lack of suppleness can hinder progress. Many riders can ‘kinda sorta’ get in and out of the light seat – at a walk. Maybe trot… But canter?! I feel that this should be practiced first. The flowing in and flowing back out, while maintaining balance, contact, position, and posture.

    Being able to move seemlessly in and out of light seat is key to ‘getting out of the way’ and allowing your horse to do his job.

    Start Over a Single Pole

    There are so, so many different things that you can do with a single pole on the ground in the canter. Begin with testing you and your horse’s abilities to ‘ride a line. Choose a start point, an endpoint, and have this line intersect the pole at its center, to create a perfect cross. (create graphic)

    Riding a straight line each time over a single pole in the canter is not as easy as it seems and requires both horse and rider to focus

    Next, over this same single-pole, use your approach to ‘test’ your ability to ‘see a stride’. Simply ride the above-mentioned line, but this time you are going to count down how many strides you have left until ‘take off’ over the pole.

    3,2,1 (or the more difficult 5,4,3,2,1) on approach will get you thinking about how many strides you can realistically fit into a measured space in the canter.

    This will allow you to begin noticing where the stride length can be adjusted in certain situations. Being able to do this is more useful than you think… On the trail, it can become invaluable!

    Adding a Related Pole

    From here, you can start to add ‘related poles’. All this means is that you are measuring the distance between the first and second poles so that you can begin accurately getting a certain outcome with your horse. This really will help you to see what needs to happen to improve the canter.

    It is always important to allow your horse to initially set the distance. Meaning that when starting, adjust the poles to suit his stride, rather than the other way around.

    I also strongly suggest knowing how to ‘step’ certain distances using your own strides. Practice over a measured distance to get the feel for it. So 1m or 1 yard. Or set out ‘one non-jumping canter stride’ distance and go from there. Again, it is vitally important to know the distance your horse is comfortable with and begin to work over that.

    Maintaining the Canter Through the Groundpoles

    Once you have found a distance that your horse is happy with, you can begin to truly work over the poles. Begin noticing how the canter feels before, during, and after the poles. To improve the canter, paying attention to what is happening while you ride it is so, so important.

    Notice if you both can maintain rhythm and relaxation all the way through the poles you have laid out.

    Often, the best gauge of relaxation is the ‘smoothness’ element. If the canter changes drastically so that it feels choppy, jerky, or disjointed, there’s a good chance that relaxation has been lost. If this happens, go back to where you can maintain it, and work from there.

    Recognise that your influence (whether it’s positive or negative) will have a big consequence on the overall outcome.

    If there are challenges, first make sure you are not contributing to them before looking to your horse… Many riders can be crooked in the saddle, or collapse through their bodies over canter groundpoles. Try to remain centered, straight, relaxed, supple and balanced before, through, and after the poles.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Improve the Canter with Groundpoles

    If you would like a full riding plan on how to effectively do this with your horse, check out Connection. For February 2022, this is the topic for the month. In there you will get a riding plan to follow for the month to help you do this with your horse.

    You will also get audio horse riding lessons that give you step by step instructions on how to effectively guide yourself and your horse to the best outcome.

    And if you’re reading this after February 2022, all of the training will be available inside of Connection when you join today🙂

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  • Connection in Your Riding; Seat and Legs

    Connection in Your Riding; Seat and Legs

    Connection; Using Your Seat and Leg Aids More

    Have you ever thought about what you can feel, in the saddle as you ride your horse? The physical connection points you have with your horse each time you’re in the saddle.

    [smart_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/1148-Connection-Points-In-Your-Riding-Seat-and-Legs.mp3″ title=”Connection in the Saddle; Your Seat and Legs” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”Your seat and legs do a lot more than just keep you in the saddle… Listen to this episode of the Daily Strides Podcast” hashtag=”equestrianpodcast” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    Often we can become so caught up with our aids and what we ‘should’ be doing, that we forget to focus on the actual points of physical connection between you and your horse. And the impact these connection points are having on each ride.

    Mount Up & Begin Walking

    The first thing I am going to suggest is to actually mount up and simply allow your horse to walk. It is amazing how often we forget to allow this to happen. We think that because we are in the saddle and the horse is moving underneath us, we are allowing the walk.

    And yet, so often we are blocking or working against our horse doing this simplest of tasks. Walking freely while we are in the saddle.

    How many times have you been in the saddle and focus on ‘getting the horse to walk’? This versus sitting back and actually just allowing the horse to walk.

    Doing Nothing

    One of the biggest challenges riders have is to do nothing. Not that I am telling you to do absolutely Jack Squack in the saddle! Rather any ‘doing’ your ‘doing’ is focused on yourself, rather than your horse. Things like carrying yourself. Another often overlooked part of riding for many riders.

    The simple act of mindfully beginning to carry your upper body, allows your lower body to follow, rather than remain ‘stuck’ between your ribcage and the saddle.

    The ‘doing nothing’ I am referring to is regarding swinging, forcing, shoving or any other ‘ings’ you can do that involve you ‘trying’ to get your horse to walk. Simply make sure that you are in the best possible position to allow your horse to walk; and in doing so, move the part of your body that is connected to the saddle.

    You are allowing your horse to move your seat; not you shoving your seat in order to move your horse

    Remain Independent

    Remaining secure and balanced of your own accord are the basics of independence. A quick test of this, as a rider, is to imagine you could instantly make your horse vanish. How would you land on the ground? On your feet? If so, you’ve got this covered already, congratulations! On your face or bum means that you have an issue with your other connections points; your legs.

    There should not be daylight between your legs and your horse’s sides. This is especially true of your thighs and your lower legs or calves.

    Your independent seat depends on your abilities to balance yourself. This depends on how you have positioned your body in the saddle. Any tipping, gripping, toppling, or leaning means that you are using your horse for balance.

    Using your connection points to hold on means that they cannot be part of the actual conversation. They are no longer aids and are pretty useless when communicating.

    Connection Points Between You And Your Horse

    Once you have positioned yourself so that you are carrying yourself, notice your legs. There should not be daylight between them and your horse’s sides. If there is, it usually means you are gripping or pinching somewhere higher up. Allow your legs to drape. To hang from your hips.

    Your legs are an important part of the conversation between you and your horse. However, because many riders do not use them correctly, they are misunderstood and ignored by the horse.

    Your legs are not to keep you on the horse. Rather to communicates with your horse. No one likes a ‘Cling-on Warrior’; meaning if you are using your legs to hold you on, you are taking advantage of your position. Rather allow your legs to ‘drape’. Let the weight drop down into your heel. And from there, your legs can actually be used for what they do best; to communicate with your horse.

    Your Seat & How it Feels

    Like I’ve said already, your seat is a valuable communication aid in the conversation with your horse. But only if you first learn to ‘allow’ through it. Allow your horse to move your seat, rather than you moving your seat in order to move your horse.

    I want you to zone in on how this feels. Actually, it physically feels. One of the first things you may notice is that there is a rhythm to it. Forwards and backwards rhythm to the physical movement. Stay with this feeling a while.

    Notice how there is also an ‘up and down’ to the movement. It too is in rhythm.

    When I am explaining this to riders, I often think of the pedals of a bicycle. Except when its the horse it is the other way around. Forward and down, backward and up. Rotation of your seat bones. Moving with the horse and allowing the horses back to move them.

    The Rhythm of the Conversation

    Have you ever been part of a great conversation with someone, and someone else will randomly just ‘butt in’ to your conversation? They may or may not be even speaking about the same topic. It doesn’t matter. The simple act of their interruption is enough to work against the natural flow or rhythm of the conversation.

    I think that if you are honest with yourself and begin thinking about your conversation with your horse like this, you’ll notice places where you’re not being as consistent as you would like. Your leg aids. Randomly going between squeezing to stay on and squeezing because it’s now an aid. Your seat; moving between digging, shoving, and the occasional half halt.

    Riders have a habit of ‘butting in’ randomly in the ongoing conversation between them and their horses. The the two most common places this happens is with the aids that form the natural physical connection between them.

    Get Clear on Your Connection & Your Aids

    You can always refine your aids. There are the basics, such as your position, your posture, and using the actual aids themselves, you get to play with the next level of this connection. The timing element. However, you can only begin to do all of this when you wake up to what you are currently ‘saying’ in the saddle, right now.

    Timing is the place that you can really take the conversation to a new level between you and your horse. Using your existing connection and timing how you communicate with it.

    However, it all starts with taking a good hard, honest look at what is currently happening with your seat and legs while you ride. Then mindfully beginning to change how you are using your connection to help enhance the overall conversation.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

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