I have written about balance many times, but I still keep getting lots of questions on this subject. I’m always pleased to provide assistance , so here I am going again.
In the context of the rider, balance comes from the saddle and the rider’s seat. As far as I can see, most folks appear to have issues understanding balance only because they consider themselves to be too smart for the saddle. They forget the saddle as it exists has evolved over centuries of designing, redesigning, tinkering and refining. Over the centuries, it’s been made to develop to a structure now that can permit the rider to neatly mesh with his horse’s motion.
The saddle has its own very specific function, so let it satisfy that function. You are doing yourself a big disfavor, and your horse an even bigger one, by sitting in the saddle in any way other than how you were intended to. When positioned properly, you synch your center of gravity with that of the pony neatly, so the horse doesn’t feel extra stress or discomfort.
When you’re on the saddle, your shoulders should be upright and back. Your ankle hip and shoulder should be in a straight line. The stirrups are not for bracing yourself, they are for expediting lateral balance; this implies you have just the balls of the feet within the stirrups.
Good riders are never tense or controlling; they achieve perfect balance by staying loosely relaxed. When you get stressed, your state communicates itself to the pony, which also loses its cool. It’s best, of course, that you don’t start this cycle.
Stay relaxed with the head up, eyes forward and mind projecting ahead. Avoid looking at the back of your horse’s head or at his withers. This kind of behavior makes them terribly nervous. What you actually should be doing is to radiate stability and confidence by looking way ahead thru your horse’s ears. Just this simple act will help keep your horse confident and trusting in you. When you are projecting positivism, you are telling your pony that there isn’t any need to fear anything in the environment. You have scanned it and done with it, and now you are looking out into the distance ahead.
Be loose and elastic of wrist, elbow and shoulder. You must open yourself to constant learning, and as you learn and maximise feel and contact, you are also learning to flex with your horse’s neck movement backwards and forwards in synchronicity with the body’s movement.
The horse’s ears should serve as your forward line of sight. By looking out over that angle, you project control and confidence; you are telling the horse there is nothing to be fearful of. There is another benefit to looking out over the ears: you can judge where the pony himself is looking. This makes you more cautious to whatever your horse could be looking at, and that will tell you what your horse’s possible reaction could be. The pony uses his ears to telegram his impression of the threat potential of whatever he’s taking a look at. Keep a close eye on your horse’s head movements, follow his line of sight, pick up on whatever he’s having a look at and prepare for all contingencies. When you learn how to forecast your horse’s reactions accurately, you get the upper hand in warding off any negative response. Even though I’m repeating myself, I’ll stress this: your easiest way to deal with recalcitrant horses is the quality of your emotions.
By watching out for these indicators, you gain the poise and approach that will help you grasp the entire picture swiftly.
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