Riding a horse can be broken down into some very basic, simple-to-follow lines you might say. When we learn to ride, our first thought is how to create that position that enhances our ability to stay balanced in a saddle while this animal is moving underneath us. We look at it in the same way as we would look at how do we manage gravity in our everyday life; we have to be in a good, straight line, what we say from ear-shoulder-hip to heel, to stay right in that position. When we look up at our rider, we're going to see her sitting up tall and we can draw that line: ear-shoulder- hip to heel. If our rider's position falls out of that line, if the leg comes a little too far forward, that rider is going to feel like they're falling backward in the saddle. If the rider's leg comes too far back, likewise, we're going to feel as though we're falling forward in the saddle. Simple, when we're sitting still, those position changes may not make that much difference. But we're going to see when this rider goes out and begins to execute some simple exercises, then she's going to have to maintain that correct position in order to be balanced with ourselves, the horse and gravity. We also want to create another simple line: from the elbow to the horse's mouth, one straight line puts the horse in a correct position for good communication. A horse should do what we call "submit to the bridle" or come to you rather than be pulling you from your hands. So by maintaining what would be a strong position, I call it "the heavy pot of water theory." If we're going to carry something heavy, we need to be in that correct position. Likewise, when we ride a horse, whether that horse is going to be strong or soft in our hands, we still want to have the correct position available for anything that that horse presents. We'll ask our rider to begin at the walk by squeezing with both heels just enough to create that nice, ground-covering, long, elastic stride. We want a horse that's active and fun to ride so we don't want to accept anything that's too lazy or sluggish. So the rider will communicate with her heels. The heels drive the horse forward creating impulsion off the hind quarter which is, of course, that strong powerhouse, the engine of the horse. As she goes to the posting trot, she's going to squeeze with both heels which will bring the horse to that two-beated rhythm that we know as a trot. The horse's stride is going to help the rider to create that up-down effortless movement. It makes for a very enjoyable ride when we're not bouncing as the horse gets to this bigger trot. It's much more of a fun exercise adding to the recreational aspect of the sport. As she goes to the canter she'll ask, by stopping her posting, so she went to a brief sitting trot, asking with her outside heel only, the horse is cued and trained to go to his correct left lead. So our right leg would ask for the correct left lead. The rider sits lightly in her seat in her saddle not trying to interfere with the horse's movement and not posting but rather following the movement with our hips and our seat. The leg, as you can see, needs to stay downward with its heel in a down position due to the flexion of the ankle and we try to maintain, again, the two basic straight lines: ear-shoulder-hip to heel and elbow to the horse's mouth. And of course, our good posture, our eyes and chin up. We often say we've got to ride just like we would drive, eyes up looking ahead to where we're going. Our eyes draw the map as well as there are no instructions on that horse's body to tell us how to ride so we may as well be looking up and ahead to where we're going.
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