OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 THE RIDER /65
Developing Balance and Willingness Through Bend
By Anne Gage
Bend and balance are fun- damental to a horse’s sense of security and safety because they affect his ability to protect him- self from danger. If he is unable to run away from danger, the horse uses his energy to move into and unbalance his attacker by pushing into the push. The horse only willingly yields his body to another horse or person that has gained his respect through trust. Surrendering con- trol of the body is a huge deal to the horse.
True bend comes from the horse moving his barrel away from the pressure of the inside leg and seat bone. With a true bend, the neck flexes naturally as the nose turns slightly into the turn. There is alignment through the spine from the nose to the tail without any crookedness or kinks. Picture the water flowing through a garden hose that is gently curved. Then picture how the flow of water is slowed by a bend or a kink being put into the hose. The horse’s forward ener- gy is affected the same way as the water - if can flow freely with bend, but is jammed up with crookedness.
So often, coaches tell their students to “teach your horse to respect your leg”. They encour- age their riders to kick, use spurs and hit with whips to get that “respect”. Using “more inside leg” or adding spurs and whips against the side of a counter-bent horse simply cre- ates more stress that manifests in resistance, a hollow back, inverted spine and a high head that is creating adrenaline and, therefore, more stress. A con- sistently good and strong rider can get results through these “bullying” methods with some horses, but the horse will be a sullen, nervous or angry horse rather than willing, calm and relaxed one. A lesser rider will end up pulling on the inside
rein to turn the horse in the direction of the desired bend. But, the rest of the horse’s body will be crooked. The shoulder or hip will be out of alignment - either falling into or drifting out of the turn - and the horse will be unbalanced. The rider will then be instructed to pick up the horse’s front end by lifting the inside rein to “support his shoul- der” through the turn or to take more outside rein to block the drifting shoulder. Now the rider is trying to fix what she has caused!
Ideally, we want to develop a soft, supple horse that is will- ing and able to bend around the slightest suggestion from the rider’s leg or inside seat bone. We must start by asking why the horse resisted the bend in the first place. The resistance must be resolved in order for the horse to give the bend. Is the rider out of balance or alignment with the horse? Is the horse afraid of something (e.g. the “spooky” corner of the arena)? Is the horse not respecting the rider’s aid because the rider has not earned that level of respect?
To develop true bend in the saddle, the rider works with whichever bend the horse takes.
For example, if the horse counter bends through a corner, rather than insisting the horse change his bend the rider uses the counter bend to leg yield. This exercise requires the rider to tune into the horse and follow the natural motion of the horse’s gait. She temporarily gives up asking for control of the bend to gain trust. By working with the horse’s motion and bend instead of against it, the rider helps the horse to improve the natural bend. This action enhances the physiological benefits of smooth, balanced motion. As the horse feels physically more bal- anced, his levels of fear and stress are decreased. As the rider aids rather than dominates the horse, she earns the horse’s trust and respect and develops leader- ship.
Following the horse’s bend is a transitional exercise that works the mind, body and spirit of the horse. It earns the rider emotional authority to realisti- cally ask the horse to give the rider control of its barrel. Once this level of authority has been earned, the horse will willingly follow the rider’s aids and can be the soft, supple horse the rider desires.
Anne Gage is a Gold Level trainer certified in the Chris Irwin method of horsemanship. She teaches adult riders to con- fidently work with their horses, improve their riding skills and bring the joy back into their rid- ing experience. Her training and coaching methods are based on building mutual trust & respect between horse and human. Anne coaches and trains clients out of High Point Farm near Orangeville, Ontario, Canada and also travels to other loca- tions giving one & two day clin- ics, workshops and private ses- sions. For more information, visit her website
http://www.annegage.co m
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Internationally renowned judge, course designer and best-selling author RANDY G. ROY has just published anoth- er great book that is sure to become a must-have for your home library.
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