Warmblood Whispers WHAT YOUR HORSE IS TRYING TOTELL YOU Dr. Maria Katsamanis Seven Myths That May Be Blocking You From The Ultimate Ride
What are some common misconceptions about horses that we hold as being true and yet are the very things that may be preventing us from creating a new reality with our horses? Our desire of lightness, for many, is ever illusive. Our schooling sessions are riddled with a litany of “to do” instructions in the hopes of one day achieving that per- fect ride. Yet our ultimate ride has the potential of hap- pening every day. Perhaps the biggest barrier is in our holding on to old perceptions?
Y
ou can spend your entire riding and training career carrying a certain dogma, a set of principals you be-
lieve are absolutely true, about horses that potentially blocks you from creating a different path with them. Here are some common myths that I have compiled that may be blocking you from that ultimate connection:
Myth #1 – The horse is, for the most part, on the forehand. The horse is naturally balanced. You put a rider on his back and approximately 70 percent of his weight is on the forehand. Oftentimes, it is we who push the horse out of his balance because of our own ideas of what his body should be do- ing. For example, I often see how trainers push young horses forward and more forward—big- ness at the expense of balance. Rhythm is lost, tension creeps in and before we know it we undermine the horse’s ability to find his way with the rider on him. This myth that the horse is on his forehand implies there is a problem that then requires a solution. We fall into the mode of “correcting” the horse instead of “preparing” him to comfortably carry us. The focus becomes the mission of correcting the balance instead of letting the horse show us where he can comfort- ably be.
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Myth #2 – The horse’s conformation is a barrier to lightness. Every horse has a natural balance. It is impressive how our modern-day breeding programs produce sport horses with such well-proportioned conformations. It often seems these youngsters popped out of the womb ready to piaffe or jump a course like a pro! Equally as fascinating is to watch post-WWII footage of horses that seem conforma- tionally-challenged and yet the purity of the gait and grace in movement is unmistakable.
Myth #3 – Lightness is achieved as an end goal of training. Remember that the horse is already light by nature.
He experiences lightness under saddle only when he is ridden properly—our tact and competence are key ingre- dients. How refined we are then allows the horse to “just be himself.” When he is himself, he is light. It takes a while for a horse that has previously been pushed and pulled on to learn a new understanding of riding. In the beginning this is a new feeling for him. Once the horse understands that the rider does not intend to interfere with his body or mind, there begins a paradigm shift. It is when you stay out of his way that your horse can
help you learn to, for example, take that next jump or transition together in a more balanced and correct way. So
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