“Sad, but much too commonly found, is the use of contraptions that keep the horse’s head set and artificially give the false picture of focus. This masks the underlying reason of why the togetherness factor is suffering.”
for this. Working with a professional on the basics of the horses’ footfall is key. Learning advanced lunging skills also provides an excellent vantage point to begin to develop an eye and feel that your horse may be off, especially for riders who are not advanced enough un- der saddle to feel a disturbance. The soundness of your tack is also paramount. We
take for granted the reliability of something we use every day. Make it a habit to do a quick sweep of the integrity of your tack.
The Physicality Factor Assess his physical capability for the day. The in-hand work is used to prepare us for the ride, but it is also a key opportunity to evaluate his soundness and es- tablish togetherness as well. For example, the in-hand use of the three- or four-track shoulder-in can provide crucial information so that you can customize your ride, which prevents disturbing the horse and creating or perpetuating resistances under saddle.
The Comfort Factor Is he mentally and physically comfortable? The horse’s happiness must be the rider’s primary concern. Two things that I find block the horses wellness are that signs of resistance are often overlooked as markers of physical and/or mental distress and that riders overdo an exercise and don’t know when to stop. An example I see often is that of one taking the side reins off after a brief lunging and all of a sudden the horse explodes under saddle. Remember, lack of exuberance in the horse is not necessarily compliance and physical bal- ance is necessary for mental connection. When the horse’s balance is threatened, he is not listening to us—he reacts in fear. But when the horse is physically balanced, then we have a chance to establish a mental balance. We can help the horse stay balanced, gener- ally, by being, rather than doing.
“We must invite the horse into a position where he is able to dance.”
The You Factor Check yourself. Are you really open to your horse? Are you accepting him for where he is on that day? Or are you on an agenda? Are you attached to a strong im- age of what your ride should be or are you also open to what your horse has to offer? Are you riding for today
About Dr. Katsamanis: A native of Greece, Maria is a horse trainer and clinician. She holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and maintains her equine base in New Jersey and an academic appointment at Rutgers Medical School. She co-authored the book, The Alche- my of Lightness (Trafalgar Square Books, 2013).
or are you trying to replicate the ride of yesterday and not in a place to receive what he has to offer today? When we are not present, we are not even part of the picture. This is often the case—and that is why most horses look sleepy, bored or both! Are you clear with him about what you wish? The more the rider has clari- ty of mind, the better the ride. One needs to be as clear as possible in one’s communication to the horse so he is able to know what is desired of him. The synthesis of these two elements—not upsetting the horse and clar- ity of mind—produce the great feeling on horseback that we desire.
“There’s a subtle yet powerful difference between
working toward a result and thinking and feeling to- ward it”.
—Gregg Braden, The Divine Matrix
The Energy Factor Assess our own energy. Recognize that this is one of our responsibilities. Assessing your horse’s energy is a given. If he is full of exuberance, for example, are we willing to take it or squash it? It is important to assess our own levels as part of our pre-ride check. Imagine that you have a horse that hovers around a “3” (0 is no exuberance and 10 is high). If you are feeling tired, depressed or distracted, you are probably on the lower end of the rating scale yourself. To generate a beautiful working trot or a magnificent canter, you will need a lot more inner energy. Otherwise, what typically happens is that people resort to pushing on the horse or overuse of spurs to mechanically produce forward energy. I have a trampoline in the corner of the arena that I find useful in generating endogenous (internal) energy. When my ratings are low, a few seconds of jumping up and down can do wonders about getting all those mol- ecules moving around! Remember, the horse is ready for us. His state is
pure.
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