The aids our language with the horse 10 tips

10 tips to help your riding.

Why is riding an art? A lifelong learning path? The aids are our language with the horse; it takes time to master a language, right? It demands a lot of practice! And again you have to practice with someone who communicates in the same dialect! Ridings language is special its silent, gentle shifts of balance throughout the body, the application of minuscule amounts of pressure, Intuition and a meeting of minds.

Image by Thomas Peham from pixabay

A wonderfully accomplished rider I know gave this beautiful explanation of riding. “Like riding liquid in slow-motion, allowing the feel of being able to adjust the horse before the thought had even processed”. It involves an abundance of preparation and attention to detail to ensure the correct development of both horse and rider. Every horse and riders conformation is unique. Understanding a little about the physiology of horse and rider will help enhance your riding.

There is a wide range of physical, neural and mental refinements necessary to ride well. Training for the horse and RIDER was first defined by Xenophon twenty-three centuries ago, in the “Art of Horsemanship”. Both horse and rider require a level of fitness and developed reflex responses. The horse needs to establish natural instant responses to slight pressure from subtle aids. Riders must understand and master subtle application of the aids, which calls for establishing reflex responses to a specific signal.

Horses learn quickly to respond to a signal providing we do not confuse them, they have the capacity to retain information well. The rider’s goal should be to produce coherent and subtle aids. The horse has to be correctly educated and developed to adapt to those.

Image by Gerd Altman from Pixabay

Riding is an art because you are calling for the body to perform complex muscle activity, frequent shifts of balance and joint repositioning in previously unused coordination patterns. Pre riding a broad majority of human movement is through diagonal patterns. Riding requires using both sides of the body together at the same time. A stark contrast from walking or running. You can now understand the value of the preliminary work needed for A wonderfully accomplished rider I know gave this beautiful explanation of riding. “Like riding liquid in slow-motion, allowing the feel of being able to adjust the horse before the thought had even processed”.

It involves an abundance of preparation and attention to detail to ensure the correct development of both horse and rider. Every horse and riders conformation is unique. Understanding a little about the physiology of horse and rider will help enhance your riding. There is a wide range of physical, neural and mental refinements necessary to ride well. Training for the horse and RIDER was first defined by Xenophon twenty-three centuries ago, in the “Art of Horsemanship”.

Both horse and rider require a level of fitness and developed reflex responses. The horse needs to establish natural instant responses to slight pressure from subtle aids. Riders must understand and master subtle application of the aids, which calls for establishing reflex responses to a specific signal. Horses learn quickly to respond to a signal providing we do not confuse them, they have the capacity to retain information well. The rider’s goal should be to produce coherent and subtle aids. The horse has to be correctly educated and developed to adapt to those.

Riding is an art because you are calling for the body to perform complex muscle activity, frequent shifts of balance and joint repositioning in previously unused coordination patterns. Pre riding a broad majority of human movement is through diagonal patterns. Riding requires using both sides of the body together at the same time. A stark contrast from walking or running. You can now understand the value of the preliminary work needed for both horse and rider if you want to ride well. Don’t feel overwhelmed, I have learnt the most about horses by observing them and being around them.

I feel many people are pressured into thinking their horses should produce specific riding levels at a specific age. You would not demand all children to develop at a certain age. Horses are exactly the same.

I cannot express enough the importance of ground work for horses and RIDERS. Horses require this to prepare for riding work and again to nurture and maintain their bodies in check, riders need precisely the same.

• Start moving more, both you and your horse.

• Find as many terrains as possible to make more parts of your body move.

• Actively look for diverse ways of using your body throughout your day, don’t constantly go for the easy option.

• You and your horse need variety of movement.

• Break down training into bite-size chunks. (Get used to asking for a little, ending on a good note, and then building on that)

• Observe and become an active participant in both you and your horse’s development

• Pay attention to detail

• Riding is an art- don’t rush, it takes time.

• Breath, enjoy it, don’t pressure yourself.

• Schooling your horse whilst out hacking can bring more benefits than the ménage.

- Exterior Image by The Other Kev from Pixabay