You can see the horse pushing the rib cage to the right (note the saddle is also to the right). It is this imbalance that is causing the riders reaction of leaning the shoulders to the left. However, we can not just push with the right leg to straighten the horse if the riders weight is not in the center. That in itself will prevent the horse from moving off the right leg.

Later in the lesson

We now see a straighter rider and horse.

What we did: If you look at the first picture, her hips were uneven (right hip higher, left hip lower). I had her first work on opening her hips and thighs and sit more on her bottom (tail bone more under). We naturally tighten our thighs as a way to stay on, the problem with that is it has a blocking effect in the horses’ back (and isn’t so good for the staying on part!). Second, I had her think of moving her outside hip down and more to the inside of her saddle, this lifted the inside hip and straightened the rider. It also eliminated the reaction of the shoulders leaning in. In the second photo she isn’t following the horses’ balance to the right, but sitting in the center.  It is from this position that she could push with her leg with a good result.

The second rider was having problems with steering and relaxation in her horse. Here is her position when we started

This rider is also sitting too much to the right but we can see the horse is not bulging to the right, but rather loading the left shoulder (falling in). Note the front leg positions. The saddle is also more to the outside.

Here is later in the lesson

We can see the rider is straighter and the horse is lifting the left shoulder a bit more.

What we did: Similar to the last rider, we worked on opening the thighs and hips. This is an important part with all riders, it allows us to balance ourselves on the horse without imposing on them for our balance. Don’t forget; it is human nature to close the thighs, we have to retrain that reaction so we sit more relaxed and on our bottom. Second,  I had her relax  her ankles away from the horse and lengthen her legs from her hip. Her tendency was to close her lower leg in,  this created tension. Third, I had her move her right hip to the left so she was sitting more toward the center.

The 3rd rider is a long time student.

This first photo is a good example of the horse dropping the saddle to the outside but the rider staying in the center. This allows the rider to redirect the balance because she is not following the imbalance.

The second picture shows the rider moving the left side of the horse in a counter bend position. Because the rider is in the center, using the left leg to move the left side is quite effective.

Once the rider can easily correct the outside from falling,  we ask the horse to start to bend with the inside leg. Often when we begin this idea, the horse wants to fall back to the outside instead of lifting up on the inside. This is where we refer back to straightness and repeat the sequence.

Note in the picture below; once the rider moves the left shoulder to the right, the saddle is much more in the center of the horse.

Assessing your position plays a big part in communicating with your horse. By straightening ourselves the horse can then understand what we ask.

As always, if you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Always happy to help!

Kim Robare

Krobare6@gmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/classicalsolutions

© Kim Robare