Apparently I need to buy this shirt. Things have been going well with Cruise. Relaxed, with a pretty good work ethic, but when I get forward it’s crooked and when I get straight it’s behind the leg. I was grateful for a non nutty horse but left feeling like I was missing something big.
So, after thinking about this a bit while doing endless farm maintenance, I decided what if I forgot about everything else but just got him light off my leg aids. Then while keeping that, insisted that his withers stay on the line of travel for simple 20 and 15 meter figures at the walk. And OMG. He had a through and connected walk. He was balanced and maneuverable. And his trot. Connected, through and on tempo.
Don’t get me wrong, it took a few minutes of putting his shoulders back on the line consistently, while keeping a light forward. The shoulder correction came from using primarily my thighs and seat with a tiny bit of rein against the neck. Because of the BTMM exercises his shoulders are easy to move this way though, and as he got the idea he threw down his protest flag and tried to pop off the line less and less. And got straighter and straighter and more connected back to front.
Mary Wanless describes straight as the horse following the line of the figure like a train on a track. If either shoulder pops off that line you get a slight bulge. Conversely, if the withers stay on the line and both shoulder blades as well, the thoracic sling can lift and the withers rise. Then you have your connected horse. Obviously the hindquarters being straight matters as well but she posits that elite riders already have the shoulders lined up and then work on the hind end. This is a radically different explanation than the traditional banana curve, stiff side, or uneven loading of the hind legs,. Paired with her seat recommendations, it seems to be working for us though. I’ve read about this or watched it before, but finally the lightbulb went off. A lot of the theory behind it is in THIS video.
Have you had any big breakthroughs in your learning lately?
I love that T-shirt! Straight is hard! Just ask Carmen. Jane told me to not worry about the forward when she was figuring it out but to build on it. I also like your approach about light off the aids.
ReplyDeleteStraight IS hard! Interesting what Jane said. Might be that Carmen is a bit more naturally forward-she gives you something! I'm sort of going with it's like balancing a bike and easier if you have some forward momentum. Still playing with things though.
DeleteI struggle a Lot with straight. Especially in our turns. We lean to the inside. The pics show it to be true. Remembering to put more weight on the outside hind has helped a lot. Lifting My inside shoulder too. Straighten Me first... Always so much to remember and Do.
ReplyDeleteReally good reminders!
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