The Best Explanation of Engagement Ever

Get on your hands and knees.

Be in your natural state.

Let your back sag and head come up to compensate for all the weight going down your arms.

Now pretend you are a horse and try some movements.

Notice how restricted your hind leg engagement is, how heavy all your movements are, and how limited everything feels.

See how on the forehand the horse in the picture looks with a dropped back, weight down through the shoulders, and hind legs out behind.

Be on your hands and knees.

Be in your natural state again with your back sagging and head up to compensate for the weight down your arms.

Now lift your head and lean back very slightly.

Lightly engage your abdominals which will tilt your pelvis.

Lift through the base of the neck.

Extend your forehead.

Now pretend you are a horse.  

Feel how much further you can engage your hind legs.  

How light your shoulders feel.  

How balanced you are.

Like you could move in any direction in a poised way.

This is an engaged horse with healthy biomechanics.  

Now stand on two feet.

Allow yourself to slump with bum out, chin forward, and collapsed shoulders.

Walk, trot, canter, and feet how heavy and restricted everything feels.

Notice how in the picture the human and the horse mirror each other.

Start again on two feet slumped, with your bum out, chin forward, and collapsed shoulders.

Engage your abdominals slightly which will tilt your pelvis.

Lift through the base of your neck and telescope your forehead.

Now try walk, trot, and canter.  Feel how poised the movement is and how much more range of motion you have.

Notice how in the picture the human and the horse mirror each other.

Find the full video HERE of the Connection Training explanation of engagement of horse and human with a bit more detail.  One of the  founders of Connection Training, Hannah Weston, is a licensed equine body worker who knows her stuff.  Even though I went to CT for instruction on target and clicker training I have inadvertently found some the best explanations of correct equine biomechanics and what exercises to use and why.

More on that soon.