Picture Quotes

Picture Quote 7 – ‘To find lightness…’

Picture Quotes
Published on

7

The main aim of everything we do with our horses should be Relaxation and Lightness. To have so good a connection that our thoughts are our cues…how light and fabulous would that be.

This is why practising everything with consistency and always offering that LIGHT CUE is how the horse will get to see it and take it. If we forget to offer it how can he take it?

So, if  when riding we always use our focus (thought) first, then our energy and body cue (bring our life up and look where we want to go), then our weight aid and leg aid and only the rein when needed we’ll find that we start using our reins less and riding our horse becomes lighter and more intuitive.

  • Shelley – HorseSavvy

 

Picture Quote 6 – ‘Don’t make things complicated…’

Picture Quotes
Published on

6

 

Exactly what it says on the ‘tin’….KEEP IT SIMPLE. When you ride everything  is about moving the feet…forward, back, left or right AND combinations of all of these…SIMPLE…but not always EASY 🙂

I’ve found a good way to practise my own body dynamics for riding is when I’m out walking. I simulate the move I want to try out with my horse BEFORE riding him and it really helps me to know what he will be doing with his feet so that I don’t get in his way when I ask him to try a manoeuvre. It’s worked so far for shoulders-in, hindquarters-in, leg yields, transitions, turns, sidepass, turns on forehand and hindquarters and simple lead changes. I have also done flying lead change simulations so that hopefully one day that will happen too and my body will be ready for it.

By getting my own body dynamics together with how I know my reins and legs move and support my horses body then hopefully it should be simple to get the move I am trying to do.

  • Shelley – HorseSavvy

Picture Quote 5 – ‘Listen to your horses ideas…’

Picture Quotes
Published on

5

 

Communication is a two way thing and to have a great connection to your horse you need to listen as well as talk. This might mean that you don’t do exactly what YOU want at times but you will get to do your thing with a better attitude if you allow your horse to have their say about something or to allow your horse to have some input on what you do together.

We need to watch and understand if the horse is saying something to us. We can see this by watching and learning how to read their body language for any tenseness or relaxation in their eyes/ears/neck/nostrils. It can also show in their back, stomachs and whether they’re calm and rhythmic in their gait or choppy and tight or whether their tails are quiet or swishing.

Horses talk more with their body language so it’s up to us to learn how to use our own bodies to help create  more harmonious silent communication.  If we learn body shaping dynamics to create our ‘conversations’ then the horse will ‘read’ and see what we are saying very well, with this and breathing/energy concepts we and our horses can become so connected we’re not sure who is leading who in the horse/human dynamic.