The format for this series of articles will be as follows:

First, let’s make sure we are all on the same page with some definitions of commonly used terms.  These will be mostly my interpretations of what I have read and watched in following the master horsemen and women of old and aspiring horsemen of present.  If you have a different understanding of these terms, it will open up a great opportunity for dialogue and, in the end, help all of us to take ownership of our own horsemanship!

Second, we will begin to analyze these two essential tools--pressure and balance--and look at which of our body parts enhance their application.  We'll also look at the reasons why we need to be so aware of how these aids work in concert.

Third, every month we will look at how to apply these tools to the four basic movements: forward, backward or rein back, crossing the hindquarters or disengagement, and sideways in both leg-yield and half-pass postures.  (Note: in Part I – Balance – The how portion -  is found on the web site at: www.tnthorsemanship.com/articles.)

Getting Started with Definitions

These can be tricky because they may vary with locality, subtleties of language, and to a small degree, with the types of jobs you may ask to accomplish with your horse.  The main objective is for us to develop an understanding that will create a similar picture for the humans.  The horses will react universally if we communicate with clear and consistent images in our mind’s eye and our body language. 

Aids are reminders to the horse that reinforce the suggestion or picture you are asking him to accomplish.  You do not want them to become crutches on which the horse relies, but rather reminders that ultimately enhance the movement or request.  Common aids or tools are your seat (as in seat bones and pelvis structure), leg (primarily lower leg and ankles), and hands.  Other tools which should also be used only as a reminder (i.e., get in, get out, get a reaction) are the use of the whip, spur, and rommel.   Eventually, these may be worn for the honor and tradition of your horse's development, but hardly ever used.

Pressure should be seen as a compression of air, a caress, or a suction of air to move or shape the horse.  Pressure is primarily a lower body function from below the knee, and in some disciplines uses the thigh muscle.  Pressure can be applied to ask the horse to move away from it (as in achieving forward, crossing hind quarters, and leg-yields), arch slightly around it (for slight lateral bend), or to set up the request for the horse to move into the pressure (as in half pass postures, canter pirouette, and spins).

Balance is that state of equilibrium that is in harmony with gravity and movement, and which allows for poise of both horse and rider effortlessly.  Balance is primarily an upper body function, beginning with the seat bones and pelvis, up the rib cage to the shoulders, head, and eyes.

Rhythm is the beat of the music you are developing with your horse.  Rhythm changes with the different gaits: a walk is a four-beat march, a trot is a two-beat Irish jig, and the canter is a three-beat waltz.  Note that in some regions, particularly out west, you will hear this three-beat gait called a gallop or lope.  In most international terms, a gallop is a four-beat gait or run in which there is a moment in each stride when all four feet are off the ground.

Timing is the measure of when you ask for a specific movement.  Timing is greatly influenced by your knowledge of where the feet are, so you can influence where to place them.  As example, it is difficult to ask the hind foot to move under the horse’s belly if you ask for the movement after the foot has already left the ground traveling on a straight line…You’d be late and your timing would be off!  You ultimately influence timing right before you need the movement.

With those definitions, let us now go back to truly dissecting how we can utilize first balance, then pressure to work in harmony with our intentions, seat, leg, and hands to develop this symphony called horsemanship.

Regarding Balance

Balance, in both horse and rider, can be found fore and aft (head to tail), side to side, on the diagonal, and to some degree, up and down.  It is greatly influenced by our eyes and ears--in other words, by our focus and attention.  Have you ever had someone call out to you or make a very loud noise when you were not paying attention, and upon whirling around to focus with your eyes and ears, you became out of balance?  I suspect it could be like this for the horse quite often.  We shout at them with our aids and they loose their equilibrium, become tense and braced, and have difficulty accomplishing the job at hand.

As I mentioned earlier, balance is mostly a function of the upper body for the human.  Horses and riders who seem to operate in perfect agreement are able to fix, refine, and adjust with eyes, shoulders, and core area forward, backward, side to side, and on the diagonal to be in balance with the movement.  We want to position our seat bones, hips, shoulders, and focus so that it does not inhibit the rhythm and is in time to influence the feet.

Some tips that help me to visualize and feel for balance are:

Seat Bone Dowels – I picture my seat bones as two dowels that plug in on either side of my horse’s back bone.  As I make one a little longer and the other a bit shorter, I essentially ‘weight’ or balance on that seat bone.  Remember that these are very small adjustments – no more than lightly squeezing a grape under one seat bone.

Fruit Basket – I stole this analogy from one of my clients, who said she had been asked to visualize herself with a large basket of fruit upon her head.  Her job was to avoid spilling the fruit by dropping a shoulder or looking down, and to keep the basket balanced slightly in the direction of travel over the seat bone on that same side. 

Shoulder Blade Weight – Picture your shoulder blades as having plumb weights attached, keeping your weight balanced over your seat bones.  The scapula are not being pulled or pinched together; rather, they rest back with an open chest muscle.

Ball and Chair Practice – There are lots of great exercises you can accomplish with a balance ball, or at the edge of a hard seat chair.  You can practice sitting up to have equal balance on each seat bone, supported by a positive tension in your core area.  Then try a slight shifting of your seat bone dowels, accompanied by an adjustment of your fruit basket, to feel how little movement it takes to ‘weight’ one seat bone, and then the other.  For more on this topic, see the suggested books and DVDs in the sidebar.

Two-Legged Horse – As you have heard me say before, I have yet to have my two-leg horse lie to me regarding the balance and focus I will need in the saddle.  Become a kid again and start riding circles, sideways, backing up, cantering, trotting, and walking with rhythm.  Then close your eyes to discover where your balance had to be to accomplish these tasks.  I think you will discover that good posture, focus, having a clear picture, positive tension in your core area, and a balanced fruit basket all contributed to your success!

As you practice your horsemanship this month, pay particular attention to your balance.  How does it affect the use of your aids?  How little does it take to communicate to your horse?  How much fun is it when you find that perfect balance with your horse?  In our comparison of horsemanship to the music made by the symphony, we have developed and schooled the string and wind section by looking at balance.  Next month, we will add the brass and percussion by examining pressure.  Then, in Part III, we will bring everything together under the watchful eye of the conductor to develop beautiful music! 

Author's note: you can find the rest of this article, as well as specific applications of balance concepts to the basic movements, online at: www.tnthorsemanship.com/articles in July NWHS Beyond the Basics. Alice Trindle’s clinic schedule, additional pictures, and downloadable pdf versions of all of Alice's NWHS articles are also available online.

Useful Reading & Materials:

Riding Essentials by Francous Lemaire de Ruffieu

Advanced Dressage by Anthony Crossley

Fundamentals of Dressage by Alfred Knopfhart

Neurodynamics – Phase I Dynamic Movement by Dr. Jim Warner (use of the balance ball) www.dynamichorsemanship.com

Eclectic Horseman Magazine – Series of articles by Wendy Murdock, plus access to many great books and videos, including Ride Like a Natural Series of DVDs from Wendy Murdock; www.eclectic-horseman.com