The past month I have been working with my students on feeling where the horse's feet are when they are riding.
It takes a lot of focus from the rider to feel their body and how the horse's feets' movement moves the humans' body. Once the rider can feel one foot of the horse either lifting or setting down they can start practicing feeling where the other feet are.
This is a slow process, but work that bears so much fruit.
1. Teaches footfall patterns in all 3 gaits.
2. Teaches body awareness.
3. Requires super focus, which in turn gets the horse really focused on you.
4. Rider learns timing and feel.
5. When the rider cues the horse when the foot is about to leave the ground the horse understands.
6. Rider becomes more soft in order to feel and has better posture in order to feel.
7. Rider feels success in knowing they really are riding, not sitting up on horse dictating in a way that doesn't make as much sense to the horse and makes the horse appear and feel resentful. A.K.A. not a real partner.
This type of work was presented to me at the Martin Black Clinic's I attended. I have been working on it ever since. My teaching style has expanded and my students get so many ah ha moments and love to learn this stuff.
I also spoke to a very good dressage trainer and asked her about feeling the horses feet when high level dressage riders are riding. She stated that yes it is the way to go, but, most riders cannot feel because they are never taught this and they cannot sit the trot. So, I felt very good to say, most of my students sit beautifully and can pick up their trot diagonal through feel.
Thank you to all my students that works so hard and diligently in lesson to learn this important timing and feel to help the horses have an easier time of carting us around!
It takes a lot of focus from the rider to feel their body and how the horse's feets' movement moves the humans' body. Once the rider can feel one foot of the horse either lifting or setting down they can start practicing feeling where the other feet are.
This is a slow process, but work that bears so much fruit.
1. Teaches footfall patterns in all 3 gaits.
2. Teaches body awareness.
3. Requires super focus, which in turn gets the horse really focused on you.
4. Rider learns timing and feel.
5. When the rider cues the horse when the foot is about to leave the ground the horse understands.
6. Rider becomes more soft in order to feel and has better posture in order to feel.
7. Rider feels success in knowing they really are riding, not sitting up on horse dictating in a way that doesn't make as much sense to the horse and makes the horse appear and feel resentful. A.K.A. not a real partner.
This type of work was presented to me at the Martin Black Clinic's I attended. I have been working on it ever since. My teaching style has expanded and my students get so many ah ha moments and love to learn this stuff.
I also spoke to a very good dressage trainer and asked her about feeling the horses feet when high level dressage riders are riding. She stated that yes it is the way to go, but, most riders cannot feel because they are never taught this and they cannot sit the trot. So, I felt very good to say, most of my students sit beautifully and can pick up their trot diagonal through feel.
Thank you to all my students that works so hard and diligently in lesson to learn this important timing and feel to help the horses have an easier time of carting us around!
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