You’re probably already thinking “whaaaaat?” but hear me out, and it will all make sense by the end!
Over winter I started doing some bush riding (aka trail riding) with a friend on her spare horse and loved it! I loved the early morning, yes it was cold! The crisp air, the birdsong, the smell of the bush and the notion that I was doing this purely for my own enjoyment!
As an Equestrian Rider with some pretty big ambitions, riding has always been purposeful for me. I’m training this horse (my own or a client’s) I’m working towards that, striving for something… it kinda has a “work” feel about it.
Riding in the bush is a stark contrast to “working my horse” in the arena… because it’s just for fun.
As dressage riders we’re quite “busy” and by that I mean, we’re micro-managing the horse. Constantly monitoring his bend and straightness, influencing his way of going, correcting any deviations from the ideal that we’re aiming for.
As a leisure rider, on a horse that’s never set hoof in an arena, it’s a completely different picture. In fact, it’s the total opposite. As a rider completely inexperienced with bush riding, on a horse that’s being doing it for practically his whole life I had to learn to be the follower in the partnership rather than the leader!
We “sand dancers” are so finely tuned to feel what the horse is doing under us so we can maintain perfection, that any alterations to equilibrium instantly raise red flags in our nervous systems.
There is no uphill and downhill in our manicured arenas, we don’t have to think about the next best place for our horse to put his feet as the surface is all the same.
A good bush horse on the other hand, is constantly “on the job”. He’s watching the terrain, he’s thinking about where he wants to put his feet and choosing the best path. A good bush rider simply has to get out of the way and let the horse do his job.
During our rides together my friend explained a few things to me, like how to choose the high side of the track where it’s wet as the low side will be more slippery, and how to push off the trees with a soft elbow to protect your knees.
The most profound things I learned though, I learned from the horse.
From getting out there and experiencing it.
Letting the horse pick his own path was completely foreign to me, letting go of the responsibility of steering took a whole lot of getting used to! Trust in the horse, I told myself, he won’t put himself at risk, and in looking after himself he will look after you.
Let him use his judgement and trust in his judgement.
It’s so much bigger than just handing over the rights to the reins though, it’s about what I now think of as “rider self-carriage” or “riding like a feather”. Being free enough in your body that when the horse needs to take an extra large step, to avoid standing on a wobbly rock for example, that this unexpected bigger movement is permitted by your nervous system and your body just goes with it.
Instead of getting left behind, or the sudden movement causing your hips to tighten up or your legs to grab on, you just go with it. You let the horse move you; unconditionally.
You are then no longer a burden to the horse because you’re taking care of your own posture, your own self-carriage, and you’re not getting in his way. You’re sitting and riding in such a way that allows you to sign your pelvis over to the horse and let him move how he needs to move without putting the hand-break on him.
It’s not dissimilar to what we are of our horses, to be honest. We expect them to hand over their free will to us and to let us dictate their every movement. Moreover, we expect them to do it calmly, consistently and without objection. Can we offer the same in return?
I see many riders with holding hips in the canter. They aren’t able to relax their hips and allow the full movement of the horse to travel through their bodies. Instead they grip on with their legs, often losing their stable lower leg position and even then stirrups; knees creeping up and drawing the heels up with them.
It disturbs the horse; it interferes with his balance and he has to try to compensate. It creates worry for both parties. Many riders have fears around the canter, particularly the transition, and many horses are “naughty” through canter transitions too.
Next time you’re sitting on your horse, I extend the challenge to you, to think about to riding “like a feather”. Think about letting go of all the tension in your legs, hips, lower back. Think about breathing and releasing all the tension in your pelvis and legs while maintaining your posture and self-carriage through your torso. This rider self-carriage is critically important; it’s what provides the stability that allows you to hand control of the pelvis over the horse.
It’s what gives great riders that impression of effortlessness on the horse’s back, and it’s what allows our weight aids to become so meaningful that they’re all we need.
Leave a Reply