10/11/2024
DRESSAGE TRIVIA!!!
Do you know the WHY you shouldn't ride too close up against the wall?🤔
There are a few different technical reasons why, but let's keep it simple! ...
What is the most basic, fundamental, reason why you should NOT glue your horse to the rail or wall?
The answer is simply that your horse WILL NOT BE STRAIGHT if you do...
Why🧐???
Because your horse's hips are wider than its shoulders!
Still lost?
You see, we riders tend to do things and make decisions based on what we see, rather than what we feel. So sitting atop a horse, we have a perfect view of the head, neck and shoulders. So most riders will form their track along the wall by placing the shoulders in the line of desired travel. And then we just assume that the haunches are following the shoulders in an orderly fashion. But the haunches simply cannot follow the shoulders squarely when the shoulders are placed too close to the wall because the haunches don't have enough room!
A horse will not willingly scrape its outside hip against the wall in the name of holy straightness 😉
If you ride your horse with its outside shoulder and outside hip straight up against the wall, or a few inches from it, you may feel like you are riding perfectly straight. But what is really happening is that half of your horse is straight with the wall, but the other half is lost.
The haunches are basically falling in, so the inside hind leg is not tracking under the body as it should be. You see, the inside hind is CRUCIAL for your ride. You want to be able to influence it and keep it reaching under the horse's body. Don't let it float into outer space!
So, be mindful of where you are placing your line of travel. Just think about staying a bit more off the wall so the haunches can follow the shoulders.
Check out our website for more visuals and riding tips!
