01/07/2025
The beauty of unremarkable training.
I would be the first to admit to anyone watching one of my sessions, particularly one where I’m working with a young or inexperienced horse, that it can be like watching paint dry! The movements are subtle, the changes in posture, energy, rhythm, line, movement, gait, all seem to happen unnoticed. There are no waving flags, and yet the horse is desensitised. There are no sharp movements, and yet the horse is energized.
Plain trots, simple canters, flowing lines, and organized shapes, which are appropriate for the horse’s current proficiency. This is how we help the horse. This is how we help him to improve his strength and suppleness. Gentle adjustments to the tempo to aid balance and stability. The right balance of these elements produces the ‘frame’; the lift in the chest that we so need in order to help our riding horse do his job better, irrespective of sport or discipline.
Remember, it is not the job of the rider’s hands and legs to produce the movements and frames we want. It is the job of the rider’s mind to create the right environment by choosing the right lines tempos and shapes, and the rider’s hand and leg are there to receive the information from the horse, to ‘fine tune’ what was already there.
Don’t be in a hurry to ride more elaborate or ‘fancy’ work. Don’t feel pressured into trying to run before you can walk. Simple work, executed very well, will get you further than you ever imagined if you give it time.
-author unknown
📸: Dareth Lanae Photography
