Category: Balance, Straightness and Bend

The direction of force exerted by a spring.

The direction of force exerted by a spring. The preceding figure shows a ball attached to a spring. You can see that if the spring isn’t stretched or compressed, it exerts no force on the ball. If you push the spring, however, it pushes back, and if you pull the spring, it pulls back. Engagement—The …

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Changing Bend – Changing Direction.

Changing Bend – Changing Direction. Ride 20 meter circle Right to – E At – E turn Right, your horse is on the right bend. Change the bend and Side Pass Right continue to – B on the left bend. Transitions from Walk to Jog or Lope can be added ahead of – B.

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Ride Them UP!

Ride Them UP! The Horse’s Head and Neck in Relation to Balance “The horse’s weight is distributed over its haunches and forehand. Because of the heavy head and neck, the horse carries a greater amount of weight on its forehand. When in motion, the horse uses its head and neck to influence its balance. One …

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Center of Gravity

Center of Gravity The most exciting biomechanical idea current in the latter half of the 19th century was the discovery of the “center of gravity” (CG). An invisible, infinitely small point, the CG is nevertheless real: it is the point at which a body fundamentally responds to a gravitational field. The CG is the point …

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Muscles of Balance

Muscles of Balance The horse evolved for one purpose on the plains of this earth.
 He evolved to survive. He became fleet of foot with a long neck that was able to get to the often sparse grasses on the plains. The eyes of early equines were large and set wide apart to allow for …

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“We bend our horses to ride them straight!”

“We bend our horses to ride them straight!” “We Ride our horses forward to make them straight!”   A horse is straight when his body is properly aligned from poll to tail. When he travels on a straight line, he should be straight along the length of his body. On straight or curved lines, the …

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Lift the Front and Ride the back

As the withers lift and rise out of the shoulders, the back is lengthened. The poll is raised and the weight shifts to the back end of the horse as the hip flexors lower the croup. Contraction of the abdominal muscles lifts the back.

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Rattlesnake Trail

Take a lesson from the famous serpent as you choose your path through Rattlesnake Trail. With long wavy loops or quick tight turns, alternating actions of lengthening and shortening one side then the other. Always with a fluid grace and ease, instantly adjustable. Explore the strength and flexibility in every direction and side. 
One movement …

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Balanced Rider – Happy Horse

When my horse is “dropping his inside shoulder”, he will lose his (balance) and the traction of the out side diagonal hind leg. Happy Trails and Happy Balance! Until we meet again……

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