Self-Carriage occurred between the contact and the release.
Self-Carriage occurred between Riding in Short Frame and the Working Frame.
Self-carriage is the horse’s ability to maintain his balance with the weight of the rider on his back.
You are sculpting an equine masterpiece through your work in Cowboy Dressage.
The ultimate goal in Cowboy Dressage at the highest level is to have the horse in self-carriage. However, at every stage of training the horse should be in some degree of self-carriage. That means that the horse maintains his own frame and rhythm to some degree without the rider creating every single stride with her aids. For this to happen, a rider must first be passive with the aids and allow the horse to move on his own.
Self-carriage is the aim of every Cowboy dressage rider, on every horse. … “Physically it means he has weight on all four legs in balance in whatever the movement is and has an even contact on the reins. For self-carriage to be possible, the rider must be able to ride using passive aids, allowing the horse to move independently from the rider’s hand or leg.
To get your horse to properly carry themselves, you want to have your horse on the bit, stretching through their back and neck. Pressure from your legs will encourage your horse to step under themselves with their hind legs and push up through their back.
When my horse is in self-carriage, I feel that the next step, or stride will be the same as the last, without any additional input from me.
I tell the horse what to do, and then allow him to do it. The horse in self-carriage can perform his tasks on a soft or loose rein without losing balance.
Self-carriage is about balance more than it is about the transfer of weight to the hindquarters.
The horse’s ability to perform on soft or loose reins is a hallmark of self-carriage. Most riders are taught to soften their inside reins on circles or during shoulder-in as a check of self-carriage. If you try this and your horse speeds up or abruptly changes direction, then you just failed the test. He is still relying on you to balance him, and you need to continue calm, patient work until he begins to develop his ability to carry himself with your weight on his back.
You are sculpting an equine masterpiece through your work in Cowboy Dressage.
