If there is one message I got from Pam Harrington and Patty LeBlanc in their Pilates for the Equestrian workshop, it was that the responsibility for what is going on with the horse lies with the rider. There is a connection between the horse and rider that is deeper, and ultimately much more fulfilling, than a rider dominating a horse with commands.
Horses are intelligent, highly attuned animals. They sense subtle shifts in a rider's demeanor and body positions, and often take them as directions. Imagine what it feels like to a horse when riders have poor posture, lacking awareness about how shifting their weight affects the gait and direction, or how their body position creates tension on the reigns? Maybe you are giving your horse cues you don't know you are giving...
In this part of the workshop Pam has us directly experience the effects even small changes in our posture might have on a horses comfort and interpretation our instructions. Yes. We actually sat on each other and got a feeling for what it's like when a "rider" hunches their shoulders or leans this way or that. Once you feel it, there is no doubt about how strongly imbalances translate through to the horse. In the photo on the right, we are on exercise balls, feeling how much information travels right down the reigns when one of us makes a change in our alignment.
