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Life is better when you’re forward
I’m sure I’ve said this before, but there is nothing like the feeling of riding a truly forward horse.
The horse is straight because he’s thinking about where he’s going, not that inviting patch of grass over there. The stride is longer and more elastic, making it easier to feel what is happening, since the horse is relaxed and not resisting. There’s energy to work with and, most importantly, that energy can be directed into an exercise instead of being directed to fix whatever problems have cropped up with a non-forward horse (crookedness, stiffness and resistance to the aids, etc.)
If you’ve felt it, you already know what I mean. It’s one of those feelings you never forget. Except for me, because it surprises me every. single. time.
You know, some higher life forms have the ability to abstract concepts and apply them to multiple situations without requiring proof. Me, I’m like a kid with a jack-in-the-box. “So… if I make the horse go forward at the trot, is it easier to sit? It is! Oh my god! And what if I go forward at the walk, will our leg yields improve? They do! Oh my god! And if we are forward in the canter and then ask for a simple change? Wow! Does the little clown pop up every time I turn the handle? Are you sure? What happens if I go forward into a shoulder-in? Can we try it and see?”
Yeah, I’m not so bright sometimes.
Self-directed sarcasm aside, what a feeling it is. Everything comes together, and suddenly there is all the time in the world to make the next movement. And like a rider who can see the distances on a jump course, I can suddenly “see” where every footfall is going to go, and feel exactly what I need to do to get us to the spot we need to be. Riding is easy in those moments. I love those moments. Wanting more of those moments, quite honestly, is why I ride at all.
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