Equinamity-A Revolution in Horse and Rider Training
Equinamity-A Revolution in Horse and Rider Training
And that is just for starters since there will be many other things as well.
Why is collection important? For most riders that is very obvious. It is because collection on a horse is a big step towards paradise.
When this position is achieved, the horse feels so light and balanced that it could virtually fly. It is a dream-like instant that all riders search for.
Very few riders are able to obtain this. Even though many strive and will progress towards it, but it is very elusive and fleeting.
But it is not impossible! There may exist perfectly understandable obstacles which are blocking the path.
Such as are you using the wrong tools? For example, many riders believe the way to achieve this is by taking a strong hold on the reins.
However, horses are smart.
Pretty quickly, they will learn to clench their mouths and lean into the bit. The result is that you have to pull even harder.
You will have to continue pulling until your arms feel as if they are being yanked out of their sockets.
Is this what you would call riding for pleasure? Is this what you would consider a pleasure for horse? At the end of the process, you will have a horse with a hard mouth. And you will have sore arms. And you may hang a FOR SALE sign around its neck.
Others tie down the head and neck with draw reins. This approach has a very different set of consequences. They are also negative and will be analyzed in another post.
Others respond by leaving the reins permanently loose, thereby avoiding the contact and collection issue altogether. This has another set of consequences.
Collection places the horse in the ideal position to respond to the rider’s instructions. Hands, legs, and body. From this position of perfect balance, it is able and willing to perform difficult tasks.
This is advanced training which takes years of dedication and conditioning.
The question must be asked, it is worth it? All aspirational riders will answer yes! Since achieving harmony with a horse is like getting close to paradise. Right?
But paradise for most of us is a dream. Out-of-reach! But can it be brought closer? Even if only for a few minutes?
Yes. It can. But it needs a lot of work and the right tools. It needs tools including training, of riding, of understanding.
You will find many pointers in this blog which will help to guide you towards this wonderful place. This is what the Riding Revolution is all about.
They will get you closer to paradise with your horse. This is one of two ways to achieve it. The first is based on working your horse. However, that is not all.
For most horse lovers, a horse or pony can provide a bridge to empathy. The loneliness which many humans feel is precisely because they are unable to obtain a closeness with other humans.
And this includes friends and family as it did for the pony with young girl in the next photo. Love of horses can start early for lucky youngsters.
There are many milestones along the route to achieving paradise with a horse. And achieving success with the Riding Revolution.
Bench marks can help to measure your progress.
Some of these are easy. Others are more complicated. Many will be presented in this blog.
Whatever the technical details, there is an over-riding theme. It is essential that the relationship with the horse be good.
There is no point for the rider attempting to achieve things that are either disagreeable or impossible. It is even worse if these efforts involve spending hours endlessly repeating the same thing every day. This both pointless and stressful for both horse and rider.
The riding and training posts which form part of this blog will be presented in a progressive way. From easy and fundamental to more complicated.
Why is this necessary?
It is because Equinamity wants to provide information which will be helpful to as many horse owners and riders as possible. And this applies to everyone. Irrespective of where you are in your horsey journey.
However, Equinamity trusts that what will be common to all of you is the desire to learn more.
So, some of the principles are general, like how muscles are built and how they cope with work. This is important so that you become aware of how you can take care of them.
Then there are others that are more advanced, such as how to get better transitions between gaits. This is so they become smoother and more fluid.
Relationships with horses are based on many fundamental actions.
Equinamity will express them in this blog as a series of guidelines. These will be known as Principles.
They are described next.