Breathing and Improving the Equine Partnership

 4 Horsemanship Tips

Are you breathing? 

When riders focus they tend to hold their breath. Talk. Tell your horse what you are doing (literally,  it also helps you keep track.) Sing to him or whistle. Anything! 

Breath is the most underrated aspect of interacting with our horse. It affects our softness and specificity, mental clarity, muscles, and effectiveness of our aids. 

What are you looking at?

Literally. As folks try to coordinate learning the mechanics of communication, and the finesse of "feeling" what is happening, they tend to drop their gaze downward. Learn to "scroll" across the horse's body, rather than zooming in on one body part. It will help you associate what you're feeling and what the horse's physical behavior looks like, especially when feeling resistant or unwanted responses.

Are you gripping?

Without trying to be "strong" people tend to grip their hand on the lead rope or rein. 

Practice having "piano" fingers. Check in that you can open and close your fourth, middle, and index fingers on the lead rope or rein as if you were playing the piano. This can release tension in your neck, shoulder, rib cage, elbow, bicep, forearm, and hand.

How are your feet?

If you are on the ground, notice if your feet are at a comfortable distance, with your weight distributed evenly or if you are physically in a position where if you had to move quickly you've "blocked" or put yourself in an unsteady stance. Notice if you stand with a slight bend in your knee or do you lock them causing rigidity in your leg and roll your weight off balance onto your toes when addressing your horse.

If you are in the saddle remind yourself every once in a while to lift the bottom of your foot slightly off the stirrup. 

This will reflect if you are pushing down and bracing onto the stirrup causing you to be rigid in the saddle and "moving" against the horse's momentum.