Horse Rider Tips Are You Gripping?

Horse Rider Tips
Are you Gripping?

Many folks think whether in the competition arena or riding for pleasure have misconceptions as to what being balanced in the saddle is. I recently had a slew of questions about this and thought I'd share a brief version of the beginning of finding balance in the saddle.

Horse Problems- When things dont go as planned

Horse Problems- When things don't go as planned 

Some days everything may go as planned with the horse, and other days nothing does. My personality is to "will" things to happen; it has taken a lot of years and daily intention to realize that approach wasn't going to work when it came to my interactions with horses.

Connecting the Dots of Horseback Riding

Connecting the Dots

(This will be a several-part entry that will be covered over the next week or so...)

When resistant, unwanted, and/or dramatic behavior occurs with the horse, people get distracted by the big-ness of the horse. In my mind, the “big” is an after-the-fact response by the horse. The root of the problem has occurred or began to occur anywhere from minutes to months before the horse finally resorted to undeniably dramatic behavior.

Horse Problems- TOP 5 Unintentional Interfering Human Behaviors

Horse Problems: Interfering Human Behaviors

As folks are learning with their horse or experimenting with a new way of communicating and interacting, they can unintentionally develop intensity in their facial expression, posture, energy, and movement.

 
Without meaning to, as a person is trying to mentally understand and physically coordinate something new with the horse, the human through their own behaviors may also be conveying unintentional signals to their horse.

 
This can add to the confusion between horses and humans when attempting to change old patterns of how the interaction between them has been.

So here's a checklist for My TOP 5 Physical Assessment of yourself any time you work with your horse, but especially if you feel out of your "comfort zone."

The Importance of Breath- Improving Horseback Riding Skills by Alternative Horsemanship

The Importance of Breath

Many times when I'm teaching a student, if a tense moment arises, I will instruct them to pat their horse.
This is not for the sake of being "touchy-feely," rather for the release that happens within the rider when they touch their horse.
Without realizing it, they will exhale the breath they'd been unintentionally holding.

5 Horse Handling and Riding Tips by Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey

When learning or experimenting with a new way of communicating and interacting with the horse, people can unintentionally develop intensity in their facial expression, the tension in their posture, increased energy, and tight movement.

 
Without meaning to, as a person is trying to mentally assess, process, and physically coordinate their communication with the horse, they may also be conveying unintentional signals to their horse.
This adds unnecessary confusion when attempting to change old patterns in the interaction.

So here's a checklist for My TOP 5 Physical Assessment Opportunities of yourself any time you work with your horse, but especially if you feel out of your "comfort zone."