Horse Riding and Refinement of Movement

If you ride the same horse long enough you will learn that there is a "bond" that develops between the horse and the rider. A small squeeze of the leg, how a person sits in the saddle, and a slight finger pull on the reigns will tell the horse to do something. As you learn this refinement you can apply them to other sports and to your life.

Consider something like the sport of fencing. A flick of the wrist makes a big difference when using a foil to block an opponents forward attack. It is subtle, fast and barely noticeable by non-seasoned fencers. Horse-riding  can show you that even the smallest movement can make a big difference.

As you are riding your horse around barrels or completing circle-in and circle-out exercises you will begin to understand how a pull to the outside of the reign and a squeeze of the inward leg pushes the horses head outward and his/her hind quarters outward as well.

This is a different movement from simply pulling on the reigns because with experience the horse becomes sensitive to small movements.  If it is well training and accustomed to the actions of that particular rider there is almost no effort. You think it and it does it.

We may also want to consider applying it to our lives. Where people yank and pull on things to get them done sometimes it is too much force and overkill. A soft gesture, a little pressure, and a kind word might do much more than forcing people to do something.

Horse-riding isn't about whipping the horse into shape it is about teaching the horse to act to the needs of the rider. The less pressure and effort that is needed to get the horse to do what you want, the higher the value of the horse. Well trained horses can handle many different riders and act/react to the smallest movement of the rider.

Articles may be distributed with attribution to authors Dr. Murad Abel