Horse-Man-Ship Mentality- Energy force
Thoughts from Dennis:
In the previous blog, we talked about the importance of posture awareness and how it affects attitude.
So what is this posture I am speaking of?
Horses express their emotions through their posture and body, especially in their feet.
For example: Have you ever experienced a horse being fearful and full of self-preservation?
How does that horse push off the ground? Almost like a teenager leaving a stop sign in his automobile for the first time. it'd too much energy going through the horse out to the feet.
More than likely the horse will be leaning one way or the other and struggling to find balance. Usually, the majority of the energy will be pushed from the outside feet to the inside shoulder. This would be a horse that is fleeing left or right. Noteworthy examples of poor posture and poor attitude and how closely they relate.
Since it is so apparent in the negative, how can we arrange the horse's posture to give us the benefit? A horse with a positive attitude allowing posture will be straight in his body, forward in his movement, and relaxed in his mind.
The forward movement sends the energy from the hindquarters to the forehand lifting the back and the shoulders. The soft feel comes from a horse that has been shown how to hoover above the bit with a relaxed poll joint. This posture, when you're riding, will feel as if you're going uphill slightly when you are on level ground.
One of my best mentors, Mr. Dale Wilkinson once made the comment to me that "Good horses do this naturally, and the rest of them we have to teach how".
If a horse doesn't do this naturally and isn't taught to carry themselves this way it will hinder their ability to stop and turn correctly.
If you are desiring great horsemanship, this information will empower you to get there.
Mindful Riding,
Dennis Cappel - Master Horseman
Cappel Training and Shoeing
D/C
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