How do you ride with invisible aids?
When we cue the horse and have them obey our directions whether on the ground or in the saddle, we use the “aids”. These are the things we use to communicate with the horse. They can be the natural aids, those we are naturally endowed with — hands, legs, voice, weight — or artificial aids such as whips and spurs.
It can be said that the goal in classical riding is to have the aids be invisible, which basically means that an observer cannot see the rider do anything to cue the horse. It is as if horse and human are joined by an unseen, almost magical force.
What many riders and trainers do not understand is that this perfect understanding is made possible by position, or how you orient yourself to the horse in space and time. Position is the “secret sauce” of classical riding. There is position relative to the horse on the ground, how you position yourself in the saddle and most importantly, the mental position of the rider.
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Your position on the ground is not just a matter of safety, but also impacts how your horse literally and figuratively “sees” you. Horses are prey animals and have their eyes placed on the sides of their head. This enables great peripheral vision but also gives them definite blind spots directly behind and directly in front. It is important for the handler to stay in their field of vision so they know where you are.
A human who suddenly pops out from the horse’s blind spot can cause surprise as can sudden noises or movement. This is why paying attention to your position and the reactions your horse makes to everything around him is so important. Some horses will become worried about things that are behind them or that disappear into the blind spot just in front of their noses. The ultimate test of trust and relationship in classical training is the art of long reining where the handler walks directly behind the horse, in the blind spot, cuing with truly the most “invisible” of aids.
The position you take on the ground can very definitely impact how the horse sees you in the hierarchy. Do you adopt an indefinite position where you are always adjusting to the horse as he moves around? In other words, when lunging or leading does the horse move you instead of you moving him? If you constantly “adjust” to the horse’s position, then you are number two (in a hierarchy of two). If you position yourself as the center of the horse’s universe and the horse becomes the satellite that moves around you, the relationship will not only be much safer but also much more harmonious.
Ground position translates to how your horse sees you as a leader. Horses are always wanting to know their position in a relationship. “Am I in charge or is this human in charge?” Waffling behavior on the part of the handler, first asserting their dominance and then letting the horse walk all over them can be very upsetting to some horses. They do not know where they stand, so to speak, and so are always having to test the boundaries of the position.
Many people have a hard time being calmly, happily and ‘without question’ in the position of leader. They either think they must be overly aggressive all the time to get “the other” to do what they want OR they think they must constantly ameliorate, cajole and bribe in a quiet sort of desperation OR they may even vacillate between the two strategies.
A good leader is confident in her authority and does not need to constantly adjust her position. A good leader positions in the center of the activity, decides what she wants, communicates a request, and then WAITS for a response. If the response is not what the leader had in mind, she communicates again, a “no, not the response I wanted” and then asks again, perhaps a little clearer or stronger. The leader WAITS again for the request to be fulfilled. ANY small movement in the direction of the request is rewarded. “YES! That is what I wanted!” At this point perhaps you take a break, rewarding the correct move with a cessation of the activity or you make the request again seeing if you can get an even better response. This is where the phrases “Ask for a lot, reward for a little” and “Quit while you’re ahead” are so critical.
Soon (whether it’s horses or students), you can begin to create an atmosphere of cooperation where responses to your requests are happily made. When you hit an impasse with your leadership, that is usually where YOU need to do the work. How am I not being clear? How am I showing up? Can this other being do what I ask, or do I need to change my request? And most importantly, am I inspiring my partner with requests that will lead us on to greater things or am I just acting arbitrarily?
Leadership comes from a correct position in our relationship with the horse. As leaders, we are always responsible for the results. If we embrace that responsibility and position ourselves to “aid” or help the horse to react to us from a place of kindness, patience and joy, then the resulting response can become more and more immediate, almost telepathic and light.
A rider’s position on a horse can significantly impact training and performance. If you apply an aid in the correct position, it can be the difference between a great struggle and the ease of a “soft” response. Your position can also greatly impact the quality of the movement.
Now, unfortunately, there are many modern misconceptions about riding position. While it is generally acknowledged that correct riding position or “equitation” is important, it is often relegated to a subjective opinion based upon how “pretty” the rider is. Riding fads come and go, and this includes the trends in riding position and instruction. If the goal is to produce natural gaits and movements that keep horses happy and healthy all with a relaxed ease, then some form of the classical position is key. The classical seat is timeless and more importantly can produce performances in which the observer might say, “that rider isn’t doing anything”.
Understanding position, particularly in relation to the use of the rider’s weight and balance upon the horse, is a critical piece of the riding and training puzzle. Until the rider can achieve what we call an “independent seat” — meaning that if the reins and stirrups were suddenly taken away, the rider would remain in perfect balance — there will be a struggle to apply the aids correctly.
Xenophon, the father of classical training, wrote circa 400 BC that the rider should sit on the horse “as though he were standing upright with his legs apart”. This is perhaps the most foundational instruction for position in classical riding. Any riding instruction that creates stiffness and bracing of the leg or back, as if you are sitting instead of standing, is not only incorrect but will cause great difficulty in achieving a light, responsive horse. Remember, a tight, braced rider can only “lean” into or onto the horse. Subtlety of touch is completely lost and creates horses that consequently “lean” into and onto you. Remember, every force has an equal and opposite force! So instead of using so much pressure, think of soft aids coming from a balanced and centered position. Alternatively, overly floppy, “sack of potatoes” riding is just as ineffective. When there is no control of your center of gravity, your weight can shift indiscriminately and can greatly disturb the horse. Think of engaging your core, stretching up to the sky above your waist and down to the earth with your legs — and breathe!
Another way to think of the classical position is the “athletic” posture where the person is perfectly balanced with a soft bend in the knees and balanced on the balls of the feet. You can immediately tell if a rider is in balance if you can imagine that if the horse disappears the rider would land perfectly on his feet.
Position as if you are already in perfect accord, not prepared for a fight. By tensing and blocking with your position you can create resistance and training issues. Many people fail to understand how much they block the horse being able to perform a movement by being in the wrong position especially when they are tense or alternatively floppy with no engagement of their core.
The greatest challenge of your position is not just to have the right position, but to maintain it through movement. This is the real training in classical equitation. How do you move with the horse yet remain still and in “perfect” position? The key is practice as well as a relaxed yet engaged posture. The more rigid you are, the more likely you are to get bounced around — riding correctly requires the mastery of a paradox — stillness in movement.
It can take a while to develop your seat and balance. So be patient with yourself. If possible, find an instructor who can put you on the lunge line so you can really focus on your position. No matter how masterful we become with our position, we can always work on it. Working on your riding position is a lot like practicing an instrument. You will know that your position is improving when your horse becomes easier to ride! The most rewarding aspect, and reason, for the classical position is that it allows you to use the softest and most subtle of aids to influence your horse and feel as if you are doing nothing.
How you position yourself mentally, is perhaps the most important position of all. How do you see yourself in relation to the horse? Is the horse nothing more than a vehicle to be given very physical cues and “made” to perform? Do you identify as a back seat driver who is hoping that the horse makes the right moves and keeps you safe? Is the horse a reflection of all the frustrations of your day and life? Or, do you see endless possibilities of a perfect harmony and partnership?
You must align the position of your mind with your goals. Where do you want to go and how do you want it to feel? Constitute yourself mentally as a centaur. This means that you think from a place of unity and not separateness.
Allow your senses to expand beyond your own body and feel into the horse. Let your shoulders be your horse’s shoulders, your hips your horse’s hips. From a position as a centaur, you will begin to think differently about your riding and your aids. Tension in your ankle, for instance can translate into tenseness in the impulsion of the horse, either sluggishness or rushing. Collapsing your ribs can impact the horse’s bend and direction. By bringing an awareness to how your body translates to the horse’s body, you can begin to unravel all sorts of issues and solve them from an organic place, instead of reflexively adding more “training” or even devices.
When you mentally align with your horse, abrupt, hard aids will be noticeably more severe, and you will find yourself using lighter aids, and seeking softness and harmony, instead of domination. You will begin to feel your horse’s balance and footfall as inextricably connected to your own body. “Being a centaur” will prompt a different type of thinking about riding. Instead of engaging in a tug-of-war, you will begin to see riding as a dance, in which you flow into and out of each other. Two minds will begin to work as one, your body disappearing into the beauty and power of the horse’s movement.
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How do you make your aids invisible? Well, my teacher always had a joke answer that is in reality NOT a joke. If you don’t want your aids to be visible, then “don’t use them”. But, in all seriousness, the key to this ultimate expression of horsemanship can be found in your position — orient your position as “one” and you will become “one” with the horse … and the dance.
O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,
How can we know the dancer from the dance?
— W.B. Yeats
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