| Penny Stone's Whole Horse Power |
| Article s |
| Balance, Confide nce, Harmon y |
| Yea rs ago I cre ate d a log o for mys elf. I wan ted so met hin g that wou ld exp res s my phil oso phy abo ut ridi ng in a visu al way . So met hin g that wou ld dist ill all tho se wor ds and mot ion s pre sen ted whil e givi ng cou ntle ss ridi ng less ons and clini cs into a qui ck un mis tak abl e sho t. Lik e dist illin g all the raw mat eria ls in Fra nge lico do wn to that pot ent, deli cio us liqu eur. So met hin g that wou ld be obv iou s, but that wou ld als o hav e gre ater me ani ng as the skill s and und erst and ing of the vie wer incr eas ed. At the tim e I was cre atin g this log o I was cre ativl ey and intui tivel y ble sse d. Eve n tho ugh the log o was cre ate d 10 yea rs ago , it still exp res ses my und erst and ing and phil oso phy of exc elle nt ridi ng tod ay. My skill s and und erst and ing hav e incr eas ed, but the pat h to imp rov em ent and “en- light - en me nt” rem ain s the sa me. You can see the log o on this pag e. The wor ds in the circl e surr oun din g hor se and ride r are “bal anc e – con fide nce – har mo ny”. I’ve dra wn the m in a circl e bec aus e they eac h influ enc e the oth er with out end . Wit hou t the ride r havi ng goo d bal anc e the hor se will not hav e con fide nce in the ride r, nor will the ride r hav e con fide nce in her self. Wit hou t goo d bal anc e ther e can be no har mo ny bet we en hor se and ride r. As har mo ny incr eas es, it is eas ier to mai ntai n bal anc e, and con fide nce rise s in bot h hor se and ride r. As bal anc e eas es tow ard s perf ecti on, ridi ng bec om es eas ier for bot h hor se and ride r. Co nfid enc e and har mo ny soa r. As the ride r’s con fide nce soa rs she is mor e abl e to rela x. Ano ther ste p tow ard s har mo ny. As har mo ny incr eas es, the hor se liste ns mor e car efull y and the ride r spe aks mor e cle arly and softl y. The hor se rela xes and the ride r bal anc es mor e eas ily. And so it goe s. Bal anc e, con fide nce and har mo ny eac h influ enc ing the oth er for bett er or for wor se. It app ear s that ride r bal anc e is the beg inni ng of the circl e, but this is only so if we ign ore the influ enc e of the hor ses envi ron me nt, and the har mo ny, or lack of it, that occ urs bet we en hor se and ride r bef ore the ride r mo unts . Wh en hor se and ride r hav e a gro omi ng and tac k up ritu al that is enj oya ble and har mo nio us for bot h, har mo ny is est abli she d bef ore the ride r eve r mo unts . Co nfid enc e in one ano ther is est abli she d. The n ride r and hor se only hav e to wor k tow ard s bal anc e in the sad dle to ste p in to the eve r- spi nnin g circl e of incr eas ing bal anc e, con fide nce and har mo ny. Wh en the hor se and ride r do gro und wor k that incr eas es the hor se’ s bal anc e and the han dler ’s con fide nce , har mo ny is cre ate d that set s the sta ge for bett er ridi ng. Wh en the hor se’ s envi ron me nt is bal anc ed, with sati sfyi ng and nutr itio us foo d, ade qua te tim e out, a co mfo rtab le and sec ure pla ce to sle ep, kin d and und erst and ing han dler s, goo d hea lth car e and all of the soc ial fact ors that ma ke a har mo nio us lifes tyle for a hor se, the hor se is con fid den t and rela xed and rea dy to wor k in har mo ny. He doe sn’t star t out with an unc oop erat ive attit ude . Wh en the hor se has a har mo nio us life, he is me ntall y and em otio nall y bal anc ed and con fide nt. For ma ny ride rs, est abli shin g goo d bal anc e on hor seb ack is the first and mo st inti mid atin g ste p that they tak e on the jour ney of bec omi ng gre at hor sep ers ons . If you are one who stru ggl es to imp rov e you r ridi ng, kno w that first cre atin g har mo ny with you r hor se thro ugh a goo d, enj oya ble gro omi ng rout ine, and thro ugh bal anc ed gro und wor k set s the sta ge for eas ier lear nin g of bal anc e, con fide nce and har mo ny whil e mo unt ed. Tha t sai d, onc e you get in the sad dle, con fide nce can get you to har mo ny fast er, but it is only fuel for the vehi cle of bal anc e. All the con fide nce in the worl d won ’t ma ke up for lack of bal anc e. Go od bal anc e is bas ed on the law s of Phy sics , not styl e of ridi ng. The se are the La ws of the nat ure of mat ter and ene rgy in our univ ers e. Gra vity alw ays act s in the sa me way on the ma ss that is you and you r hor se. Go od bal anc e set s the ride r’s cen ter of gra vity squ arel y abo ve the hor se’ s cen ter of gra vity. The fast er the hor se goe s, the fart her ahe ad the cen ter of gra vity bec om es. The stro nge r and mor e coll ect ed the hor se, the furt her bac k the hor se’ s cen ter of gra vity can be. Thu s, flat rac ers squ at clos e to a for war d cen ter of gra vity. Dre ssa ge ride rs sit vert icall y abo ve a mor e cen tral cen ter of gra vity. Ju mp ers cro uch, rea dy to be mor e vert ical on the flat, and to laun ch abo ve thei r hor se ove r jum ps. The trail ride r or ple asu re ride r sho uld spe nd mo st of thei r tim e in a vert ical pos itio n with so me sta ndi ng, or adj ust me nt for war d or bac k to kee p thei r cen ter of gra vity in line with thei r hor se as they trav el ove r une ven terr ain. Any tim e that the rein s are use d as a bal anc e tool for the ride r or the hor se they cau se dis co mfo rt for the hor se, and the circl e of har mo ny beg ins to spir al do wn inst ead of up. Bal anc e, con fide nce and har mo ny incr eas e or dec rea se one ano ther . A gre at hor se and ride r tea m can not be cre ate d with out all thre e. Edu cat e you rsel f thro ugh rea din g, taki ng less ons , wat chin g vid eos and lear nin g to feel whe n you are in har mo ny with you r hor se. I gua rant ee that any inp ut that imp rov es you r bal anc e, con fide nce or har mo ny will lea d tow ard s “en- light - en me nt” and that perf ect, rela xed , har mo nio us ride that we all cra ve. |
| [../footer.htm] |