Betty and I continue to work with Sugar and Morgunn using the principles and techniques we learned from Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer. Larry and Jennifer continue to take lessons from their mentor, Dominique Barbier, who is a classical trained rider in the Spanish school tradition.
While we were at the training we watched a video of Barbier and I made quite a few notes of his thoughts and principles that he shared. Over time I will occasionally share 10 of these for those who are interested in riding.
Here are the first 10:
The rider is like the feather on the nose of a clown. It takes very little movement from the tip of the feather to make the clown move.
I want to encourage self balance on the horse. I am not in charge of his balance, he is.
Know what you want before you start.
Believe in how easy it is to ride; relax and think.
Talk to the horse with your mind - "I would rather walk..."
When you know what you want, the horse will do it.
Less is more.
Keep the relaxation in the horse's brain, nothing is more important than that.
Use your mind to get the energy from the horse; your body is light and passive.
All interfering emotions must be replaced by calm determination, relaxation, and positive thinking.
Posted with Blogsy
6 comments:
All very nice stuff - good post.
"Believe in how easy it is to ride" .... this was an unconscious mindset for me growing up. I miss that old horse that I spent many summer hours lounging on while wandering the mountains....
oh... Rebel Donut is located at 2435 Wyoming Blvd, NE, approximately 3 blocks North of Menaul, next door to Cricket Wireless. Look for the green awnings.
Excellent!!
~Lisa
I read through the first book you recommended and am reading through the second. Good stuff. How often did I not really know what I wanted from the horse. So important. I've been a little down that I can't keep working with my paint, Who needs daily attention for a few months to get her trusting me more than the herd. But today I found a possible place for her by my mothers. Yahoo. I hope it works out for this time of transition.
Thanks for the 10 points and the recommendation of the books.
"All interfering emotions must be replaced by calm determination, relaxation, and positive thinking." Sounds like things I learned this summer regarding "Radical Acceptance!" Keep it coming, Dan!
Post a Comment