08/15/2025
A machine!😍
I want a horse to move under me as freely as they would out in the pasture.
No brace, no lean, no push, no pull
In the beginning, they brace up against us because they are afraid of a human up there. If we don't take care of that sometime's it get set, and they'll travel that way their whole working life (and sometimes the habit gets SO bad, their posture even stays that way out in the pasture!)
If a horse gets outside of our aids, starting with being out from under the center of OUR body (as opposed to us only thinking about our reins and feet), they learn to push, pull, lean and drag us around. They learn they can use strength on strength on us.
And worse, if the human pulls back on the horse, or has the aids so darn tight the horse has no choice but to push through them... then the machine will never work right. Their body cannot ever articulate to is fullest range of motion.
It is an art to get a horse free-d up, no doubt. Especially if they have been that way for years.
It's not about only pitching them loose, that creates its own set of issues. And it's certainly not about holding them together and trying never to let them be "wrong." It's the Goldilocks Rule, you guide just enough to cause a change for the better, then you turn them loose and let them feel their freedom.
Rinse and repeat enough times, and you'll find your own machine😉
Happy Friday.
Stay Balanced,
✌️Kalley
