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Remember that balance is an issue for the horse, too. Depending on
where the horse is in his progressive training the horse may be learning how to
carry himself and the weight of the rider while staying balanced. When you
balance quietly over the horse's center of gravity, you help him stay balanced.
If you lose your balance, you will throw the horse off balance,
too.
Becoming aware of how your body is aligned
will help you develop better balance. Riding instructors preach to beginning
students about lining up the elbow, the hip, and the ankle so that everything
drops straight down. If your feet are stuck straight out in front of you, your
upper body is going to come back behind the motion of the horse. If your legs
are too far behind you, your upper body is going to go in front of the motion
of the horse. When the horse feels this, he wants to correct
it.
If you fall behind the motion, horses will do
one of two things. They will either run forward or they will slow down, perhaps
even stop, as they try to position you back over their center of gravity where
it feels comfortable for them to carry your weight.
As your body stays relaxed and centered over the horse's center of
gravity, its alignment
may change depending on the
horse's direction, speed, and gait.
This is particularly true when you finally reach the higher levels of
any riding sport. As her horse leaves the ground in front of a jump, for
example, the jumper rider's upper body folds forward because she must realign
her body to stay over the horse's center of gravity. In the same way, a cutting
horse rider may sit heavier on one seat bone as his horse changes direction or
a reining horse rider may put burdening weight on both seat bones as his horse
does a sliding stop. They are realigning their bodies to stay over the horse's
center of gravity and remain in balance as the horses shift their own balance
in order to perform at higher levels.
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