In a perfect world the horse is connected to us through the reins, meaning that the contact we’ve established on the reins serves as the ultimate communication tool. There is no tension, simply touch and with it the power to execute energy through the horse at a moments notice.
While at the Midwest Horse Fair this weekend in Madison, Wisconsin, I was asked about correcting a gaited horse who would no longer gait. My first horse was a Paso Fino, and over the years I’ve played with a variety of gaited horses. To me, they are intriguing and fun, playful and energetic, and at the same token widely misunderstood in developing the gait. I was happy to offer to play with the mare, rarely wanting to pass up the opportunity to learn something from the horse itself.
I want to reflect that, it wasn’t the gait which was at fault. The mare was perfectly capable of gaiting, given the right conditions. This is normally the case, and it is then left up to us as the rider to know how to enable the right conditions for that gait to not only occur but to flourish.
The bend I refer to is that of specifically the neck and generally the entire body. The bend is one of four factors I consider in the working of the horse, that are rules so to speak and guidelines. When something is not functioning properly, i.e. a movement isn’t as correct as I would like, then I defer to checking on the four guidelines. They are, in no specific order, Bend, Posture, Speed and Balance.
