“I shoulda been a dancer,” I said to the two-year-old Andalusian filly.
Horse that
Jack Spurred
24 / Sport and Trail Magazine
I’m sorry to tell you this, but few horses really move off the leg. I sometimes see a lot of leg activity from riders, but my comment to them is, “You’re workin’ harder than your horse.”
If attempting to pull the horse forward from the ground (last month’s beller) is a hangin’ offense, your picture hangs in the post office this month if your horse doesn’t readily move off your leg. How did this heinous crime of horsemanship find you? It’s time to put your guns in the ground, Mama.
…And let’s go back to a beginning to design a fresh start. If you care to notice your horse as you ride, you will observe that their body position, or frame, mirrors the physical effort the horse is involved in. Be aware of this business because it is important to recognize what the horse is giving you so you do not hinder their natural movement. For instance, as a horse travels through snow, or high grass, he uses his legs more dramatically in movement than he would have if ridden indoors. If any of you ride in such terrain you know what I mean. A trot through the snow or weeds conjures so much thrust from behind, and so much lift to it, it brings the experience of passage.
Your horse’s head and neck should mirror the unlocked frame of his body as the strides open and move forward through the gaits. The neck is no longer tight and upright like it wants to be at the beginning of the ride, but now the neck’s underside is flexed and forward with a nice open throat. Would you be clutching them reins right now, or loosening your fingers like a piano player?
The
This is the jingling spur.
This the jingling spur that sits on the boot.
This is the jingling spur that sits on the boot that follows your leg.
This is the jingling spur that sits on the boot that follows your leg that touches your horse.
This is the jingling spur that sits on the boot that follows your leg that touches the horse that moves the hoof.
Wait! Is your horse really moving?
I’m sorry to tell you this, but few horses really move off
the leg. I sometimes see a lot
of leg activity from riders, but
my comment to them is,
“You’re workin’ harder than
your horse.”
If attempting to pull the
horse forward from the
ground (last month’s beller)
is a hangin’ offense, your
picture hangs in the post
office this month if your
horse doesn’t readily move
off your leg. How did this
heinous crime of
horsemanship find you? It’s
time to put your guns in the
ground, Mama.