When I get on a tense horse, I spend a fair amount of time establishing basic relaxation. If a horse is particularly alarmed about transitions, and for example reacts to a simple request to trot by jigging, coming above the bit, dropping the back etc., I spend some time addressing transitions themselves, as they are such an important tool in creating a supple and balanced riding horse. In many disciplines, the quality of transitions is not a focus and hence a lot of horses are not accustomed to being asked anything other than to go from one gait to another, no matter the manner.
With a tense horse, I am looking primarily for a relaxed transition, and I think of the first “step” as bringing the back up to my seat. If a horse is very fussy, it can be a bit challenging not to let the urge to “do something” get in the way of quiet focus. I am riding the line I picked (usually a smallish circle for added focus), possibly even in a bit of a shoulder in or leg yield, my hands are quiet and not pulling but resisting any fussing from the horse by just being in place. It is really interesting to notice all the things the rider’s body wants to do to “help” at that point. The back hollows, one stands up in the stirrups, the seat wants to shove the horse a bit if it’s pushing into the leg rather than yielding to it, one seat bone or the other may come off the saddle entirely, the hands may want to over-bend the neck, a bit of frustration might sneak in souring the attitude…
There are a myriad of possibilities for the rider to buy into a horse’s tension and none of them are helpful. A meditative approach of noticing and not judging can be very helpful in returning to what I call quite focus; quiet in the body and mind. As the rider I must be very clear in my own mind about what it is exactly that I am asking the horse to do right now. As I am preparing I ask him to place is front feet on the circle line, I align his haunches according to what would be most helpful for a good transition. The better aligned and the more carrying behind, the easier to have the back stay up in the transition. With some horses, it takes quite a few tries, but the time spend re-organizing between the asks really sets the tone for the horse. A fussy and frustrated rider will not convince a horse to be relaxed; you can’t force a kitty to purr. Quietly asking while sitting in the correct position and giving the horse a chance to answer the request really is the only option. The horse will come around and give you reason for praise.
I find that apart from the actual physical ability to have an excellent/effective seat and having great feeling and empathy, rider discipline is the third great and equally hard to acquire skill. How many times have we all planned to ride a circle and ended up on an egg, or decided to ride a half pass without a focal point meandering across the ring. Tense horses are amazing teachers of that third skill by forcing the rider to quietly focus. It’s very rewarding to move a horse from tense and fussy to relaxed and willing. For both the horse and the rider.
