A Taste of Bliss

Six months ago I had a complete breakthrough clinic with British trainer Andrew Murphy, changing my belief in what is possible through correct riding (see "Mind blown, life changed"). As clinic was approaching again, I was wondering if it was possible to match such an experience. Regardless, I knew I could learn a lot as Andrew is one of those very few gifted teachers, who can approach and reach each rider at a point where they are ready and willing to listen. For some he starts via working on the horse and then slowly moving into showing the rider that if they improve their aids and everything that is attached to giving those aids (i.e. their seat/position), they can have even greater impact; for others he goes straight to the seat and then casually points out how wonderfully the horse then is going by default.

I fell into the latter category as he went straight to my leg to adjust it. It's not that I thought my position was perfect, but certainly not the very first thing to address (?!?).... I stopped breathing for a second and my mind went into hyper-loops thinking something like "holy crap, I thought I had worked on this for a hole  f*ing year and my horses have improved so much and it's still not f*ing right." Yes, my brain sounded a bit like a sailor. I've been particularly cranky as I am a runner and need a certain amount for aerobics to remain centered and happy, but due to an achilles tendon injury hadn't been able to run for a couple of weeks.

After letting a wave of frustration flow over me for a split second, I got back to business implementing the adjustment: more pressure down from my shoulder, more of a leaning back feeling, more vertical pressure onto the seat bone, more tailbone down etc. which ultimately enabled me to keep my leg down and relaxed, not having to draw up my heal for God-knows-what. All of that kept me plenty busy and the next actual thought that entered my mind was "wow".  The 17 year old Trakehner mare I rode started to float across the arena, and every time I was asked to take the trot up one more notch on the next long side, I approached it wondering how I should make that happen, when the mare as if moved by magic just went for it, balanced, soft, and light. This was the felt best ride I'd ever had. 

When I got off and got some positive feedback from my regular "The horse can only go as well as rider can sit" coach Tanya Vik, I muttered something like: "and all because of the "stupid" seat....". She laughed, yep, all because of the stupid seat. I should know better by now, but the magnitude of influence gains from adjustments in positioning still surprise me. It was yet another transformative lesson. 

I then had a few more lessons to practice this and delve deeper into some of the fundamental principles of Andrew's teaching (which are of course the principles of classical dressage). A theme through all of my rides was and has been since last October, the premise that the only contact worthwhile having is one you don't need, i.e. with a horse in self carriage. Of course in order to get there, reins have a directional function, but the horse's neck doesn't get cranked in or sideways by the reins.  The right "slot" is really determined by the horse's conformation. This was especially impressive when the pony I work with who has had a longstanding tendency to want to curl, demonstrated a beautifully correct long, reaching neck. The leg creates, the seat transmits, the reins receive. In order for my position not to get compromised, he had me tap with the whip rather than kick when more than a squeeze was necessary to solicit the correct response from the horse. 

As I am now integrating  all those elements, I have questions: Now how do I keep that open neck on the pony AND convince her that she still needs to halt? How can I get the older mare to let me into her body more quickly? I do feel a bit like a kid in a candy store with my new tool box and and there is a creative process (or Andrew would probably rather describe as dialectic) taking place now in which straightness and balance are measurements of progress. This is why this sport is so damn addictive: It gives us a taste of pure, concentrated bliss. 

Here are some moments on video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDwmCNgbCqI