| There are different reasons for owning a horse and | | | | while alleviating stiffness and soreness in the rider. At |
| riding. Not that any are wrong, you need to decide for | | | | the core of balance is finding your center. Once you |
| yourself what your motivation is. Do you just want to | | | | are centered, balancing is effortless. Balance itself |
| be carried around, do you have goals you want to | | | | cannot be forced. Balance has to be allowed by |
| reach or is it an art form for you. And as I have | | | | repeated relaxation, breathing, centering and through an |
| mentioned before, you need to find a horse that | | | | awareness of your own body. When you are able to |
| matches your desires. For those who just want an | | | | balance you will be able to relax and explore how your |
| occasional ride to get outside and enjoy the day, you | | | | body is influencing your horse. |
| will need a very well broke older horse whose desire | | | | For example, if you quit breathing, you will tense up an |
| is to take life easy. For the goal setters you may want | | | | so will your horse. If you clench our jaw your horse too |
| a little more challenge, a horse that has the desire to | | | | will tense his jaw. Your horses movement will mirror |
| learn and advance with you. And for those who see | | | | your own. The more aware you become to your |
| riding as an art form, you will want to find a horse that | | | | influence on your horse the better you will become at |
| has plenty of talent and trainability in the discipline of | | | | dissipating tension in yourself and thus the horse. |
| your choice. | | | | You will also find that as you balance, center, relax and |
| No matter your focus, for your horse's health and | | | | breath your seat will relax and follow the horses |
| comfort, you need to learn how to balance, relax and | | | | movement. When you are able to follow with and not |
| follow your horses movement. Your seat is the vital | | | | be pushed by the horses movement you will be better |
| key to all three. The more educated our seat | | | | able to influence your horse through your seat. By |
| becomes the better your riding becomes. The better | | | | simply slowing your movement your horse will slow |
| your riding becomes the responsive to you your horse | | | | and when you increase movement (energy) you will |
| becomes. And no, I am not implying you need to be a | | | | find your horse increasing its movement as well. And |
| smarty pants. | | | | while this is merely a taste of what it means to |
| Without a balanced, relaxed and following seat, you will | | | | educate your seat, for those wishing to expand their |
| be unable to properly influence your horse in any way. | | | | riding ability, the seat is the foundation to all you will do. |
| Even the weekend rider will find benefit in developing | | | | Develop it and many doors will open for you to |
| their seat as it will allow the horse free movement | | | | explore and play with. |