Back on the Back of a Horse

Chapter 2

I made my way over to the single pole, facing it and the entrance to the chute. Releasing another deep breath, I very carefully signaled the mare to walk over the pole and into the chute. I stood up in my stirrups and looked at the dirt before, and then after the pole. I calculated just where the horse's feet needed to land to clear the pole, and guided her there. The mare stepped carefully over the pole, lifting her feet high to make sure she didn't even tap her hoof on it. I guided the horse through the chute, looking out between the opening of the poles, into the vast open space of the arena.

I sat up straight, going through my mental checklist.

Eyes up.

Chin up.

Shoulders back.

Elbows in.

Push up through the sternum.

Tighten core muscles.

Tuck the hips.

Legs back.

Use the inner thighs.

Bend the knees slightly.

Heels down.

As I listed off each thing in my head, I performed the action and held it all together.

Pushing with my right calf and opening my inside leg slightly, I cued her to pick up the left lead lope. Her hind legs surged beneath me, almost pushing me out of the saddle with the amount of impulsion that she displayed. But, I simply deepened my seat connection and controlled my own movements so that they could match hers. We curved slightly to the right before making our way over to the set of three poles. I aimed her right for the middle and encouraged some more impulsion to be used to get over the poles cleanly. To do it, I sat deeper into the horse's back and pushed her forward with my legs. I pressed slightly harder with my right leg to keep her drive leg underneath her. Then I lifted my hand slightly, putting pressure on her shoulders with the reins and gentle contact with the bit in the mare's mouth. The mare pushed her back up, lifting me up slightly while activating her core. I looked up at the fence that was straight in front of me and in line with the poles. I let the poles come to us as we grew closer. We glided over the three ground poles. I collected the mare again, receiving the increase in impulsion that was lost from going over the poles.

We loped across the end of the arena, approaching the line of cones. Starting the serpentine with the first cone on our left, I anticipated the series of lead changes that the pattern called for. I signaled for another half-halt and quickly received the desired response. She surged forward with renewed impulsion, but she wasn't going faster. It almost felt like she was going to lift her front legs up into the air, but she was simply taking a larger step.

As we approached the spot between the two cones where the lead change was supposed to occur, I prepared the mare for the maneuver. Right before getting to the middle between the two cones, I shifted the positioning of my seat. Originally, my hips and pelvis were slightly tipped to where the right side was more forward than the left. When I shifted the position, I switched which side was further forward. In conjunction with this, I slid my left leg back and let my right leg slip forward. I applied pressure with my left calf and provided an opening with the right one. The mare seemed to almost leap forward before going back to her smooth gait.

As we serpentined through the cones, I could feel how the mare moved in each lead change. She would land with her inside front leg, with the rest of her legs still suspended, mid-stride. Then she would shift her weight to bring her inside hind leg further underneath her. The rest of the legs followed after it in an almost hopping motion. This change of the drive leg led to the change of the lead of the lope.