Ride for the Sake of the Horse — not Yours!

Don’t ride for the sake of riding,
Ride to help your horse develop!

by Rivkah Roth DO DNM

“Like Rider like horse, like horse like rider” is a sentence I coined in the 1980s as an expression of the mutual influence on each other’s body, i.e. rider seat vs. horse movement and body use, and vice versa.

Anyone who intends to play tennis expects to acquire skills and knowledge on how to move and use the tennis racquet, develop an eye for the ball, school fitness to prevent injuries and joint control in order to meet a ball at exactly the right angle, rebound, and strength. All this before trying to anticipate and outguess our tennis partner or opponent in a game.

Why then do horseback riders have the audacity of expecting everything
to come to them for free or simple bling?!

Riding is an act of responsibility, not something the horse owes us!

Everything the rider does (or fails to do) is reflected by the muscle and joint development of the horse. Moreover, the horse’s facial expressions reflect its inner state and the way we treat it.

We solely need to learn to read these signs in order to understand what is present or what is missing.

A rider’s responsibility starts with acquiring and refining these necessary tools:

A balanced POSITION, always vertically aligned to the ground (not at a fixed e.g. 90 degree angle to the horse’s back), i.e. no blocked shins with pulled-up heels, no pushed forward stirrup leathers, no hollow waist with blocked groin and hamstring muscles, no backwards leaning of the rider spine.

Through all phases of a movement, look for an unbroken ALIGNMENT of:

Point of shoulder,
Hip joint,
Ankle joint.

SEAT independence means…

elastically following through each phase of a footfall,
not interfering with the horse’s natural movement.

Elastically following HANDS…

filter and guide,
never hold or grab,
do not balance the rider.

A reliable FEEL and impeccable UNDERSTANDING of the various footfall phases…

rebound/push-off,
protraction,
suspension,
landing,
retraction,
weight transfer.

Know where which foot is when!

Ability, understanding, and correct, independent use of all RIDER AIDS timed with…

general footfall and gait,
ipsilateral hindlegs,
specific phases within the footfall, depending on intended action.

Here is an example out of my own past:
From 4 yr old late-started ugly duckling to 6 yr old brilliant swan all through correct schooling according to the stages of the established Training Scale and to what the horse is/was ready. — But such a result can only be expected from a properly schooled rider who is well-versed in the use of his/her tools.

In Summary

Lets exercise self-critique and self-control every single minute we spend with a horse.
Lets enjoy lifelong learning!

And, to close… allow me a word in my own cause:
If you don’t yet own my reference handbook and teaching manual, it is perhaps time for you to put in your order.
Everything that I describe here can be found in AtoZ Dressage Insights along with hundreds of other bits of wisdom. -> Link to Book Orders: https://atozdressage.com/orderbooks/
-> More Info about AtoZ Insights: https://atozdressage.com/

“A to Z Insights” is exceptional in that it combines knowledge of the Old Cavalry School of Hanover, Otto Lörke’s never written down knowledge and understanding through my first teacher, Hugo Schnapp (who, prior to fleeing from the DDR to Switzerland in 1961, was considered one of the best post-WWII dressage, 3-day event and jumper riders, trainers, and judges in East-Germany), with the knowledge I was drenched in through my grandfather and my second teacher, Hansruedi Thomi, Olympian and instructor at the Swiss Military Horse Academy (EMPfA), along with my decades of experience with biomechanics, correction riding, and teaching.

Rivkah Roth, author of the reference handbook and teaching manual, “A to Z Insights for Riders, Trainers, and Coaches — Old and New Dressage Concepts and Questions,” is the founder of Equiopathy and a natural health practitioner, lecturer and author with over six decades in the saddle as a correction rider (Swiss National License LMS since 1968) and many hours as a National Grand Prix and FEI C dressage judge.

The achievements of her former and present students and mentees include professional coaches on 5 continents (incl. CDN/EC I to III, ISR I to III, Dutch 3rd Level Instructor, USA, AUS), 1986 Dressage World Championships alternate (CDN), 1986 National GP Kuer Champion (CDN), 1992 Barcelona Olympics Long List 3-Day (CDN), 2002 Young Horse Dressage World Championships – Verden/GER (ISR), World Cup and WEG dressage horse (CDN), and countless National and Provincial Champions on all levels (CDN / ISR / SUI).