“Look, Ma, No Hands!”
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
Kyla riding hands free.
All five of my children love to ride horses. Because of their ages, the oldest three are much more accomplished riders. As I watch them ride now, I am so proud of how far they have come since their first day of riding. If you have ever seen a first-time rider sit the saddle, you know what I mean. Riders that are stiff in the saddle. Riders that hang on to the saddle horn and reins like their life depends on it. In so doing, riders that are too rough on the horse’s mouth and/or send it mixed messages through the bit.
My children were not quite so rigid as I described. I attribute this to the fact that they rode bareback for a month before sitting in a saddle, but even then you could hardly call them relaxed as they sat in the saddle. Through the guidance of my father and his wife, my children have learned to move with the horse regardless of the gait. While walking, they sit in pure relaxation. While trotting, they post. While loping, they sit relaxed, but alert.
Riding bareback really helped them learn to move with the horse. There is nothing separating the rider from the horse; therefore, it is much easier to move as one. Still there has to be a certain level of comfort and trust between the rider and the horse. Groundwork really helps the two to get to know one another. Longeing, round-penning, etc. are all methods to help develop trust and comfort as well as a sense of respect for each other.
Jake also riding without hands.
While riding my children also do some desensitizing exercises. As they keep their horse moving, they are also leaning back and touching its hindquarters or leaning forward and patting its neck. This exercise helps make the horse less sensitive to movement on its back while building confidence in the rider. You want to ride a horse that you are not always worried will jump out from under you because you leaned to the side.
In the end all these exercises and techniques develop a partnership between the rider and his/her horse. They become friends. They both look forward to their next time together. Now that my oldest children share this level of comfort with their own ability and their horse, I often hear, “Look, Ma, No hands!”
