One fine day in the middle of the night,
Two dead boys got up to fight,
Back to back they faced each other,
Drew their swords and shot each other,
One was blind and the other couldn't see,
So they chose a dummy for a referee.” By Ed Grey
To develop as a rider, one must be able to practice, with the correct ‘tools’, often without the aid of a ground person. The rider needs to be able to develop feel within their own body, as well as feeling the horse underneath them. But how many riders take a lesson and the next day are unable to reproduce the same qualities in themselves and in their horses? Or they are continually given the same correction month after month (sometimes year after year), with no long term improvement? They often question their own ability, or they blame the horse.
A vast number of teacher/trainers have been either poorly taught themselves, or lack good teaching skills OR they are so naturally gifted as riders, that they are unable to pass on information, to the student 100% correctly - the "unconscious details" that they naturally perform. It is almost like witch-craft that they are able to perform really well, while the rest of us struggle to perform mediocrity.
Talented riders may describe themselves as relaxed, or doing nothing, but they are completely misinforming their students. If we could have an ‘out of body’ experience, and step into a gifted riders’ body, or they step into ours, as Whoopi Goldberg enables Patrick Sawze to do in the movie “Ghost”, we would all be in for a mind and body stretching experience!!! And it would not be remotely as we had expected it to be from the riding directions and explainations given to us. So much is "Lost in Translation".
But riders can improve both themselves, and therefore their horse, by understanding their own biomechanics. Once you understand what you are actually feeling and doing, (and not what you think you are doing), you can really start to improve as a rider, influencing your horse in the correct manner. A rider needs to understand "the cause and effect" rules of riding. That is, how you sit can have negative and positive effects on your horse. You and your horse are a 3-D puzzle. Piece by piece you can inter-connect with your horse to produce the right balanced picture, whether it is putting the horse correctly on the bit, riding higher level movements or polishing your position for an equitation class. The saying ' life is all about balance', is certainly true in riding.
I believe that riding with an understanding of biomechanics and body awareness is “the missing link” in improving as a rider and correctly advancing your horse. You will experience way more "Ah ha's", and "wow, now I get it's" than with traditional lessons.
Correct biomechanics is based on Sir Issac Newton's Laws of Motion, and physical facts, not on opinion or fashion or just basic positional corrections.
Don't panic! This is not rocket science! When broken down and taught step by step, it is very easy to digest and to reproduce, (perhaps the most important part), and applies to ALL levels and ages of riders and disciplines. The correct application of this knowledge can put you light years ahead of the main steam rider. It is quite simply ‘the icing on the cake’.