Horse is a highly energetic animal and the way we use its energy during riding can make a significant difference. The horse should work in collaboration with us to ensure easier riding experience. Horse riding could also be more pleasant and less strenuous, if we understand how to handle it. A horse may appear unresponsive and lazy, yet could move very freely in the paddock. In this situation, riders could be the likely reason why horses don’t want to cooperate well. Many horses are mislabelled, some move forward lazily simply because we don’t know how to handle them. In this situation, we could go to a yard or arena and let the horse walk freely without worrying too much about speed and direction. While riding, we don’t need to direct the horse excessively.
We could just let our horse does what it wants without any tension. If there is some tightness, it is probably because we are too concerned with what the horse should do. We need to focus, but still in a fun and pleasant way. We should be able to show some respect to the horse and we will see that the horse appreciates it. We have to be relaxed while riding and release any tension on the back, ankles, knees and hips. Breathe regularly and feel the horse moves slowly beneath us. We need to visualize that we are being at one with the horse. It is important to center our body and have deep breathing. We should keep feeling how the horse wants to move while it pushes our hip forward. Each horse is different and make sure we are in rhythm with the horse. We may need perform a few familiarization sessions like this, until we know how to be in sync with the horse.
When we do this, make sure we do it correctly and lightly. Eventually, we could try to experiments by stopping our body from moving and this could also make our horse to stop. At first, the horse may seem to hesitate in sudden change of our body movement and it may try to figure out our true intention. If we see this confusion, we should reassure our horse by confirming with the reins. If we are eventually able to maintain the connection and focus with the horse, it will be able to learn that we want to stop through the ceasing of body movement.
Obviously, we shouldn’t overdo this exercise and it is a good idea to reward our horse if it begins to become responsive. Once we have good results, we could stop for awhile and reward the horse. Each lesson should end on a good note and if the horse still refuses to be responsive, we may need to give it some time and do something fun with the horse. It is better to wait for a couple of days than pushing our horse too often. Horses also have emotions and it will respond better when handled properly.