STRAIGHT
LINES A VITAL PART OF A SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE
At each
show, there are dozens of riders competing in the Trail class
event, but only a few of them go home with a ribbon. What makes
these riders better then the others is their attention to the
small details. For instance, how a rider performs the simple
act of riding in a straight line from point A to B can often
be the deciding factor between first and second place. Next
time you watch a trail class, note how the riders get from one
obstacle to the other. Are they weaving back and forth, following
a crooked path to the obstacle or are they smartly moving out
in a straight, direct line?
Riding
from point A to point B is basically a simple thing, but to
ride a relatively straight line between those two points is
a much different task. As riders, we often forget just how sensitive
our horses are and how much influence the position of our body
has on them. If we tilt too far forward or back or lean too
much to the left or right, most horses will try to counter-balance.
Until they are taught, horses generally lean into pressure.
They aren't born with the knowledge of moving away from a rider's
leg. That is a man-made response. Riding in a straight line
isn't as easy as it looks, but with practice, it can be mastered.
There are a few experiments which can be done in an arena or
on the trail that might help you determine whether you are a
help or hindrance to your horse.
First,
choose a starting point (A), then a marker (B) in the distance
like a fence post, phone pole or even a hill top and, without
getting tense or shifting your weight, sit as you normally do
and walk toward (B). What happened? Did your horse sway to one
side or the other or did he speed up or slow down?
Go back
to (A) and as you're heading toward (B), without moving your
legs, slowly begin leaning your body from the waist to the left.
See how far you have to lean before your horse begins to drift
left. How far you have to lean depends on your horse. Younger
horses tend to drift quickly and those that have been ridden
a lot by different riders will resist longer because they have
become accustomed to riders swaying around on their backs.
Try again,
except this time, lean to the right. Does your horse drift quicker
to one side than the other? Try the experiment again, this time,
drop your stirrups and concentrate on sitting in the center
of your saddle with your weight evenly distributed. This attempt
should be much straighter.
Another
habit we tend to fall into is looking at the ground in front
of us instead of looking up where we are going. This is especially
true when we try to work a walk-or-trot over obstacle in Trail
class. This unconscious habit can defeat any rider, especially
in a class where you have to ride to a specific spot. The rider
is usually concentrating so hard on watching the spot that he
doesn't realize his body has begun to tip forward or sideways.
Instead of simply lowering his eyes, the rider allows his whole
head to tip, thus throwing his horse out of balance. This is
a common reason for horses hitting the poles when doing a walk-or-trot
over obstacle.
To better
understand this, go back to riding a straight line from point
(A) to (B). Halfway between the two points, choose a spot and
place a small pole on the ground. Now try to ride in a straight
line right over the pole, but stare at it as you ride toward
it. Most likely, your horse will sway to one side or slow down
the closer he gets to it. This happens because as you approach
the pole, your head unconsciously drops forward and a bit to
the side since you can't see the spot once the pole is directly
in front of you. Because your head has dropped, your shoulders
have hunched forward and causes your weight to shift to your
horse's front end, causing him to slow down and/or drift sideways.
Go back
to point (A) and try again. This time, concentrate on sitting
straight in the saddle and keeping your head up. Exaggerate
this by looking at the top of a tall tree or pole. As you ride
toward the ground pole, don't move your head, just roll your
eyes down. Keep your chin up. Feel the difference? Your horse
should have kept moving in a straight line in a nice steady,
even gait.
After trying
these experiments, you can use the results to determine whether
you are leaning too much to one side, sitting too far forward
or back or staring at the ground. Then, with a little practice,
you can correct your position and begin heading straight toward
a successful performance.
Susan Dudasik
Shadow Rider Equine News
srider@salmoninternet.com
Member: Idaho Press Club
North American Saddle Mule Association
