Back to the Book Club...

(I've decided to revisit The Gymnasium of the Horse now that I'm back on track with my riding. I'm still on the notes I took while going to Portland, but will start reading and adding to them again this week. Once again, my comments will be in lavender.)

The rider needs to keep the parts of his body that meet with the horse soft and natural. If this is done with the seat "he will soon feel the movement of the horse's legs and will be able to distinguish each individual one; he will thus have the means at his disposal with which to control them as if they were his own."
(This is something that I've just started really focusing on, softening my legs and keeping them soft. I think my focus between now and next lesson will be softening my legs and keeping them soft, sitting up straight, keeping my shoulders back, and looking up. Emphasizing all of them, but especially soft legs and look up.)

Knee Pressure-lighter than calf pressure, only effective on highly trained horses

Other driving influences are the whip, long training whip, and click of the tongue.

Soft spur contact=Bite of insect=bringing that hind leg up quickly and flexing as if to bite; it cannot be used as a driving aid

A jab of both spurs=only driving aid that can be given with spurs

"Forward is the motto in the equestrian art, as anywhere else in the world."

(This reminds me, the thing I'm really going to work on for Sophie is staying *forward* while I work on me. Because I can perfect it all I want when she's plodding, but it won't do me any good when I do ride her forward.)

The rein hand determins direction as well as the tempo of its various gaits.

Good hands are "the result of a perfect seat and fine feeling."

"A person can be a master of riding if they only have good hands; but can't be a good rider with bad hands."

(Note to self: work on softening legs and improving seat!)

"The influence of the hands becomes a guiding aid only by correct coaction and interaction with the aids of the legs and seat."

The graduations of contact-light, soft, and firm

Light contact-directed toward the haunches in upper level riding

Soft contact-directed toward balanced or military riding

Firm contact-directed toward the shoulders in hunt and race riding

Light hand-when the fist is half open so only the thumb and forefinger hold the ends of the reins, used for light contact; rider is slightly behind the vertical, reins slightly longer and hands are closer to the body

Soft hand-closed so that the last joint of the fingers is extended and a hollow fist is formed; used with soft contact; rein tension is greater, body is vertical, hands are a hands width from body; only good for military horses

Firm hand-closed fist so that all of the fingers help keep the reins at the required length; body is in front of the vertical, hands are at greater distance from the body to accomodate stronger pulls

"Contact is correct...as long as the horse reacts or responds to the action of the hand."

"The main task of the outside rein is to maintain the required elevation of the forehand."

"The alternating slight yielding and taking of the reins which is so necessary for maintaining a sensitive, lively mouth is produce in a fine way by repeated opening and closing and softly raising and lowering of the hands, and by a twist in the wrist so that the little finger alternately faces the rider's body or the horse's neck."

(This is what I was talking about with the new releasing or giving that Kim had me doing in my last lesson. We never did it with Jessie, but she likened it to acting as if I'm going to shorten the reins, but just in the hand motion, to help me get the idea of the give rather than the big inside rein give I'm used to doing.)

The Supporting Aids-weight in the stirrups, open seat, and the proper distribution of the weight of the upper body