 |
[RC] Balance - a new subject - Dolores ArsteThought folks here might appreciate this one! Dolores The first question is - in these conditions where it's slippery due to heavy snow with some ice underneith, is it best to let the horse not work in such a collection or is it better to keep him more collected? < The answer to this question is wonderfully illustrated by an anecdote in Otto v.Monteton's book "Ueber die Reitkunst" (1877, 110f., translation: TR): "A captain v.W. under whom I was lieutenant in 1840, who had participated in the 1813 campaign, and who must therefore have been already 45 years old when he was assigned his squadron in 1840, was the epitome of a campagne rider in our opinion. When I rode in the arena during the evening twilight - because I often trained a horse for friends of mine from the countryside - this captain used to come by when it was quite icy outside. (He was already in his 50s and always rode barefooted horses. He had two Fessra mares and was proud of the fact that over time he managed to have only 14 shod horses in his squadron, a proof that the horses had to be very well balanced, because unbalanced horses suffer tendon injuries in their front legs, when they go on wheat footing without shoes for long periods of time). He stuck his head in the arena door, called my name and said: "You're sitting in the old, musty arena again! Come outside! It's nice and slippery today. There you can see if your horse is balanced." And off he went, cantering in perfect balance, of course, and in a very slow cadence, a rather large volte on a frozen sheet of ice, on the Herrenbreite - nowadays we would call it our hippodrome. Of course, I was unable to emulate that, but could only admire him, both of which he did not mind. "Now I want to teach you something", he said one day on one of these rides. "Let's trot, and when we get to the sheet of ice, we stop. If your horse slides in front, he is not yet in balance, and this pressure that is put on the front legs in an unbalanced down transition ruins them. On ice you can demonstrate this best, that unbalanced down transitions harm the front legs." As instructive as this may have been, I felt very little inclination to increase my knowledge this way, because I have never been a hero on ice. Perhaps that is why I have fallen so often on ice. But he was already trotting, and it could not be helped. I was glad when I was merely skidding on elbows and stifles across the sheet of ice. While I was still staggering around and it was by no means decided yet whether I would stand or fall, he said - only concerned with the subject matter: "There you go. Didn't I tell you beforehand that the dog was unbalanced!? A balanced horse can slide behind in the halt transition, but not in front!" All due credit to Thomas Ritter www.classicaldressage.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|