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[RC] Posture & Pickups - Naomi PrestonJulie's post really got me thinking! I think it's good for
all of us to challenge what we think is "correct" or "right" from time to
time.
The clearest feeling I've ever gotten for using "balanced" posture
while riding comes from an exercise that Donna Snyder-Smith and Peggy
Cummings use in their clinics. One person, "the horse" gets down on
all fours. Another person, "the rider" sits lightly on their back,
with a balanced head/shoulder/hip/ankle position, and then the horse is
asked to go forward. Peggy or Donna will ask "the horse" how
easy it feels to move forward. Then, the rider is asked to go behind
the vertical, sitting on their pockets, in a "chair seat". Again, the
horse is asked to go forward. Usually there are groans from "the
horse". When asked why, "the horse" will say there the
rider's weight has shifted to their forehand, and they are almost unable to
move. (I know Bruce Weary will have a field day with this!) Try
this exercise, and see what you think. There are lots of other things
you can experiment with, too, like having the rider arch their back, tighten
their back, slump forward, grip with their knees, the list goes on and
on. It's amazing what you will feel being "the horse".
Naomi Preston
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