It was yet another show season full of fourth and fifth place ribbons. I was growing frustrated again.
Carol told me it was my fault.
“How could it be my fault? All the judges say he’s ‘limited.’” I was offended.
“It’s your fault because there’s more in there, and you’re not pulling it out.”
“So how do I do that?” I asked.
“If you want him to be good, you have to be perfect,” she replied.
“What do you mean by that?” I wondered what was in store for me now.
“You have to be crystal clear in your communication with Moonshine. And how do you communicate with a horse you are riding?” she asked.
“My seat,” I answered.
“Exactly,” she said. “We have to perfect your communication with Moonshine, and that means perfecting your seat.”
“How do I perfect my seat?” I asked.
“I thought you’d never ask!” she seemed delighted, as she grabbed a lunge line, a really long cord, and attached it to Moonshine’s bridle.
“I’ll lunge him on a circle around me. I’m going to keep Moony on a circle, but you have to control everything else, how fast he goes, slowing him down, and stopping him—using only your seat—no reins and no stirrups.
“What? That’s impossible,” I said.
“Nothing’s impossible,” she insisted.
“I can’t stop without reins!” I exclaimed.
“Just pick up the trot,” she ordered.
“What am I supposed to do with my hands if I have no reins to hold?” I asked.
“Pretend like you’re holding them,” she stated. “Now, trot.”
I squeezed with my legs for Moonshine to pick up a trot. I could make him move forward since I still had my legs to use, but there was no way I would ever stop him without any reins!
“Your seat sets the rhythm of each gait. If you want to speed up, just speed up your seat to set the rhythm you want. If you want to slow down, slow down your seat to the rhythm you want. Keep your back relaxed, but firm. Be adjustable,” Carol instructed.
This is so not going to work, I thought.
In order to pick up the pace, I sped my seat up. Amazingly, Moonshine followed my lead by picking up his pace.
Incredible! I thought, as I smiled.
“Good, now, slow it down, with just your seat,” Carol instructed.
I slowed the speed of my seat, and Moony instantly slowed down again!
“Let’s just try it a few more times to make sure it’s not beginner’s luck,” I heard.
I sped up, slowed down, sped up, slowed down as many times as Carol instructed. Then we tried the same exercise in the other direction, and it still worked! I was amazed. I often felt like Moonshine was a very callous horse, almost like driving an old truck, because he ignored me so much. So, now with none of the extra reinforcements, and using just the most basic communication for dressage, my seat, I was amazed at how sensitive he was to my commands.
“I have a question!” I blurted out.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“I don’t understand how he’s more reactive off my aids when I have no reins and no leg.”
“What do you think?” she responded.
It drove me crazy when teachers made me answer my own questions. By now, I was totally comfortable being myself with Carol. And myself could get sassy sometimes, so I said, “Well obviously I have no clue, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked the question.”
Carol almost doubled over. Her face had turned bright red and her eyes were squeezed shut while she laughed.
“OK smarty-pants, I’ll help you out this one time, but I want you to become more independent and start thinking these things through on your own. I won’t be around forever, and I definitely can’t help you out in the show ring.”
“OK, OK,” I said impatiently.
“You don’t need all the extras. You’re a more advanced rider now, so you don’t need to steer and stop with your reins, like beginners. Dressage riders control their horses with their seats. That’s why in the higher level competitions, the more advanced riders don’t look like they’re moving any part of their bodies to control their horses. They’re still controlling, but just with their seats. And if you think about it, that’s really the most effective way to ride because when you use the core of your body, you’re using the strongest muscles you have—your back, abs, and upper legs.”
“Hmmm, that does make sense,” I said.
“And the cool part of it is, when an advanced rider and horse are so in tune with each other, the rider can just think of a move, and the horse immediately does it,” she added.
“Wow, that is really cool,” I said.
“Yes. Now pick up the canter,” she instructed.
I applied the basic aid for canter, which was to squeeze with my outside leg. Moonshine was supposed to automatically pick up the canter; instead, he started trotting faster.
“Why do you think he didn’t pick up the canter?” Carol asked.
“To be annoying,” I said.
“You weren’t clear enough. Remember, everything comes from your seat. Did you ask with your seat or with your leg?”
“My leg. How can I ask with my seat?” I asked.
“Just start cantering with your seat, and he’ll pick up the canter,” she said.
I did as I was told, convinced it wouldn’t work. But it did.
“It worked!”
Carol smiled.
At the end of my lesson, Carol told me there we had a lot more work to do. Apparently, my seat had been pretty bad.
“We’ll do lunge lessons for about a month, until you can ride with just your seat,” she informed me. “And when we’re not in a lesson, when you are riding on your own, I want you to ride bareback—no saddle,” she added.
“You want me to ride full workouts without a saddle?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“So, I have to do all the movements we practice with no saddle?” I asked.
“What’s the matter? Can’t hack it?” she challenged.
“Of course I can!” I always fell into her reverse psychology traps. “It’s just that I’ve never seen anyone riding full workouts without a saddle.”
“Well, you get to keep the bridle, and you can sit on a saddle pad, so the hair doesn’t go up your butt,” she winked.
“Great, thanks,” I said sarcastically, but smiled.