There are no horses on this DVD - unless you count "Helen House Horse", our saddle stand.  (I explain the origin of the name in the DVD.)  By taking the horses out of the equation for the this lesson, the rider is freed up to concentrate on her own riding mechanics.  We look in detail at subtle changes that can make a huge difference to the rider's core security and the horse's overall comfort.

 

In this lesson you will learn how to:

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Ride from your core.

 

• Develop a Secure Seat.

• Establish a Soft Feel.

• Connect to the Hips.

• Become an Effective Rider.

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Little Details Make a Huge Difference!

Learn how to ride from your core by first practicing your rein handling without your horse. Little details can make a huge difference to the security of your seat, and the feel down your reins. In this lesson you'll put the "t'ai chi wall" to work for you under saddle. You'll learn how to ride on a triangle of the reins to create soft, effective communication down the reins.

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In my book, "The Click That Teaches:Riding with the Clicker", I describe in detail the process of riding on a triangle - why you want to, what it does for your horse, how you introduce and develop it. The book gives you the framework around which these DVD lessons are presented. What I know from working with people is reading is an important part of understanding this work, but it needs to be accompanied by seeing what it looks like and getting the feel of it in your own body. The DVDs are an important part of this process.

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If you've been working your way through the rest of the DVDs in this series, you're probably itching to get on and ride. You may have even given single-rein riding a try, and you no doubt have some questions about the rein mechanics. How do you slide down the rein? What are you supposed to be doing with your top hand? What is this soggy triangle that you've been reading about? And what is the triangle anyway that the reins are supposed to form? And how does this help you to connect to your horse and to ride better?

 

These questions and many others are answered on this DVD. It begins with a demo of the single-rein riding mechanics in which I go through the basic technique of sliding down the rein and then I show you many of the little details I've discovered that make a huge difference to the feel down the rein, the security of your seat, and the clarity of the communication.

 

The second half of the DVD shares with you some individual sessions participants at one of the 2008 summer clinics had on Helen House Horse. Watching them discover what a huge difference little details can make in their connection down the reins will help you with your own rein mechanics. You'll understand how to use bone rotations to create a soft feel down the rein. You'll be relaxed, but stable in your seat. Your horse won't be able to root you out of the saddle. You'll learn how to have a deep, secure seat, one that relies on good structure not tension to keep you in the saddle.

 

Handling skills matter. That's what we've seen over and over in this series. Both on the ground and under saddle, good mechanics make a huge difference to your horse. In this lesson you'll see how the t'ai chi rope handling skills evolve easily into the mechanics of riding on a triangle. Everything is everything else - as you'll see in this lesson.