The body connecting system
will aid in connecting your whole body in becoming one with your horse and
will give the horse precise minuet signals of what you would like the horse to
do. It will diminish the need to use to much rein and leg once you have
begun to use your you torso, shoulders and pelvis. This will in turn travel to
your arms and hands, and down through your legs to the feet.
The first exercise is while sitting or
standing with body straight. Pooch out all the the stomach muscles and
those around. What does this really feel like? In an answer that every
human must experience would be an example of going to the bathroom. It
takes the muscles from all around the body and goes outward.
An incorrect pooching would be to have the
stomach muscles go out ward, but the muscles in the back would follow the
direction of the stomach muscles, thus causing the back to hollow and the pelvis
to tip. And develop in an incorrect manor.
While doing the body connecting what do you feel
that has changed? Starting at the shoulders. What have they done? When
bearing down correctly the shoulders and the muscles will "sink" down
away from the head.
As most people have heard is to keep
shoulders back. If you just put you shoulders back your muscles tighten
everywhere and chances are you will go into a more shrugged position. The
shoulders become locked instead of flexible. The lower back tenses causing
the pelvis to lock.
If your shoulders are tipped forward the
connecting will aid in straightening out and allow you to straighten without
tensing or becoming a board.
Next what does your ribs area feel like?
Do they feel like they are spread outward and slightly downward feeling? This
would be a good thing
Now your abdomen area is where the most
difference will be noticed at first. The feeling should be that you are covering
more of the horse than before. Melting into and around the saddle.
This will make your balance much better.
Past the abdomen area go down your thighs.
At first you may or may not notice the muscles get less tense yet have greater
communication with the horse.
If you were taught to have heels down by
getting heels down forcefully which is a big no no then retrain your self with
the connecting plus the spiral exercise. Just putting your heels down
tenses your whole body with less mobility. With the aid of the bearing down the
feeling will go all the way to the feet and your muscles will naturally lower
your heel just below level.
Experiment with different pooching senses.
Hiss to get the hardest bearing down. On a scale of 1(weakest) to
10(hardest) ride with a 5.
Closing your eyes while getting the feel
of the connecting and what the muscles start to do may assist you in
understanding what you need to do when riding.