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your following aid can improve the strideor bend. Once the hind leg has landed, it’stoo late. Of course, the opposite appliesfor the left diagonal. With practice, a feelfor the rhythm of strides becomes natural.Even if you don’t use your legs for increased effect, you are putting your legs inrhythm with your horse’s movement,which will make transitions and patternsflow better. You are riding in tune withnature’s laws of gravity and movement. Instructors sometimes focus on fixing ahorse rather than correcting the positionand aids of a student, but the effectivenessof aids depends on a rider’s position andbalance. Maintaining position avoidscompromising it in the effort to make theanimal do what you want. Before I knewanything about the bio-mechanics of riding, I found connection with show horses,even very nervy or energetic animals. Themagic lay with balance and posture. Bybeing as if part of the horse’s body, I wasin tune with his mind. We became a team.Not always of course; if my ego interfered,a ride could be a mess.Riding is actually as natural as everything we do on foot. When turning right,we look where we’re going and angle ourshoulders to the right as we put weight onour right leg to turn. To change directionin the saddle, we should also look wherewe’re going and slightly angle our shoulders in that direction; the horse’s shoulders are free to follow suit. Slip youroutside leg a bit back, which will put youon an inside seat bone for an inside centerof gravity (like turning on your right leg ifwalking to the right). This allows you tobe balanced and connected. A relaxedhorse reads your body perfectly. A lightrein may flex his head in the direction of aturn but not pull. With a youngster, I takeboth hands to right or left, which gives mea direct and an indirect rein (like a softneck rein). If you’re sitting as still as a postwith your shoulders set, the horse will feela bit stuck rather than flowing into thechange of direction. Alas, that which is so natural is not always easy. It can be like learning to walkall over again. A horse’s mouth is the most sensitivepart of his body, which is why it’s important to affect the animal’s body and do aslittle as possible with his or her mouth. Afour-year-old filly I began working withlast summer was acutely sensitive to thebit. Savannah did not want me to touchthe bit, even with a finger as I was leadingher. She’d been under saddle for a coupleof months, but not very successfully – nodoubt because she was extremely bit shy.I think she found the design of a plainsnaffle intolerable – perhaps the middlejoint was poking the roof of her smallmouth. Because she couldn’t think aboutanything if I touched her mouth, the onlyway to turn, go forward or stop was byweight and leg aids. Turning was easywhen I positioned myself for a turn andweighted one stirrup or the other. I didn’tmind the fact that her head flexion wasn’tcorrect. Figure eights, circles and haltswere no problem in my big open ridingfield. To halt, I dropped my heels deeperinto the stirrups; my legs that had beenfollowing her belly stayed still. Of course,we do the same on foot. We stop; we holdstill. Savannah stops instantly when I sinkinto my heels, like stepping on brakes. Itwas a good start. I have since switched toa Mylar Western Dee comfort snaffle bit,which she finds more comfortable. We’reon our way to better hand-to-head connection. Light contact allows me to lessen thegap that was between us and, thereby, improve rhythm and balance. When halting, I never pull on bothreins. If a horse is more tuned to the rein28 Arizona Horse Connection May, 2026VIBE - PEMF“Pocket” PEMF therapy for Arthritis,Wound Healing, Relax and Balance,Grounding, Immune Boosting, Allergies and MORE!4 For Horses, People and Pets4 Over 120 Settings To Use4 Travel friendly and portable4 No drugs or prescriptions4 No monthly subscriptions4 No apps to downloadLearn more at https://resona.health?ap_id=cgaravettoInteractive Equine Bodywork928-308-2829 • cgaravetto@gmail.comINTERACTIVE EQUINE BODYWORKNow Offering and Selling....continued on page 30