A Balanced Rider

What is the first that comes to mind when you think about a “balanced rider?”

If you’re like me, the answer would likely be an image of a rider in perfect physical balance on their horse. They have even pressure in both seat bones and feet, they have a straight line from hear, to hip, to heel, and they seem to move as one with their horse.

But when I start to dig more deeply into this idea, I realize that there is a lot more to being a balanced rider than just their physical body position. The rider’s emotional, mental, and spiritual health all play a role in the delicate balance that separates a good rider from a great horseman.

Physical Balance

Strength, coordination, flexibility, and timing all contribute to physical balance. Knowing which muscles to turn on, and which to turn off, during various movements, how to change weight distribution, and where to use tension to your benefit can all help you achieve that poetic balanced movement in the saddle.

Out of the saddle, it is important to work on strengthening your core, legs, and back, as well as adding flexibility training and stretching to your routine. Cross training with some weight workouts, cardio, and stretching or yoga can all be a massive benefit in the saddle.

Mental Balance

The ability to plan, strategize, take in information, and reflect on our rides is critical to the ability to achieve a calm, balanced mind in the saddle. Like physical training, mental training out of the saddle can propel a rider greatly forward in this effort. Taking time to read about riding technique, watch video of yourself and others riding, and attending clinics or lessons are all great way s to strengthen and balance your mental game.

One exercise that I love doing with my students is giving them a drill or exercise. For example, weave the cones, then trot over the poles, and then stop and back five steps. Simple enough, right? The trick is, after telling them the pattern, it is the student's job to tell me their strategy. If they know their horse over bends to the right on the cones, they will plan to use the left rein to straighten the neck. After stating their plan the rider attempts to execute. After the pattern is finished, the rider then tells me how they did. Were they able to do all of the things they planned on? Why or why not? Only then do I weigh in with my perception of how the ride went.

Emotional Balance

No rider is a stranger to fear in the saddle. Most of us also know that our fear can be easily transmitted to our horses. Often, riders try to banish fear entirely. But a little fear in the saddle can also be a good thing. It can help us avoid dangerous situations or make more strategic decisions. So what is the answer?

The best solution is to be able to recognize fear and determine whether it is a valid concern or irrational. For example, “a bike might come down the trail and that might scare my horse” is somewhat irrational. Although it is certainly something that could happen on your trail ride, there are no bikes in sight at this moment. No need to spend your lovely trail time worrying about what could be. However, “that bike is coming toward me way to fast and it is alarming my horse” is a very valid concern that needs to be addressed by communicating to the bicyclist to slow down.

Spiritual Balance

This one is a bit of a grey area, and may look entirely different for different people. For some, this may take on a religious meaning. For others it may be entirely secular. For me, it means that my spirit is balanced. I feel connected to my horse, but not overly so, to the point of projecting or anthropomorphizing. We have a strong horse-human bond. Those moments when I am cantering around the arena and I feel like I could ride all day are moments of spiritual balance. I also feel that it is tied deeply to purpose and fulfillment. When I feel like my riding practice is moving toward a goal greater than myself I feel like my spirit is satisfied and fulfilled.

While balance is often a fleeting feeling, simply searching for it can bring us closer to our horses, make us better riders, and better stewards of our own health.