Part 6: Gravity of Rider and Horse
The centre of gravity of an object is the imaginary point around which the centre of its weight lies.
A simple example to assess the centre of gravity: take a little stick that is slightly thicker at one end. To balance the stick on your finger, the thin end must extend a little further than the thick end.
The centre of gravity is at the finger. If you make one side a little heavier by putting something on top, then the gravity moves to that side. The point where the stick balances on your finger will also move to that side.
In his natural state the horse goes on the forehand. He is built to run away in the shortest possible time, in case of danger. That is why he has heavy joints, tendons and muscles in his hindquarters. He uses his strong quarters to push his whole body to develop speed on the horizontal level. He moves his centre of gravity as far forward as possible.
People use these qualities, the quick start and speed, at the race track. The racehorse also uses his weight to move forward faster. Draught horses do the same – not so much to achieve speed, but certainly to move forward. They also move their centre of gravity forward by throwing themselves into the harness, and thus are able to pull their load.
Therefore the centre of gravity can be moved by changes in the way the horse carries himself, which also changes the weight on the legs. By mounting the horse the rider upsets the natural balance of the horse. The horse will have to learn again to move forward easily with this extra moving weight.
If this extra weight was a passive weight such as on packhorses, then the problem would be solved fairly quickly. But the rider is certainly not a passive weight. He changes the position of his body all the time, which also changes the centre of gravity. The horse must adjust himself every time, which is quite easy at the walk, but can cause quite a problem in the trot and the canter. In these paces the horse often has moments when the balance is quite unsteady, because he has only two, one, or even no, legs on the ground. At that moment the balance is easily disturbed. The weight of the rider has a great influence on the point of the combined centre of gravity and also on the combined balance of the horse and rider.
When the rider is in complete harmony with the movement of the horse, the inconvenience of the weight of the rider will be minimal for the horse. However if the rider is against the movement of the horse, ie. if he loses his balance often or if he falls backwards or forwards, then he asks a great deal of adjustment from the horse.
The horse that by nature goes on the forehand does not bend the loins and the hindlegs in a way desirable for dressage (or, for any other form of horse riding). As the hindquarters are higher, the young or badly ridden horse will influence the rider and cause him to lean forward. In this position the rider will put even more weight on the forelegs of the horse.
Seeing that the joints, tendons and muscles of the hindquarters can absorb the heavy work better, it is necessary for the rider to train the horse in such a way that he offers the use of his hindquarters. The aim of the training, to engage the hindquarters more, is to place the joint centre of gravity further to the rear.
This is why the rider has to be careful that he is not ‘made’ to lean forward by the horse. He has to sit up as straight as possible, vertically above his horse. The horse will start to use his hindlegs more actively because the weight of the rider is further back. They are activated slowly but surely, which in turn will make them stronger and more supple. By placing the weight of the rider that sits up straight and by combining this with exercises, the horse gets stronger, not only in the hindquarters but also in the loins. In other words, the quarters are going to ‘set’ themselves.
If the rider goes further with this purposeful training (gymnastics) then the ‘setting’ will change and improve into ‘placing’ the hindquarters further under his weight. This is the purpose the rider keeps in mind. The horse that places his quarters under his weight and carries himself on the quarters is able to achieve tasks that are increasingly difficult. This training and exercising to achieve strength and suppleness takes years because the skeleton, the joints and the tendons (and with a young horse, often gristly bone) need time to develop. This necessarily takes longer than muscle development.
It is obvious, however, that the training of the horse is not limited to the quarters. The whole horse is exercised with purposeful gymnastics to become an harmonious unit, with engaged quarters, but also with a swinging back, freedom of the shoulders, strong breast muscles and a nicely elevated neck. The gymnastics that are necessary to develop the horse harmoniously must be channelled so that the horse is straight. Only the horse that is straight and goes forward with impulsion can accept the aids of the rider, straight and true.
It is essential that the rider is straight above the horse, so the rider and horse together are straight and in balance. This balance is important in the length of the horse as well as in the width. The rider must not lean forward or backward or lean over left or right, and must not collapse in the waist. If the rider leans forward he encourages the horse to go on the forehand, because he weighs down the forehand. If the rider leans backwards he puts too much weight on the loins, which causes the horse to drop his back to avoid the pressure. If the rider leans left or right he gives the horse unwanted seat aids. In all these cases the rider influences the centre of gravity and the balance of the horse unfavourably with his weight.
The rider needs to adjust himself to each movement and to each change of tempo – he needs to develop unity between himself and the horse as- much as possible. To achieve this he must not only sit in the right spot with regard to the horse, but also as still as possible. If the rider makes excessive movement with the upper part of his body ie. rocking or bouncing, he will stay ‘behind the movement’ with each trot or canter stride. The horse has already started the next stride when the rider has not yet finished the previous one. So the rider must sit still and must try to make no unnecessary movements.
However, it is also possible that a rider who sits still does not follow the movement correctly. Imagine a horse that extends the trot and the rider sits a little forward; then the place to which the centre of gravity moves is also forward. If the rider sits up straight, the point of gravity is straight under him. If the rider leans a little backwards, the spot to which the centre of gravity moves is behind him.
The first case is the only position that is precisely ‘with’ the movement. The centre of gravity of the rider coincides with the centre of gravity of the horse which has moved forward. If the rider leans too far forward and the centre of gravity moves too far forward, the balance will be disturbed. If the rider sits up straight (the second case), he stays a little behind the movement of the extended trot. In the third case the rider stays so far behind the movement that he works against the horse.
The change in the position of the first and second rider is almost imperceptible if the horse in the extended trot uses his quarters and has a swinging back. The rider sits up perfectly straight in the ‘piaffe’, the trot on the spot. This shows that with every change in tempo the rider has to adjust his position to be with the movement.
The rider can make use of the change in point of gravity, for instance with a half halt or a transition. If he wants to make a transition from extended trot to collected trot, or from trot to walk, he positions himself straight up, makes himself long, closes his knees and if necessary, his fingers, and the horse will come back on these actions. The horse moves the centre of gravity further to the rear and bends the quarters and so places his hindlegs further under his weight. In this way the horse places himself under the rider.
The horse is very sensitive to seat aids (including involuntary ones). If the rider gives a heavy lateral (one sided) seat aid, the horse has to adjust himself quickly otherwise he would (as it were) fall over.
CENTRE OF GRAVITY
In dressage these lateral seat aids are based on sensitivity. The horse tends to place himself under the rider. If the rider changes the centre of gravity by sitting more on one seatbone, the horse will try to place himself straight under the rider to stay in balance. He can achieve this by placing the hindleg on the side further forward, ie. by using that hindleg more. He can also move a little sideways and this way try to place his centre of gravity under that of the rider. Both reactions of the horse can be used purposefully by the rider with the closing and opening of circles a well as with the lateral movement. (The lateral movement is encouraged with the outside leg of the rider).
If the horse when making circles falls to the centre or goes wide, it would be a good thing if the rider makes sure that he is not putting more weight on one side involuntarily. The rider must not upset the balance of the horse by being too forceful with his seat aids. Then it is not an aid (or an indication) any more.
To give the correct aid and use the right amount, it is necessary for the rider to control his muscles in such a way that he only uses those muscles that he wants to use at that particular moment. It would be sensible to try things out and to realise beforehand what exactly he is doing, what muscles he is using, when he wants to do ‘this’ or ‘that’. A lot of these things you can try out without sitting, on the horse.
For instance: you can sit on your own hands on a chair or on the horse and move your weight from one seatbone to the other. You will be surprised at the pressure you feel on your hands. The rider must try to apply these seat aids without moving or changing the position of his upper body. The upper part of the body has to stay absolutely relaxed, still and straight up, and must not add to this one-sided seat pressure. You must seriously try this, and you will realise very consciously what you are doing and which muscle you are using. There are only a few muscles, and there is only a small movement necessary to push down one seatbone. This small movement is all the rider has to give as a seat aid.
This seat aid is after all combined with leg aids, neither of which need to be applied forcefully.
I believe that the rider always tends to do too much. This is often caused by the horse not reacting immediately or properly to the aid, which gives the rider the impression that he did not feel the aid. The horse has certainly felt the aids, but he is either dulled by the aids which are always too forceful, or the rider is giving contradictory or wrong aids. For instance, a cramped seat aid with a stiffened body impedes the horse in his movement, particularly the movement of his back. Or the rider collapses in his waist which gives the horse the wrong seat aid without the rider realising it.
Have a nice ride!
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