Softness is a word that’s used often in the horse world, soft hands, soft seat, soft horse…. but what is it and how do we get it? To be soft is to not be hard. Soft does not mean wimpy, it means gently and with feeling. If we have ‘hard hands’ we are not really feeling the horse, we may yank on the reins suddenly and use strong pressure. When we have ‘soft hands’ we are using all the nerve endings in our hands and arms, we have a relaxed and open mind state, we apply the aid smoothly and only increase to the point where we feel a response, then back off immediately.
This means a lot to the horse, they start to really listen to us because they realise we are listening to them. A channel of communication opens up and flows between us with small messages constantly going backwards and forwards. The horse relaxes, knowing their rider won’t do anything sudden and painful and their body begins to unwind, flow and go soft. This is horse riding. This is the difference between riding a horse or a motorbike. If we don’t want two way communication, we should go for the bike. Horse riding is all about communication between us and our horse in both directions. That is what creates softness with horses.
One of the most crucial components for us to attain softness is relaxation. If any part of the body is stiff and holding tension, this will transfer to the way the aids are applied and therefore to the horse, and is felt through the seat. I love standing with my horse before mounting. In my mind I ask for permission to ride, as I believe it is always a blessing when a horse allows us to sit on them and should never be taken for granted. I tune into my breathing while placing a hand on my horses’ forehead and as I do this I breathe with them. This is my little ritual to place me in a relaxed, soft state before mounting.
Once I’m mounted I don’t move for a while, but just sit there and be with the horse. Again this allows for relaxation and softness. If we mount up and move off straight away not only are we encouraging our horse to move while being mounted, but we haven’t given our horse or ourselves time to feel each other. We each have our own unique energy, and so does our horse. If we sit for a moment and allow our energies to mix, then when we ask our horse to move off we may find our horse responding with the smallest of aids, sometimes only a thought or a brief shift in weight.
As we move off and allow our seat to flow with the movement of the horses back, a deep connection forms. This flow is crucial for our horse to move forward freely and softly. Nothing makes a horse stiff faster than an immobile seat. Allowing our hands and arms to move with the motion of the horses head as they walk off also encourages this flow. If our horse steps off and our hands remain immobile, we immediately put a block on their free movement. Because the horses head moves in the walk, so too must our hands.
Our job is to relax our entire body and move in synchronicity with the horse. This will relax us and our horse. The horse will then be in a state of mind to listen to any aids we apply, so aids can be smaller, and softer, again creating a softer horse, and around the circle it goes. Once we set off on this path it becomes self-feeding and the softness will grow and grow of its own accord.
Happy Horses Bitless
Considerate Horsemanship
Ph: 0401 249 263
Email: suzy@happyhorsesbitless.com
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