No matter how I twist and turn it, to me a particular type of forward movement is the manifestation of riding. The horse picks up the line it is walking on, which incidently coincides with the direction of its core. The hind legs step under my seat and propel us forward. Speed is not essential, but has to do with it. A sense of energy is indispensable. Fully aligned to the path it is traveling on the horse gets straight. It may be tuned to the rider, but even just coming along as a passenger is well. Without this primary locomotion to me a horse is not a horse, riding isn't riding. I am in other words a typical twentieth century rider who has spent some wonderful time on fast horses.
There is another type of riding, which I am getting to know now. The upright rider's core is the central source of energy. Turning around the haunches I feel the horse's energy under my seat. Turning around the shoulder's I feel its energy in my hands. Both types of displacements on the spot are effected from my shoulders, which in turn are controlled by my upper spine. A shoulder either moves back towards the spine, producing the direct rein, which impacts the horse's hind legs. Or it pushes forward away from the spine, producing the indirect rein, which impacts the horse's shoulders. My legs may help the shoulders. But things are easier and work smoother if directed from the spine only.
The rider's upright vertebra rests on the horse's horizontal backbone. The human progresses from utterly helpless to being in full command of his movements and his intellectual facilities. The horse is born in full command of its movements. It does not develop intellectual facilities. Between thorax and neck the nerve section C8 exits; in the human and the horse alike. The rider with his ring fingers in the dermatome C8 controls the front end of the horse's backbone. The control of the hindquarters: In the horse nerve sections S2/3 are positioned in the sacral joint a the rear end of the backbone. In the human the nerve sections S2/3 are positioned between lumbar region and thorax, right betwixt vertebrae L1 and T12. In addition human dermatomes L1 and S2/3 meet under the rider's seat bones. The rider's body from the lumbar region on downwards thus controls the horse's impulsion, while his hands monitor speed and direction. The rider's shoulders and the placement of his weight alone may control speed and direction. The distribution of static, dynamic and nerve elements in the human and the horse adequately explain equitation. Its all about forward, the positioning of weight and, - as needed speed control and lateral movements. Movement always happens in context of emotion.
In the sixties, in those few last years before classical German equitation transited into current equestrian sports practices no one spoke about working the horse from the ground. They were started with a transfer of authority from the ground to the rider. Once the horse caught on to the rider's nerve transfers, the saddle was the place to be. Horses were accustomed to the stable and raised to be respectful. There was no need for natural horsemanship. Disobedience did occur as a result of faults in the rider's body or in training progressions. Resultant problems in the horse's Bewegungsapparat, which in turn brake the horse's trust, were corrected by the type of riding described in the first paragraph; helping the horse to remember the movements, positions and emotions of youth. Lateral work was done, but not much attention was paid to it. Horses for the most part were safe and sound with the rider. Accustomed to the outdoors they enjoyed brisk rides and small jumps in varied terrain.
