We return to the observation of locomotion. A step-by-step interrogation of bodily shifts, which account for the horse’s postures and balances, may attribute to their understanding. The nervous systems' and in fact the force of life's role in equitation is introduced. These will be discussed further in concluding chapters.
The horse at liberty moves in natural balance. This balance is characterized by smooth transitions from open to closed croups and back. The horse out in the open uses these transitions to deal with safety, grounds and/or changes of mood. In the mounted horse the croup closes. It remains closed and the horse adopts the so called horizontal balance. For sake of clarity and a distiction from the before mentioned second gear it helps to realize that the horizontal balance corresponds to what one may want to call the first gear. In other words, the horse in liberty constantly changes balance. Under saddle it stabilizes; it moves in horizontal balance and first gear. It knows the option of a superior innervation, which for lack of better words I call the second gear. Historical research and considerations of equine physiology lead me to conclude that in pre-industrial times the second gear was the mounted horse's normal way to move.
24. The diagonal abdominal muscle which closes the croup
Gear and posture refer to two different physiological functions. Gear speaks of the horse’s innervation, which - tapping life's force - is regulated by the long ligament and this other system of communication. Posture is the result of muscular input. Each - travel, stretch, work and performance postures – results from the use of different muscle groups. As concerns their interaction: performance and traveling lend themselves to the activation of the second gear. Working permits a transit as long as head and neck carry freely. Extension however does not allow for it. The descending neck preclude the second gear. So does the over bending of the horse’s poll in both, the yes and the no joint.
The croup closes in response to the rider’s weight. Under the rider’s direction the modern horse in first gear gains experience with balancing the back’s mounting and the sacral joint’s closing, while going for maximum ease and mobility. The rider addresses the hind legs even-sidedness and with it introduces first steps towards making the warped horse straight. He distributes the weight evenly on all four legs and rides forward. The permanent closure of the croup assures the continued elevation of the horse’s cantilevered backbone. The hind legs step under the center of balance and support the horse’s weight. The sacrum lowers; the haunches gain elasticity; the horse prepares for second gear.
As a result of these phases the horse rediscovers the second gear. This it knows well from many albeit brief moments of hightened excitement and self-imposed demands at liberty out there in the field. And - under the guidance of the rider it begins to recognize a new option. It learns to maintain the long ligament's tension and discovers how to balance this tension in the no joint between neck vertebrae one and two. The long ligament's tension triggers the high performance muscles in the horse’s upper line (see perform) and calls on the improvement of innervation in the sacral joint. All these are aspects of equine performance. They account for an increase in mobility and self-control, and characterize the second gear. They as well call on a change of the horse's attitude towards the rider.
To summarize, these are the changes that take place between natural and horizontal balance, first and second gear. They concern the horse’s structure and nerves and speak of superior empowerment. But this is not all. These changes also have a profound effect on the horse’s mind and emotions.
When a child learns to read and write it discovers the world of the intellect and enters a new sphere. Likewise the mounted horse gets straight and discovers the second gear. It finds out about the option of full and lasting control of its physical forces. The resulting change of spheres the horse experiences not by itself, out there in the open. It is the result of the rider's guidance and supervision. The rider leads the horse from nature to culture. The horse responds with the emotions of a first great love.