Last Saturday when I took the dog Smokey (the handsome guy in the photo at right) on a hike in Mary S. Young Park in West Linn, OR I found myself noticing connection! One of the best ways for me to learn and teach, is to apply what I do in the saddle and am trying to teach others to do, to my daily life. When I go walking I am actively thinking about filling my low back, breathing into my ribs and back using my diphragm, and remaiining in neutral pelvis. This day I was bringing my awarenes to my hip creases. This is the litle spot where your thigh ties into your pelvis and you can find it by running your fingers from the outside of your hips (where you would put your hands on your hips) toward your midline. You should find a little "nook" that your fingers can "rest" in. This is your hip jopint where the head of the femur fits into the acetabulum of your pelvis. This joint is THE MAJOR PLAYER in our ability to allow freedom of movement in our horse and let his soft back come up underneath us. We must remember to remember to remain soft in this joint while we are riding our horses! Staying soft in this joint can only happen in neutral pelvis. You can try arching and slumping your sternum and pelvis with your fingers in the "nook" and notice what happens.
On Saturday I was keeping this crease soft while walking, which actucally becomes more of a march, and I noticed that this created a little rotation inside of my center if I allowed it! This is valuble information because this little rotation that I can allow with soft creases, can allow a little osscilation in my horses spinal column while I am riding. While I was allowing this rotation to happen, initiated by my marching legs, I was observ ing whether it was even; the same feeling/degree left and right. I also noticed that this can all happen together, the marching into soft creases and rotation, nothing was forced! All I had to do was remember to remember. Becoming more aware of ourselves on the ground where we are not complicating things for our horses is just one more way we can help them and ourselves out.
For more information on becoming aware of your biomenchanics and how different postures affect our ability to remain soft in our joints visit www.connectedriding.com or check out books by Peggy Cummings.
