“Insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Richard Spooner quoted Einstein many times throughout the multiple sections of this clinic. What does a theoretical Physicist have to do with riding? And why, throughout the myriad of questions presented to the horses and riders, was the answer to take a push with the inside leg and take a direct or opening feel on the inside rein? The weekend with Spooner was an important lesson in instinct and feel as much as problem solving and the courage to “think outside of the box.”
The theme for the difficult rides, for both the younger and more seasoned riders alike, was stiffness to the leg. A horses’ evasion for control is to get stiff in the body, stiff in the mouth and go straight. In turn, we “get runaway with” even at the walk, the horse keeps control of his body and puts his weight in whichever leg she chooses. Richard implored us, “not to take the bait, and the bait is straight.” When we create a bridge with the bit, when we pull equally on both sides of the bit, we have given the horses something to lean on. In other words, we make it significantly easier for the horse to pull against us. When we pull on one side of the bit, we use the horses bilateral symmetry against them. “It’s like cooking a steak” we should work one side of the horse at a time, bending them either to the left and then the right. If given the, square-feel straight bridge at the bit, all horses will lean to distract us from the hind end; a horse heavy in the hand is light in the hind-end and simply isn’t working hard enough. It was a general theme with the horses Richard rode during the clinics, the bolters, bidders, and stoppers, he sat relaxed, head over shoulder over hip, and pushed them forward as he worked an overbend in the body, one side at a time. Focus on moving off the leg, the “hotter” the horse the greater the need to get them to move laterally off the leg.
Break up rigor mortis. Ray Hunt “make the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy.” Anyone that sits on a horse, like it or not, you are a trainer. Horses respect and respond to definiteness, not necessarily “correct” and classical riding. Don’t be afraid to try different things. If what you are doing isn’t working, don’t be “insane” do something different. Make the right thing easy for the horse and then stay out of their way and let them do it.