Ep 91: Establishing Better Control of Your Horse’s Ribcage
I have a horse in for training right now that doesn’t have a lot of respect for the bridle reins. When pressure is applied to the reins, instead of giving to that pressure, the horse braces against it and moves its ribcage into my legs.
I see this issue come up with quite a few different horses and riders, and I think it’s because we tend to focus on the parts of the horse’s body we can see--the head, neck, and shoulders. We often neglect what is going on behind the saddle horn, which is the ribcage and the hindquarters.
Two very powerful parts of the horse's body―the shoulders and the hindquarters―are connected by the horse’s ribcage. If the ribcage does not communicate with these other two body parts, it is very difficult to create a fluid forward motion with your horse. If you are lacking flexion and softness in the horse’s ribcage, you are likely going to have your horse hop or display another awkward motion when asked to perform certain maneuvers.
Being able to control your horse’s ribcage is beneficial for two key reasons:
If you can pick up your horse’s ribcage, you automatically create vertical softness. When the ribcage is picked up, the back becomes rounded, putting that horse in a more optimal position to move its hindquarters in a balanced way.
If you can bend the horse’s ribcage laterally (left and right), your horse will be in a position to maintain fluid forward motion throughout a turn.
No horse is perfect. No horse is perfect because none of us are perfect. There are still times I catch myself doing things I tell other people not to. We drift around thinking about other things and we lose our awareness. When we lose our awareness, we create inconsistencies.
If you’re currently struggling with your training, remember that everything is fixable. It’s just going to take some time, consistency and correct repetitions. Anyone who has ever been successful in any discipline has figured out how to show up and make consistent strides forward. And, that’s what will be required from you, too.
When you’re being challenged by a horse, remember that one step beyond this peak is the progression you’ve been looking for. The first question to ask yourself is, “do I have all five of the horse’s main body parts―the head, neck, shoulders, ribcage and hindquarters―working together in unison?”
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