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ARTICLES
Horse rider seat, posture & balance and
the horse's engagement
By Colleen Kelly
A horse is "engaged" when it "sits like a frog". With the two back legs BENT and the horse "sitting down", tail closer to the ground, so it can spring up into action! You might think of two examples...the Spanish "levade" where the horse lifts the front feet off the floor, tail on the ground, or the reining sliding stop where the horse's legs are fully underneath them, and the tail on the floor! Sadly, until we become masters ourselves...most of us are still "on the forehand"...On the forehand...When the horse's front legs are carrying more weight, the horse is on the forehand
When the horse has more weight on the front feet the feeling is jerky, the spring is less, the extension poorer - and it's not nearly as beautiful to watch, or to ride.Gradually, we increase the strength and flexibility of the hind quarters to take more and more weight, so they can sit (and spring!) like a frog. This takes years and cannot be rushed. This is why things like "wide behind" is marked down. This is where the horse spreads the back legs apart and shows that the horse doesn't have the muscles & fitness to carry that amount of weight on the back legs, and spreads their legs to avoid it.The rider can make 'on the forehand' worse - adding more weight to the front feet by looking down, dropping their chest, or leaning forward.
Testing your position. Imagine you are sitting on a saddle stand, like the ones you find in a saddlery store. And, you have a bathroom scale under each 'foot'. If if you lean forward, or look down, or slump your chest...the two front "feet" will be heavier, and the bathroom scales will weigh more in the front. Correct aids. My first instructor said to me I didn't have strong enough legs to make it in riding!. I was so upset! In my early years, all I heard was "drive the horse forward" and "use your legs" to engage the horse more. To halt it was drive the horse (with the leg) into a more and more restricting hand. But, now I realise what if I had no legs? A lot of my Riding for Disabled & other Paralympians I have seen, have no legs, either amputees, or wheel-chair bound and their legs don't work. And they're not just competing with RDA, they're competing in regular OFFICIAL able-bodied competition - a couple at Grand Prix. And their horses are engaged! Our reining master and disabled rider both proove that there are OTHER ways to get weight on the quarters than "driving legs" & "restricting hands".'Lifting' the horse in front. The little trick dog in the circus doesn't 'crank his neck in' and sit up. They bend their little back legs and sit on their tail. THAT's engagement. Engagement is taking more and more weight on the two back feet, and it's BECAUSE the tail is getting lower and lower to the ground that the front end lightens. And, the fitter & stronger the dog, the longer they can sit.Best tip....The more erect the rider - the more the weight goes on the back feet, the more engaged the horse. The more we slump, look down, and are round shouldered, the more weight we add to the two front feet. Find COlleen under Speakers.
Print Media Still a Viable Way to Market
Karen Pickering-Publisher
The Northwest Horse Source Magazine
I know there are members of WHIA that would benefit from the use of print publications. Remember your press releases need someplace to reside. The majority of our readership is women over the age of 40. Many still prefer reading a print publication versus articles online. The magazine industry is struggling because people have been drawn to the FREE avenues such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Craigslist (to mention a few). Our economy is part of the problem since print advertising is expensive. Not any one medium is the answer. It's a broad marketing strategy that needs to be taken into consideration. However, advertising in print brings credibility, shows strength, longevity and has a shelf life. Regional publications can reach deep into the heart of a region or community. We share news and information about clubs, organizations and service the readership in a given area. We love what we do, and enjoy sharing great information with our region. I believe print publications still have a viable and essential part to contribute to everyone's marketing plan in this industry. Here’s why:According to a web article put out on Gaebler.com “Magazine advertising is unlike other advertising mediums, magazines make it easy for you to target specific market demographics.” “By leveraging readership demographics, you instantly ensure that your message is being seen by the right people - the ones most likely to buy your product.”Magazines remain the mainstay source of information for the horse industry. While the Internet certainly simplifies purchases, it doesn't steer customers toward products or product lines. Surveys indicate that friends and associates, followed by magazine editorial and ads, are the main resources customers use to determine purchases. Online advertising is like a tree falling in the woods; not much noise if nobody is listening. First, you have to capture the buyer and get them to look for your item, and studies show that is best done with print periodicals.Gaebler Ventures article goes onto argue, “Magazines allow for more complex layouts than newspapers and other more basic print alternatives, [which] gives your product a more polished feel and boosts your company’s credibility in the eyes of consumers.”
