Back to the subject of “two tracking”, or lateral movement of a horse. I’ve discovered that people and horses both tend to avoid performing lateral movements of the horse’s hindquarters. The horses don’t like it because it’s hard to do, and they would rather do things easily and efficiently, rather than elegantly and athletically. People have a similar problem, because using the legs to signal a horse is difficult, but also because we seem to have a penchant for using our hands (even though most of us don’t spend a lot of time hanging from limbs anymore).

Watch a youngster or beginner try to open and close a gate horseback and you’ll see what I mean. First the horse won’t “parallel park” next to the gate to allow the person to reach the latch. Then, the horse wants to push the gate open with its nose.

Moving the hindquarters starts from the ground. When you are working with the horse at halter, stand near his shoulder, and with a stick or light dressage whip, softly tickle his ribs near where your leg would be if you slid it back from its normal resting position. If he doesn’t step over, get a little more insistent with the stick until he takes a step away from you. At that point stop asking him immediately, and stroke his neck with your hand. Now go around to the other side and repeat the procedure. Do this on both sides until he moves away from the touch of the whip as light as a fly landing on his hair. Every day when working with the colt do the exercise until it is so routine that all you have to do is touch his rib cage to move his hindquarters over as much or as little as you need. This is the flexion of the haunch, and is an important building block for collection, either in a cow horse or a dressage or dancing horse.

“What is lightness?” I am asked. My answer is that it is a way of riding in which you don’t feel pressure, and after careful training, neither does your horse. You ride balanced on his back and do all kinds of things with no more effort than thought and slight movements. “You think it”, “they do it” or “balance and signal” are the mottos of riding in lightness. It’s the way old reining masters rode, the California Hackamore and spade bit vaqueros.  It is the horsemanship of the Iberian bull fighter, the rejoeador. In lightness is the secret of the horse whisperers who ride Roman on two horses backs while four other horses gallop alongside, doing circles and going over jumps with no tack nor harness. It is a type of horsemanship that is millennia old and it is based on understanding the language, limitations and attitudes of horses. If you put ground and liberty work together with French classical equitation and a lot of imagination you will be pretty close to finding true lightness and harmony with your steed. Experience counts a lot, open mindedness helps, but the real key is the good fortune and blessing of finding a mentor. These are people who pass down wisdom and techniques garnered through the ages from their mentors in turn. Mentors have knowledge that they have suffered to learn and are willing to share with pupils who are going to work to achieve results. I must say that I have been blessed with a number of these mentors and I often have not thanked them enough. So if you are out there still, here is my deepest thanks, and I honor you, and praise your patience, and forbearance and guidance and knowledge.