Get it Right - Afternoon Delight

Kade and Julia - Silver tail farm, march 2023

I was riding around in my warm-up the other day and thinking of the things I was doing to make my horse a delightful ride. As we worked stretching, circles, transitions, and leg yields, I started to talk to Kade (my horse) about him being a delight. I do live with my horse and dog so the chatting thing is not weird… I thought about the word – DELIGHT – and decided it would make a great acronym for my students to find the delight in their own horses.

Now it is a challenge. Who can remember this and who can deliver??

·      Down – sit down and put the neck down…an inch or so will do, more is fine

·      Engagement – feel the back through your seat and activate the hindlegs with light leg/whip aid

·      Light – have the horse light in your hands and listen/feel for light footfalls

·      Inside – does the horse respond forward/sideward from the inside leg and can you release or check self-carriage on the inside rein

·      Geometry – are you looking up and riding forward on a straight line of travel

·      Half-halt – Is your horse “framed” with your outside rein and responding to your position/seat/weight

·      Tempo – within all of the above, is your tempo like a metronome

So now I challenge you… Say the words and do the work. Can you find your delight? Think about and remember this acronym when you ride this week if you are up to it. Repeat it a few times. See if you can mesh into your horse’s back and you can both find your softness and self-carriage. Calm your breath. Free your mind. Find DELIGHT.

“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda.   Just do it folks!