Missing piece of the Puzzle?
The missing piece of a puzzle
When I met Belinda Bolsenbroek I was surprised she spoke about in-hand work so much.
Why?
Well, at the time I was at a loss with my horse and we kept on hitting a ‘dead end’, with resistance and lack of understanding from my side as well as from my horse’s side.
We were speaking a different language to each other.
So I went to one of Belinda’s clinics and started to learn the benefits of teaching the horse from the ground up, understanding the nature of the horse’s balance, learning to understand the correct balance and the rotation of the rib cage and therefore a healthier way to carry themselves.
This didn’t happen overnight, it took time and ( a lot of) patience.
I remember feeling very out of sorts at times walking next to my horse, while working on timing and coordination.
That is the ‘comfort zone’ effect of learning something new and how that initially feels unfamiliar.
But then, everything started to change and my horse’s outline filled into a rounder, softer and healthier shape.
Her strength and power came through the top line, her asymmetry was mostly from the ground up and then in the saddle.
We quickly improved and the relationship with my horse grew, she was so much happier and content she started to glow; and so did I!
The benefits were endless, as her balance improved, her pride in herself returned.
I also noticed how uneven the strength in her legs had been before, as well as how much she liked to “barge through” one shoulder
No wonder we had arguments!
So now I happily teach the same process with all my client’s horses, both in training and in horse riding lessons.
I understand the importance that first the horse has to be in balance and yes, it helps tremendously if the rider is also in balance and coordinated in time with the movement of the horse using the right aids
It is truly a partnership and both horse and rider need to be in balance.
No matter what your goal is with your horse, working on their basic ability to be balanced and in harmony with their own body makes for a long lived healthy riding career for you both.
Please call Anke on 0408 882 730 or contact her to discuss what she can do for you and your horse.