Secret #1

That the horse industry does not want you to know. Riding is dangerous. Horse related accidents rank near the top of all sporting activities.

Secret #2

It takes professionals years to learn and yet many still do not teach that bending the horse is the most important tool that every horse person should understand and master.

This young Arabian filly is learning to bend.

Simply bending a horse can bring a horse back from a dangerous and irrational state to thinking/rational mode.

Rational movement while tolerating challenging stimuli.
Note the calm attitude and obvious bend in the filly’s body.

Right = flight. The horse’s defense is flight. At that time the horse is operating in the right side of the brain. Conversely, the rational/thinking side is the left side and is achieved when we simply bend the horse. Understanding the power of bending is the first principal my students learn.

Bending and staying calm under pressure.

Secret #3

The power/engine is the hind end of the horse. Control the power, control the horse. If you stand up and cross your legs you cannot run forward; nor can a horse with their back legs crossed. We call this disengaging the hind end. This concept along with bending are the very first principals I teach and is fully detailed in my “Discover the Horse You Never Knew” video.

Close-up of good disengagement. The more pronounced the step-over,
the more relaxed the horse.

 

Live Demonstration

A live demonstration of the above mentioned principals at work: