Well, I ride Morris really well in the walk.
The trot… we’re working on it.
I’m not sure why, but it’s almost like I get on a horse I don’t know very well, and forget everything. I don’t know what that is. But when exhorted to rise from my hips rather than my legs — which I do perfectly naturally on Amigo and Rebel — it was like it was new information.
If the mind forgets, then at least the muscles remember, and as soon as I was told to do everything [that I already know how to do], I did them, and things got better.
In the exhortation — elbows in, hands down, rise from the hip, etc — also came the recommendation: heart to the sky.
I lifted my heart to the sky. It not only helped my posture, but it made me feel good all over. Lighter. More open. More confident.
Heart to the sky. I think I’ll walk down the road that way.
3 comments
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April 1, 2009 at 4:08 am
Donna
I love this – heart to the sky. Even though my heart is literally covered by a sling right now I will try to remember this. Thank you.
April 1, 2009 at 1:06 pm
jules
That’s a lovely way of putting it . . . I just bought Suzanne Von Dietze’s “Balance in Movement – How To Achieve the Perfect Seat” which is AWESOME, so much so I’m buying a copy for my coach / centre. Obviously it’s all about seat and balance and core strength etc, all that good Physical Therapy stuff I’m working on – but the bit that pertains to your “heart to the sky” is the direction “thorax up and out”, to open up ribs / diaphragm as well as aligning shoulder position; the more usual “shoulders back” bellow from one’s coach can lead to the lower back hollowing which weakens pelvic core and thus seat / position / balance etc etc. But I like the heart to the sky analogy MUCH better. Easier to explain / project without having to get into anatomy and physiology. (“Balance In Movt” is GREAT for all that too so would be a good fit in your library perhaps? Any rec’s for MY library gratefully accepted – oh I already have your first book and # 2 on order so they don’t count roflmfao)
January 22, 2012 at 6:22 pm
Keeping an Open Heart « Flying Changes
[...] This concept has been on my mind for the last week or so. I’m working on what I’ve been calling my ‘horsey-divorcey’ book, a middle-aged lady, post-divorce, equine conversion, codependency recovery memoir. I’ve been working on it for the last forever, or at least it feels that way, and it’s another reason that I wasn’t posting very often in the last year or so. I was having a hard time switching from blog-brain to book-brain, and I feel that since I’m halfway done, and have also nailed down the memoir’s raison d’etre, I can do both at once. [...]