IMPULSION AND THE BICYCLE
The centerpiece of any athletic activity must be impulsion or the force to go forward. Certainly with horses that must be done on command and at the desired degree of intensity. Lacking impulsion makes anything else a non-
starter.
That being said, we’ve all done it if we've learned to ride a two wheel bicycle. | remember as a child that | had this tremendous urge to ride a two wheeler just like the older kids. The process involved putting training wheels on so that | could lose my fear and become less stiff, that is become supple. | learned rhythm by pumping the pedals and learned to do it smoothly and to vary the force, depending upon how fast | wanted to go. | learned to hold the grip to reinforce my balance and to help steer, but soon learned that shifting my body weight was really the best way to navigate. A death grip on the handlebars was quickly learned to be counterproductive. When the time came, Dad removed the training wheels and stood
beside the bike to help steady, but also to make certai that | did not succumb to the urge to go slowly because too slow would result in a crash.( He supplied the
necessary impulsion.) | stayed as relaxed/supple as | could and applied a steady rhythm to the pedals and off | went. That’s probably more or less your experience as well.
So here we are, our horse is relaxed/supple. He is falling into the rhythm of our seat or if in a carriage of the hands and voice. The hands are in contact with his mouth
and we ask him to go forward. We allow his forward motion, which has now broken the gravitational field, to rest in our contact with his mouth and gently keep it there with massage, but not allow the impulsion to go straight out through his mouth with an outstretched nose. Once there we ask for a little more impulsion and he should become round. Not because we pull on his mouth, but because he rounds his back and finds that the easiest way to carry a rider or a carriage is by engaging his hind
end. Just like the bicycle!
Sounds easy huh? I’m reminded of the dressage master who approved of a student’s figure and said just do it 3000 more times!
But remember, just like the bicycle where | got my initial impulsion reinforced by Dad. If there is no impulsion, no matter what the discipline, there will be nothing but frustration by both parties, you and your horse. Tell us what you think. Either drop a message or make a blog or send a video.
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