Staying Grounded

I laughed when I saw this photo on my phone. I took it during my first at-home ride of 2023. The camera was pointing downwards, over Shiloh’s left shoulder, while I rode bareback.

The resulting image gave the illusion that my left foot was touching the ground while I sat on my horse. But I promise you that Shiloh is not that short, and my legs are not that long!

The photo’s optical illusion is funny all on its own. But there is another reason that I find the picture particularly interesting. It has to do with what I was thinking about during that ride. Let me explain.

If you have read my previous posts, you may recall that I’ve been concerned about my curtailed prospects for riding this year due to Piper’s continuing issues with separation anxiety.

Instead of riding on decent weather days, I’ve been taking Shiloh and Piper out for walks-in-hand along our barn driveway. I keep hoping that the more I separate them and then bring them back together that Piper’s anxiety will subside.

As for Shiloh, he is comparatively much less anxious than Piper. But because Piper makes such a fuss, Piper’s behavior can sometimes catch Shiloh’s attention and worry him. This whole dynamic does not bode well for my riding safety.

By the end of February, though, I felt that Shiloh was tuning into me well enough during our driveway walks in hand that I could chance a ride. Then March 1st happened to dawn reasonably warm and clear with almost no wind. I decided to attempt a short bareback ride with Shiloh in my round pen.

I actually would have preferred to put on the saddle for extra security, but this time of year, my horses are awash in shedding hair. Shedding hair that is layered with mud in various stages of drying. It is not a great time to put on the tack, even for a quick ride. Trying to find room on Shiloh’s head for the bridle amidst all that hair and mud was bad enough!

In leading Shiloh from my barn driveway to the round pen for our ride, I noticed that Piper was particularly upset back in their paddock. Piper ran the fence line. I could hear his hoofbeats. I noticed the loud “splat-splat” of the pea gravel and ag lime footing getting dislodged and slung up against the fence as Piper skidded around.

Once in the round pen, Shiloh and I just milled about at the walk. I asked him for lots of changes of direction, trying to encourage a relaxed riding rhythm while Piper cavorted.

Despite Piper’s racket, Shiloh was overall pretty calm for me. He seemed a bit quick and distracted at times, periodically glancing in Piper’s direction. Fortunately, Shiloh’s worry didn’t escalate. He didn’t do anything to unseat me.

During the ride, I was aware that I felt nervous about Piper’s behavior and what it might mean for Shiloh at any given moment. When I get nervous on horseback, I have bad habits of shortening and tightening my body.

Neither action contributes to my own balance or the horse’s comfort. Those habits can definitely make the ride go worse for me and the horse. I realize that mentally waiting for disaster to occur is also not a helpful riding habit, but it’s something I battle in varying degrees on a regular basis. It’s all one ball of sticky wax that can be difficult to untangle.

To counteract all those tendencies during this bareback ride, I kept reminding myself to breathe, focus on the walk rhythm and use the visual imagery of lengthening my feet toward the ground. THAT’S why the photo struck me as so funny! It’s not very often that a riding photo captures the essence of what I was working on in such a picture-perfect way.

For his part, Shiloh responded really well to my efforts. Whenever I felt him get worried and then quick with his movements, I’d try to “reach the ground” with my feet. He would soon slow down and lower his head and neck. It was good bio-feedback for me.

I realize in a comparative sense that the photo is nothing remarkable. It’s not going to win any photography contests. Going forward, though, I plan to use it as a visual reminder of an important concept. Namely, the idea that I have the ability to affect my horse’s state of relaxation IF I remain grounded. Staying grounded even as I am hovering six feet off the ground on my horse’s back.

*If you are not familiar with this “grounding” concept as it relates to riding, you might like to check out this article link at https://equisearch.com/articles/centered_riding_revisited_051909-8334/. Grounding is part of Sally Swift’s Centered Riding concept. The article is an excerpt from her 2002 book Centered Riding 2: Further Exploration.