Language, Learning, and Lightbulb Moments - part one

How to translate riding lesson language

What sets humans apart from other mammals is our ability to express ourselves with spoken language.

However, this can make our lives considerably more complicated, especially when it comes to learning to ride!

Take a few common phrases, and as you read them, what do they mean to you?

"Sit up tall"

"Sit deep"

"Relax"

"Wait for the fence"

"Make your horse rounder"

The list could go on, with language that we frequently hear, both in lessons and written in magazines and books. I expect that each phrase means something to you, and you would be able to explain how with a great deal of passion!

Why is this common riding language a problem?

However, there is a problem, because each of us is different, and our bodies all have different starting places, meaning that for each of us, an instruction is going to mean something different.

Also, these phrases have been handed down from instructor to instructor, rider to rider, and no one knows what was meant by the person who first said them.

Let's look at "sit up tall" as an example. As you read this, I want you to picture yourself on your horse, sitting up tall, and now go through the motions. How do you "sit up tall"?

Do you stretch yourself up? Do you roll your shoulders back? Do you lift your chest? Do you pull your tummy in? Do you lean back?

These are all things we might do when told to "sit up tall".

Let's imagine that many years ago, a very talented rider, Frank, discovered that when he adjusted his upper body in the saddle, his horse's way of going instantly improved. It felt, to him, as if he was ‘sitting up tall’ so when his students arrived for their next lessons, he naturally wanted to teach them this skill, and so he said to them all, ‘Now, sit up tall!’

Each of his students "sat up tall" and interpreted the instruction as best they could. For a few, it worked well, and Frank was pleased with his discovery, but for those for which it didn’t work, they were somewhat confused and left wondering if they were getting it right.

The problem with riding is that we generally refer to talented riders to tell us how to do it. I call this a problem, because talent is something that you are born with, and is not easy to pass on.

Think of an iceberg

Think of a riding skill like an iceberg. The iceberg below the water represents the unconscious part of the skill, i.e., the part of the skill that we can perform without having to think about it. The iceberg above the water, (usually only a very small fraction), represents the conscious part of the skill that we are aware of and can consciously describe and/or alter.

When Frank discovered his "sit up tall" skill, it is highly likely that most of its components were buried in his subconscious competence or talent, and already ticking over on auto-pilot (iceberg below the waterline), and that the additional component that made the skill very effective, was new to him, and therefore very real to him in his conscious foreground, (iceberg above the waterline).

For Frank to pass on all the necessary components of how to make horses go better by "sitting up tall", he would have to explain not only his recent discovery in his body, but also exactly what else his body is already doing when he is riding (on auto-pilot!), and then he would have to describe it in such a way that everyone could recreate it just like he does!

Accessible horse riding language

For me, being able to teach and coach the separate components of a skill, in a way that a learner can readily absorb, makes riding and its associated skills far more accessible. This is the basis of my mission! And what I find incredibly exciting, is almost anything can be broken down into bite-size chunks so that a ‘talent’ can be learned, especially one that might have been previously thought of as elusive or exclusive.

In the second part of this blog, I will talk more about the process of learning to ride, and how you can help yourself to navigate those arena cliches! If you have any cliches that you’ve never really understood, then let me know, and I will debunk them in the coming blogs!

Learn about breathing for you and your horse with my free download, Five Powerful Breathing Exercises to Connect You and Your Horse. Get your free download here!

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