Testing the Connection in Carriage Driving, Part One

The reins and bit are the connection to communication with the horse in carriage driving, but there is a much larger network to consider: your own body. I always look at the connection starting in the right shoulder, passing down the right arm, through the right hand, down the reins, through the bit and up the left rein, hand, arm shoulder through the back and continuing the circuit. Keeping the connection viable requires attention to the transfer of the energy of communication.

Holding on to the reins for dear life is a communication, but not necessarily the type of communication you want with your driving horse. How do you know how to hold the reins? I always look for experiences that will illustrate the ideas I'm trying to convey. A little girl once gave me a hug. It was the best hug. Ever. She put her whole heart in it, she gracefully put her arms around me and gave me a hug she meant. Because she was nine, I doubt whether or not she had studied how she gave hugs or the science of hugging. But she left a mark on me. I decided that was how I wanted to give hugs and then translated that procedure into driving horses.

Hold the reins in your hands with grace and delicacy. Use the reins and bit as an extension of your upper body and hug the horse. Wrap him up in your embrace and put your whole heart into driving him. Make sure the embrace is as strong as you need to be, but as delicate as you can. Think about the best hug you've ever got and give that hug to the horse. Let your horse know that he can trust you and feel secure in your arms. Communicate your love of driving, love of horses, love of living through the whole circuit of communication, not just the reins.

Watch your horse respond to the communication. See how he becomes more beautiful. After I got a hug from a nine year old girl, several people asked me if I had changed my hair, lost weight or did something to look so good. Nope, I got a really good hug. And it showed. Do the same for your horse, your spouse, your children, your siblings, your friends. Test your connections.

Kind Regards,

Michelle Blackler

Serendipity

www.hossbiz.com

Serendipity is an Accidental Sagacity Corporation company.