Thursday, February 17, 2011

Welcome!

This blog was born from an ongoing conversation regarding the practice of seeing, feeling, and describing balance in our horses and ourselves. There are countless "how to" books, videos, and articles (not to mention instructors) available to those seeking information on this fundamental principle of riding, but how do we know what balance feels like? What does it look like? How do we describe it?

This inquiry may seem simple, but after an investigatory screening of various "how to" videos, it's clear that the meaning of balance is not consistent amongst published professionals. In fact, the definition seems to vary greatly, and in some cases a horse and rider promoted as "balanced" may be just the opposite. So how do we create an understanding of balance for ourselves, using our own senses?

Each week one of us will post an image, statement, video, or idea upon which others may comment. We hope that this blog will serve as a forum for conversation and as a tool to not only help our own articulation of the subject, but to broaden our understanding of how others see and feel as well. Please participate with curiosity and an open mind!