Tai Chi and bending the horse

[Erin's mum]

I've just been watching a very interesting (imo!) video on horsehero showing James Shaw teaching some basics of Tai Chi on the ground that can be put into place on the horse to achieve a more correct bend of the horse through the spine. I can't really explain it and daren't too much because it really won't sound right but basically he looked at how to turn the pelvis independent of the upper body and vice versa in order to control the horse's spine through the body and not the limbs. In putting these two skills together the idea is that one can put the horse onto the correct bend by turning the pelvis to the outside and sternum to the inside, thus putting the weight of the seat bones slightly more to the inside whilst maintaining the direction of the shoulders (horse's) with the sternum. Just thought it was interesting as he is teaching advancing the inside seatbone but maintaining the inside turn of the shoulders and sternum...ok actually this probably isn't so interesting if you can't watch the video but if you have subscription to horsehero I definitely recommend it! Off to watch it being put into practice ridden now  looking forward to trying it on horse tomorrow. So much to try- bloody horsehero 

link for anyone interested; http://horsehero.com/30303

[hilary]

James is in the UK at the moment  -

Here are his course dates    if anyone is interested  http://naturalhorsecompany.typepad.com/natural_horse_company/rfwcoursedates.html

PS aplogies - please feel free to remove if is advertising  -  just thought people may find of interest

[Erin's mum]

oohh thanks for that!  need a scottish date- do you know if he's all booked up for his time over here? its fascinating stuff...guess north yorkshire isn't that far. 

[Mandeigh]

I remember reviewing his book for the CRC a few years ago....................

[Erin's mum]

haha doesn't sound positive Mandeigh 

[Mandeigh]

Just a random memory entering my head.......... 

[hilary]

A friend of mine organises his clinics  -  have pmed number Emily

[Heather]

I have his book and video-I dont like the idea of the spiral seat Emily- It is the complete opposite to what I was taught and is one of the most complex ways of turning a horse. I have seen too many riders turned into pretzels as a result of trying this- why make something so complicated? It is so much more simple than that!! I have to ride horses at demos all over the world, that I have never seen in my life.I do not try them before the demo. I have never yet found a single horse that doesnt respond instantly to the very simple aid tat Desi Lorent taught me and which I still teach. If it didnt work I would go back to the drawing board and find another method that did,but in 40 years of teaching I have never found a better, more simple and achievable aid than Desi taught me.

What does James teach to perform shoulder in Hilary? Does he actually ride, and to what level does he train horses?

[hilary]

Hi Heather,

I am not sure what aids he teaches for SI . He rides a bit , but he is very mcuh a tai chi master first and foremost. I don't believe he has trained his own horses.
I have dome more of the groundwork exercises with James rather than ridden ( though not for a time). There is some about him on his website.

[Heather]

The spiral seat is one of the biggest causes of riders being totally incapable of doing lateral work, Hilary. I unscrew more riders than enough who have been taught this stuff. It drives me nuts that it is made so complex when the reality is soooooooo simple

[issywizz]

Have to agree that Heathers aids for lateral work are fab  

In fact whilst I was riding along the road in my new 'bitless bridle' today we did SI and a shallow angle 1/4s in just from the seat aids 

[sixfootblonde]

Weird timing as I read this, this morning, then a friend phoned, out of the blue, this afternoon.  She phoned to tell me about just this and she had tried what is on Horsehero with her PRE ex stallion, and she said it was amazing.

[lisaNW]

What I don't get is that it has to lock your back to some  degree - if your belly button points to the outside but your shoulders turn to the inside, how do you still have as much movement in your lower back to absorb the horse's movement? I know it's supposedly quite subtle, but we know how even a fairly small degree of blocking can have an effect...plus it tends to make you lose the outside rein.

[Mandeigh]

That actually defies classic taiji principles too 

[issywizz]

Well as I can actually do it I can also tell you that it doesnt work nearly as well as Heathers way 
When she finally stopped me twisting in the middle the horses all sighed with relief