DefinitelyDressage.com

This was a very interesting comment from the Susanne von Dietz clinic I audited a few weeks back. "When you give in rein, give something! Give balance! Give relaxation! Give power! Give bend! Give room to learn! (etc.)" But don't give emptiness. Don't give nothing.

It was a very good point for me to be conscious about how I give a rein and what I am hoping to achieve by that action. A lot of my last year has focussed on giving the rein Emi tends to lean on a touch and *not* giving the rein she tends to be softer on. This comment also makes me think of giving very specifically for bend or for a stretch---as opposed to randomly (I've been more than guilty of that over time! )

I wonder what you all think of this idea?

It makes sense to me. Whatever you're doing, you need to think of the purpose behind it and what you want to get out of it.

I tend to ride with much lighter rein contact than a lot of people, so have been working on more. I just did some lessons with Lilo, and that apparently was about 1,000 times too little for her. I get what she wanted and her point, but all of that rein just created resistance and stress in my horse. I have been working since on asking for more contact, but it has to be more self carried by the horse, and rewarded with some lighter contact here and there.

I guess where I am with it is what you are talking about--give the bend, stretch, balance or forward.

I always try to think of this in anything I'm doing. Whatever I think I'm doing or how I'm asking, if it is not getting me to where I want to go, then I need to change it up because I'm not doing what I think I am, or it is not the way to ask in that instance.