What the…terminology!!! (Part A)

There were two distinct takeaways from that first lesson:

best decision ever!
had I been transported to another dimension?

Yes, transported to another dimension! No I didn’t fall off and hit my head, but I certainly questioned what was being said.

Since those youthful days, where knowing the basic terms for horses and equipment: withers, saddle, girth, bridle, blah, blah, blah, nothing prepared me for the barrage of terms I was to face on this journey. I was speaking English and everyone else was engaging in fluent horse. Not the Mr Ed fluent horse either.

So let’s start from the beginning (not alphabetically) of the lesson.

Mounting

*Terminology*	*Equestrian* *Definition*	*My understanding*
Mounting	Act of getting onto the horse’s back, usually from the left side.	Okay, not an alien term, but had never used a mounting block. A tree stump or two when available.

Reins

*Terminology*	*Equestrian* *Definition*	*My understanding*
“How are you holding your reins?”	Thread the reins between your little and ring fingers. Keep a flat palm. Rest your thumb gently on top. Thread them between your little and ring fingers, keeping a flat palm, with your thumb resting gently on top.	What the…l Now that was news to me. “Hold reins in fists!” That’s as far as dad got with his instructions. Served me well over the years. If memory serves me correctly, I was a little heavy handed at times. Sorry Mr Beezley!

@rochellekingandrews
Snuggle the rein in and cuddle the bit up to the top corners of the mouth . Your Q how to hold the reins to stop them slipping You are very welcome to join us on instagram and Facebook and please do checkout our new website https://courses.kingandrewsridertraining.com/ it takes you more systematically through the levels from starting to competing and includes rider fitness , grooming , competition . We hope you’ll love it. #horses #horse #dressagehorse #dressagetips #fyp #giveback #tiktoktribe #ride #rider #helpingothers #equestrian #equestrianlife #horsesoftiktok #community @HairyPony @PSofSweden.com @kepitalia @TuffRock
♬ original sound – Rochelle King-Andrews

Seat

*Terminology*	*Equestrian* *Definition*	*My understanding*
“How’s your seat?“ (Rather a personal question.)	A balanced, upright posture with an imaginary straight line from your ear, shoulder, hip to heel. The seating position in the saddle connects you to your horse’s body. It creates a conversation between the rider and the horse. ‘Jess Morrison https://bit.ly/4qEE64Y“	From my perspective, as long as I remained in contact with that saddle, I was a happy rider. This attitude will not get me far in the world of dressage though.

Steering

*Terminology*	*Equestrian* *Definition*	*My understanding*
Steering the horse	Steering a horse under saddle is a core skill that develops connection, control and confidence between horse and rider. Through coordinated use of the seat, leg and rein aids, the rider can guide the horse with balance and precision.	I believed I had this under control, but alas, I couldn’t have been further from the truth. Neck reins! Yep, that’s all my steering knowledge. My interpretation of this method was: a) lay the reins against the horse’s neck b) apply pressure to instigate turn c) right turn pressure on the left side of neck d) left turn pressure on right side of neck. Definitely not the coordinated approach the coach was talking about.

It was another world of language and I needed to understand the terminology ASAP. Every sport, profession, group and family have their own unique terms.

Get the JARGON RIGHT—unless you’re actively trying to make friends with paramedics, doctors and perhaps an ethereal being.

Back in the Saddle

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