Hanging in the Balance Dorothy Crosby

Dorothy Crosby - Stoddard, NH

Stand up, feet shoulder-width apart, with knees relaxed and slightly bent. Close your eyes and observe your body: does it move; how? Is it still? Is anything tight? Feel how the weight is distributed on your feet; insides, outsides, all over? Take a deep breath, wiggle your toes and observe again….

Experiment: hold your breath, lock your knees, tighten your back, drop your head….and observe what happens each time.

Now, lean a little too far forward and feel what changes; what tightens, or which parts of you are affected? Then lean a little too far back and observe what happens; identify which parts of your body are changed and how.

Most likely you felt some movement, even slight while breathing and standing with your eyes closed. This is normal since the earth is spinning underneath us and our bodies are a composite of moving fluids and air! Putting yourself out of balance caused some compensation, probably in the form of tightness, to maintain your upright position; each experiment in intentionally tightening or moving something made you acutely aware of your body having to work to maintain homeostasis.

Sally Swift describes her fourth Basic as Building Blocks; there are five blocks, each different areas of our bodies that must be in alignment for us to achieve balance. Beginning with the legs and feet on the bottom, the next blocks are the pelvis, the rib cage, the shoulders, and finally the neck and head.

It’s only when we are balanced over our feet – ears over shoulders, those over hip joints, hips over ankles - that we are in a relaxed state and can feel secure and achieve stability. Without balance, whether on a horse or not, we spend our entire time trying to find it, using muscles and effort to be stable and not fall!

Many of my students have been working to improve their balance in an effort to also recognize and restore it – or the lack thereof! A challenging task for some, especially those either unaware of their own tension or lack of flexibility or those very aware of how much movement is generated underneath them, their instinct is to grip, tighten, or hold on in some way in order to maintain security and not fall off, or simply stay upright and in a fluid motion. It is counter-intuitive to “let go” and allow ourselves to move in places we did not choose or orchestrate! We are, after all, moving creatures with great self-control trying to stay securely atop a much larger and more powerful moving creature! But it is truly more effective and successful for both human and equine for the human to let go, relax, and let the horse move them. Only then can they truly dance together with mutual pleasure and in balance.

The key is in finding the place where one balances over their own feet, even while sitting on a horse. We must sit, stand, kneel and squat all at the same time! Look at someone sitting in a chair; their legs are in front of them, not underneath, and they can feel and look in balance because the furniture under them is still and provides support. When we stand on our own, we have to be in alignment – as in Sally Swift’s Building Blocks – in order to stay upright without fighting for it. With joints relaxed and able to bend, the various parts of our bodies can move as needed; our knees can slide and drop, our ankles can flex, and we can kneel and squat as well as stand and sit!

Next time you are mounted, stand up, feet in the stirrups, and see how stable you are. You may tilt forward or backward to compensate for an alignment that needs a little help; one or more of your Building Blocks is slightly out of place. Now try dropping into your knees a little, letting them bend a bit; don’t straighten them to stand up taller. Take a deep breath; feel yourself sink first into your knees and then allow some weight to drop into your feet so that your weight is more evenly distributed down your leg. Just before sitting, tuck your seat just a little, allowing your knees to “walk” you into a sitting position. Find that “sweet spot” where your seat bones rest comfortably with your legs under them! Repeat a few times to recognize and own the feeling. Try this at a standstill and eventually a walk, observing yourself and reinforcing the position that will become your stabilizing support, regardless of the seat you ride.

Life requires balance in so many areas; our horses will reflect – and appreciate – every moment we achieve it, whether in the saddle or on the ground!

Owner of Equi-librium and based in Stoddard NH, Dorothy Crosby is certified as both a Level III Centered Riding®Clinician/Instructor and CHA English and Western Instructor. Director of the Riding Program and Barn Manager at Southmowing Stables in Guilford VT, she loves working with riders and horses of all ages and abilities. Recently certified with Conformation Balancing, a program for fascia release in horses, Dorothy loves the softening and changes in the horses. Dorothy offers clinics, lessons, workshops, and fascia release bodywork sessions both on and off the farm.