Merging Boundaries
The vast majority of horses can perform a beautiful trot. The beauty comes from the flexibility of the joints and the engagement of the horse’s postural ring as much as from natural ability. This is one of the reasons why force free training in engagement is so inspiring.
One of the main requirements for a beautiful trot is the lack of tension in a horse. When a horse is tense, they move in a tighter, stiffer way. Tension can also cause a horse to move in a jerky, dramatic way which is sadly marked up in modern dressage. Riders can easily get caught in the competition trap which awards a force-based riding dynamic.
A more spiritually awakened intention is to strengthen your relationship with your horse. And it does not need to limit your gymnastic potential together in any way. The most beautiful trot can be an expression of your mutual love and appreciation. To be relaxed working with you a horse needs to feel they have a choice.
Maybe it is possible to work with horses without being a trainer. Perhaps it is truer to say that we are all trainers, leaders and guides for each other. Could it be that the true trainer is the Universe itself, and we are all here to offer our individual gift. A gift which unfolds the whole process of bringing Oneness here fully on earth. The further we enter as a herd into the framework of training the clearer this integration becomes.