Breath Connection Under Saddle

Breathing slowly and deeply helps to calm your horse under saddle and improves your connection. On Selena’s first ride after re-backing, Rachel Bedingfield explains how to use your breath to create connection at the mounting block and calmness as you walk on.

The three steps to success with this are

1. Build connection on the ground first. This creates an expectation in your horse to tune in to you and your breathing pattern. As you breathe deeper and more calmly, so will your horse. Check out how to do this in the first blog of this series: Breathe Your Way to Better Connection
2. Again, on the ground, learn to match your horse’s pace and movement. Horses are innately designed to synchronise their movement with their familiars, and soon your horse will start synchronizing with you. This allows you to lead the movement. Your horse will be much more tuned in to your whoa and go signals when you’re in the saddle.
   This blog explains how to do it: Follow. Match. Lead. 3 Steps to Better Connection
3. Spend a lot of time at the mounting block, practicing your slow, deep breathing and feeling grounded. This will calm you both and help you to be connected once you sit in the saddle. From there, focusing on your breath and matching your horse’s movement will maintain that connection, leading to a tuned in and calmly responsive riding horse. Check out Hannah Weston‘s blog on Maintaining Connection through Transitions

This approach is the foundation of our approach to riding. We create calm, willing responsive horses who are happy to be ridden. This helps with your confidence too and both of you have positive fun riding sessions. What more could you want?

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