Rider energy and effect on horse? Hot or What.

TrasaM

TrasaM

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The thread about hot seated riders raised a question for me that I have been wondering about for some time. I've seen someone ride with the so called electric bum and the horse would perform really well for her. There was no beating or whacking, just the horses response to her energy.
So what's the opposite end of this spectrum and what's the trick, if there is one, to raise your energy level.
I've got quite good at being calm and dropping my energy level because of lots of practice riding a tense anxious horse but I am less effective on the lazy ones.
What do other people do? I'd be interested in feedback from Ride With Your Mind peoples:)
 
Watching this thread with interest as am another with very low energy levels, to the point where I can sometimes find it harder to get a more laid back horse motivated, without getting "busy"
 
I think a proper 'hot bum' is just someone who gets the horse motivated by their own energy/very subtle body language, so the horse is really going forwards & thus has the impulsion to perform well. And I believe in the vast majority of cases, lack of forwards movement & impulsion is responsible for difficulties a horse (rather than rider caused) has in performing & improving. Every horse from the most ancient ploddy pony has beautiful self carriage when its really excited, even if that's just for a few minutes when its turned out in the morning. But far less have lovely self carriage when ridden or worked, as they just lack the energy. So it can only be a good thing imo. Even on a very stressy lively horse, a hot seat is still a positive imo, because that energy can be directed into something positive. Spooking, jogging & generally stressing don't require the same energy as piaffe, so any rider who can both create & direct that energy positively is a good thing. I also find that a hot seated rider is more able to use the energy of a stressy horse productively straightaway, rather than trying to calm it & ending up with an explosion of pent up energy where they've tried to contain it. In short, I don't think hot seats & calm are mutually exclusive.
As to how to get a hot seat, I don't think there's a method as such. Like many things, you just assume that's the way it will be & the horse picks up on it. I'm naturally energetic & I suppose horses sense that. Whatever I ride I assume it will wake up & they do. And I also assume that if ones stressy or nervous they will chill & concentrate & they normally follow that through too. Things like position & how you ride make a difference, but I think body language is a major factor too.
 
I think an electric bum is generally someone who has effective seat and legs.

My pony is exceedingly forward and fun when I ride her, yet when two novices with obviously very ineffective and weak legs ride her, she is like a dobbin. I don't feel like I am having to do anything to keep her moving forward either!!
 
My mum used to joke that I wore electric knickers.
For me it was a case of sitting up and not being afraid of pushing them forward. I think a lot of novice riders are fairly backwards thinking, which causes lots of problems.

Im also a "teller" in the way that, I dont use "force" but I do give them limited options. I ask, and expect it. So if I say walk on, they do, same as if I ask for a transition, it happens now (obviously they are prepped for it). Im not a 'can you just...' person!
 
I'm a supposed electric bum rider, as I can get anything to "go" for me.
But......
My mare is a notorious hot head, and very Intuned to me if I'm in a bad mood no way do I get on board,
For lazy or laid back horses I find that being "busy" on the ground helps raise energy levels before, so grooming, tacking up, walking briskly to the arena with the horse sets a better tone, works in reverse with spirited horses!
 
I had a fasinating drive out with a team of horses where the driver talked about how he makes sure that the team take their emotional level from the drivers and dont feed each other it was fasinating an insightful and on that drive we had one horses newly in the team and acting up the other three did indeed take the emotional clue from the driver and ignored it in a few minutes the new horse had learnt to go along with his work mates .
These horses gallop at a HDT at the weekend and pull at carriage at a funeral within days of each very different job.
That drive really made me think .
 
I dont what i would put myself as...

But i do have a good seat and leg, im a quiet rider, i can get a good energy going on the horses i ride. I have found i have a "relaxing" effect on the sharper ones i only assume is that is because im a very laid back person, I dont flap or get in a tizz when the horse has a moment, i work through it till i get the result i want if that 30,60,90 mins or more! So be it i dont give up :)
 
Ahh posted too soon sorry! I always assumed that a hot seat is someone who can motivate the horse through their seat and legs effectivly and the horse responds well to that persons energy. I dont think you can create a hot seat imo you ve either got it ot you dont
 
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