Rider's Balance : Understanding the Weight Aids in Pictures

How to best communicate with the horse has long been pondered, studied, and deciphered. From a handler’s body language on the ground to the rider’s use of “aids” (seat, legs, reins) when in the saddle, the ways we convey our wishes to the horse are the essential foundation of the partnership we seek with him. Although the basic aids are taught at the most elementary levels of equitation, renowned classical dressage trainer Sylvia Loch feels that most riders never fully realize how their weight when mounted impacts the horse in hundreds of nuanced ways—both good and bad. Developing an understanding of “weight aids” ensures that riders cultivate better balance and “feel,” ultimately riding with more empathy and a finer connection.

Here, Loch provides an image-driven visual guide that shows how each tiny shift of the rider's weight affects the horse's balance. With the help of dozens of illustrations and fabulous color photographs, she demonstrates the minute changes in rider position that determine a horse’s comprehension of instruction as well as his physical ability to perform. With this book, novice riders will develop a much greater awareness of their own bodies and abilities, as well as those of the horse, from Day One, while more experienced riders will discover new avenues that lead to successful riding performance and fulfilling relationships with their horses.

Sylvia Loch is a dressage instructor and the founder of the Lusitano Breed Society of Great Britain and the Classical Riding Club. She is the author of a number of books, including The Balanced Horse, The Classical Rider, Dressage in Lightness, and Dressage: The Art of Classical Riding.

Charlotte Dujardin is an elite British dressage rider, winner of three Olympic gold medals and a silver (London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016), European Champion, and World Champion, and holds all three World Records in the sport of dressage.