handlers find a reciprocal connection on the ground before the rider takes a position in the saddle. These exercises—done both standing still and in motion—are shown to drastically change the way a rider sees and feels about the horse, and immediately improve how the horse moves, responds, and works. Aspiring to the ideals of lightness and ease promoted by top riding instructors and classical texts, the exercises found in this manual help handlers achieve the goals of discipline and joy that they have for their horses—leaving behind the mechanical, stiff movements that inhibit horses from expressing their innate curiosity, trust, and freedom of motion.

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