The arch has been an architectural favorite for thousands of years. Structurally, the arch is superior for many types of construction where a distance must be spanned. Similarly, the horse's ribcage acts to distribute the rider's weight. Viewed from the front or back, the ribcage is an arch that acts as a bridge spanning the horses body. This construction allows us to ride the horse without putting undue stress on the horse's back...but only if we sit in the right place.

ne of the few advantages of age is being able to see a trend. Something new comes about that maybe you may have not seen before. This sometimes provides us with an alternative perspective. When we look at riding from the perspective of time, we notice we have made some incredible changes in the last fifty years in where and how the rider sits. Changes that perhaps it is best to examine to see how positive or negative the changes have been.

One of the most common problems many riders have today are problems with making the horse relax and yield to the bit. With many riders frustrated as, they may know that in the final forms of collection that the horse has the neck and head proudly raised but not knowing or having the skills to have the horse relaxed AND head up. Sometimes one of the very simple realities is that the reason that some might have a problem with the ability to ride with the horse at a normal carriage and relaxed, is that sometimes literally we can be a pain in the back or at least restrictive of the back.