Probably if you had spent a large part of your life on horseback from the time you could walk like the Mongol horsemen of Genghis Khan, you would benefit little from centered riding lessons. You would have learned naturally to move, almost like a part of your horse, in harmony with it.
A centered riding instructor like Sue Falkner March or Heidi Potter can help you on your way to achieve this kind of synergy in a comparatively short time.
Sally Swift, who originated the concept, and others have wonderfully illustrated and explained the technique. It has helped thousands of people to increase their skill and enhance enjoyment for both horse and rider. Swift mentions a wonderful quote from the 2,500 year old writings of Xenophon which gets to the heart of man’s relationship with horses. “For what the horse does under compulsion is done without understanding; and there is no beauty in it either, any more than if one should whip and spur a dancer.”
The advantages of centered riding are helpful for all riding styles from dressage to endurance racing because it helps you find your center of balance and keep adjusting it with the movement of the horse. There are similarities with T’ai chi, martial arts and yoga which can all help you achieve good balance and open your mind to a more spiritual approach.
