Learn About Horses, a chids first guide to horsemanship
Published by PhelpsLLC, Written by Kathy Mann -- illustrations by Carol Berger
A child's introduction to horsemanship. This picture book teaches children about basic horse care, safety, and riding. This book is packed with humorous illustrations and valuable tips about safe horsemanship.
Available in both
Kindle AND Print
This book qualifies for Kindle Matchbook, which offers you a FREE digital version when you purchace a print version of Learn About Horses.
Balance and the Conservation of Energy
--by Kathy Bennett
Without balance, the rider requires force to hold their posture as segments of their body fight against each other and the ever present forces of gravity. This wasted energy and motion creates disharmony with the horse. The horse who also struggles to support poor balance is inefficient and inhibited from his full athletic potential.
In balance, two opposing forces or factors are of equal strength or importance so that they effectively cancel each other out. An item in perfect balance requires almost no energy or force to maintain its position or stability.
Think of a person standing on a balance beam. They start to tip, and some segment of their body on the other side will quickly shift to compensate in an effort to equalize the weight on both sides of the balance (center) line. It can be quite a dance and if things aren't evened on both sides, they will fall.
If that same person stands on the ground and starts to tip, they will quickly catch themselves by stepping over to create a base of support to offset the forces of gravity.
When we ride, the horse is our base of support. He must compenstate and deal with our weight within his actions and being the big strong animal that he is, he is usually able to do this without much help or notice from us.
However, enter into a flow of movement that requires the un-balanced horse to perform a balanced action, such as a flying lead change, and you get a nifty little cross-fire instead because the horse really can't defy the laws of physics, no matter how many times he gets a spur in his side.
Balance is a harmony in which the various parts form a whole and nothing is out of proportion or unduly emphasized at the expense of the rest. In this state of balance there is a conservation of energy and the good news is that balance is a straightforward law of physics with a few simple rules. Rule number one, don't fight gravity.
Another good thing about balance is that by nature the body is constantly seeking to work with it to minimize unnecessary movements and conserve energy. It becomes only a matter, then, of recognizing where we fight gravity and then to focus on how we may re-harmonize our posture with it.
Here are a few definitions to define balance.
- The line of gravity is where the center of mass of a system is at rest
- A partnership of sides is when all the mass on both sides of the line of gravity are equal
- The base of support is where the movement is stabilized
- If the line of gravity falls outside of the base of support, the forces of gravity overtake the object and it falls
- Counterbalancing is when the mass on both sides of the line of gravity shift to compensate for inequalities between the sides.
Balance works with the forces of gravity to help the body conserve its energy, minimize stress to its components, and maximize a unified flow of movement. The complete laws of physics go beyond the scope of this article, however, I hope this introduction to balance will help you get started toward balance and the conservation of energy.
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