Peggy Cummings 8/26/2012

The week after a horse show is always a time of reflection for me. I was really unhappy with my rides at Region 1 and I knew that I only had myself to blame. After wiping tears from my eyes in the lineup of my pleasure class, I felt absolutely broken. Why was I again falling apart in the show pen? I wanted nothing more than to hide from the world and never show again. Fortunately this wasn’t an option as I had 2 Horsemanship classes hours later. They were better; I was pleased with the pattern work, but not the rail work. Returning home I went through the mourning process of deciding not to go to Novice Championships this year. With that decision behind me I turned my focus to the big elephant in the saddle – my tension in the show ring.

 I’ve become aware in the last year that many of my movements in the saddle are ridged and tense. I know that I have improved dramatically; I used to describe my seat as “survival riding”. This was the result of years of sitting on rank horses. Still I haven’t always been able to ride my horse from a place of softness and connection; this becomes amplified as we enter the ring at a horse show. The bigger the show, the worse the tension. For each ride the week after Region 1 I focused on keeping my movements soft and only riding one handed. My goal was to be less of a “puma” in the saddle. The result was quite the breakthrough. My horse moved better with each ride, lateral movements were accomplished with ease and lope transitions were the best they have ever been. This could only mean one thing, I am the one standing in the way; the mare is only reacting to me. Just as the Universe always provides when I am ready to learn; Sarah arranged lessons with Peggy Cummings on Sunday.

 I talk to Peggy about the Region 1 show and let her know that my mare warms up well, but everything changes when we walk into the in gate of the show pen. She asked me if it felt like sitting on marbles, which turned out to be a pretty good description I often describe it as driving a truck and the brakes go out, I push on the brake pedal but nothing is there. Peggy had me sit on my hands, first in a neutral seat. From there I had to make small movements in my thighs. I could feel the slightest movement from thighs through my seat bones. Peggy then had me scoot my seat back slightly and stiffen. When I made the same small movements in my thighs I felt no change in pressure on my hands, just dead weight. That is exactly what my horse feels when we walk into the show ring. Peggy said that I disappear and my horse lifts her head and drops her back looking for me. I then become more tense against Grace’s tension and we spiral out of control. From the way she described it I could have sworn she had been at the show watching me. 

Peggy broke down for me exactly what happens in my body the moment I tense in the show ring. She described where the lock out starts (right below the ribcage) and how it translates to the rest of my body. She reminded me of the ‘come along’ cue she had taught me in the past. The cue comes from my thighs and isn’t visible, it is also near impossible to use when I am locked. On the ground and on my horse Peggy gave me a series of check ins that I could use to get my body moving again and past the state of tension. Most of all she reminded me to “move the bones” in order to check back in with my horse again. During our lesson I felt my horse change underneath me, the quality of her walk improved dramatically as she started to freely use her hind end. I was able to engage her left ribcage just by rotating to the left which automatically brought my left leg in contact with her side. I felt like I was finally talking the same language as my horse.

I have my homework, a list of check ins to make sure I am in neutral position so I don’t lock my horse out. Peggy also recommended that I go to a show and just focus on moving the bones. This is my plan for the schooling show in two weeks. I am now grateful to not be aiming for Novice Championships this year; I can now take the time to master this piece of the puzzle.

Peggy Cummings 1.8.2012

Sarah put together a weekend for her students that began with Yoga for Riders on Saturday followed by a lesson day with Peggy Cummings on Sunday. I spent most of the Sunday lesson with Peggy in awe of how well it went together with what we learned during Saturday’s yoga session. As Sarah has been telling me for the last 11 years and I am finally started to discover on my own, the horse’s body mirrors the rider’s body.


During our yoga session I learned that my core is not just my abdominal muscles, the core is in fact the torso or as Wikipedia states it “In anatomy, the core refers, in its most general of definitions, to the body minus the legs and arms. Functional movements are highly dependent on the core, and lack of core development can result in a predisposition to injury.” During our class we got in touch with the upper part of our core, and I became acutely aware that I had been tuning out the area between my shoulder blades, which had no problem reminding me this morning that it existed. Our Yoga instructor showed us how much stronger and balanced we were when our cores were engaged and how much easier a pose was when we used our breath and were mindful of our center of gravity and where our core was in relation. She said that by engaging the core our extremities would become more fluid, making our movements easier and less mechanical.


On Sunday Peggy repeated much of what our yoga instructor said the day before. She quickly helped me to find neutral again, this time by touching my ribcage at the point of my sternum. When I engaged that spot my back filled and became soft, I didn’t have to force it. During our groundwork Peggy addressed habits, I had asked her for help in getting Grace to stop with her head level or down, as Grace still has a tendency to lift her head when she stops. Peggy pointed out how locked Grace was on her left front which would not allow her left hind to step up under. Grace could only stop with her head up as long as her body remained in that locked position. Peggy reminded me to only ask for the stop when Grace was soft. We had to change things up to get Grace to unlock, which included working her more from the right side and asking for the stop while she was in a turn as opposed to straight. Peggy said that straight is taught not from a straight line, but from a bend. I will admit I’m still wrapping my mind around that one.


In the saddle Peggy first addressed my position and as we do in every Peggy lesson we saw the difference from the way I usually ride to the way I ride when I am connected. The difference in my horse was once again like night and day. I started out in neutral with my core engaged, but when Grace walked off she dropped her back and I locked. This turned off my connection to my legs which turned off Grace’s connection to her legs. Peggy had me rotate and jiggle my legs, all the while keeping my core engaged. Grace’s hind end woke up and the quality of her walk improved. I was able to get her to bring her left hind leg up underneath herself without using spurs or a whip, but just by bumping with my left leg while I rotated. Grace needs to step up like that in order to build the strength she needs to go straight. Into the jog I quit moving and so Grace threw her head up in the air, once again I had locked her out. Peggy reminded me to keep my legs active and to rotate through the transitions, not only did the transition improve, but so did the quality of Grace’s gait. She activated her hocks and was moving with ease as she now had her core engaged her movements had become fluid.


Once again after a lesson with Peggy I feel like I should be retaining this work better than I am. I heard a lot of the same things that she has told me in the past, but today they most defiantly resonated louder. I know that getting in touch with my body the day before was a big part of that. We are leaving for a horseshow this Friday and I was hit with the feeling that I would much rather just spend 6 weeks immersed in the Connected Riding work than going to shows. I have to remember that my goal is to be able to ride in the show ring the way I did in my lesson today. I think Sarah was serious when she talked about getting a second tack room at horse shows for our yoga sessions. I will try anything if I means I hold onto what I got in touch with today.

Results under saddle

My legs not only make sense to me now when walking, but it has translated in the saddle. For years I have been told to close my leg on my horse. I had a tendency to keep my lower leg off my horse; my legs were often jutted out in front of the girth. My leg position has improved tremendously over the last year, but I won’t lie to you, it has been a lot of work. I had to consciously think about it every time I rode. I first had to take the arch out of my low back,breathe,  soften my lower back, breathe, focus on my abs, breathe, reposition my seat, breathe, and then I could find my leg position. I had to correct it several times throughout a ride. Just as soon as I thought I was getting somewhere it would be time to lope and it would all go to hell. Still with a 6 day a week riding schedule, regular lessons with Sarah and the occasional lesson with Peggy, I’ve really made some progress. My butt no longer slaps the saddle in the lope, something I thought I might never overcome. The biggest difference I’ve noticed in the saddle after my sessions at the Strength Lab is that I don’t have to work near as hard to achieve a balanced, efficient position in the saddle.

I rode Grace when I got home from the cranial sacral session with James. For the most part I didn’t ask anything of Grace, I really just wanted to see what my body would do. As soon as I settled into the saddle I noticed that my legs were in contact with my horse’s side. My feet were pointed forward, just like on the ground I couldn’t quit staring at them. I was in awe of the fact that I didn’t have to force them into this position, it was natural and comfortable. My ankles, knees and hips were all soft and relaxed, ready to absorb shock, just as they were intended to. For the first time ever I was able to utilize the “come along” leg cue that Peggy Cummings taught me. It has been a source of frustration for me for the last 6 months; I had finally decided that it just wasn’t for me or my horse. Even with Peggy standing there I wasn’t able to get my leg to do the subtle cue without becoming tense and losing the softness in my back. Now for the first time I understood exactly what she was talking about when she told me that she should not be able to see the movement in my thigh when I moved them within my jeans for the cue. This time when I gave the cue Grace’s hind end seemed to wake up underneath me as she lengthened her stride behind stepping up into the contact. Gone was the ear pinning and head toss that had been her answer to me every time I had applied the cue in the past. We were getting somewhere.


Grace has been lovely to ride since her appointment with the dentist, but on the ground she has been less than pleasant. She’s been biting at the halter when I bring it towards her face, she bites at the air when I brush her and tack her up. If I didn’t know this mare so well my response would be to immediately discipline her, going after her total lack of respect. But I do know my mare, and when she behaves this badly she is screaming at me that something isn’t right, it’s her way of saying “fix it dammit!” Sarah had mentioned that Grace could use some cranial sacral work the week after her dentist appointment. I had let two weeks slip by and I was pretty sure I was paying for it. I set up a time to have Sarah work on Grace. I couldn’t help but notice that during her session Grace didn’t bite at the air, the halter or at Sarah. Grace can be very untrusting about having work done on her head and face, but she was totally into it, she was more than ready for uncovering this layer of the onion.


Sarah had me get on Grace after the session. When I arrived at the barn Sarah was riding Joe, one of her rehab horses. She was working him at the jog, constantly changing directions. From there she put him into the lope. Joe’s movements became more fluid with each bend. I noticed at the lope that Joe holds the ground longer with his hoofs, the mechanical movements that he arrived with in Sarah's program are now gone. Sarah had me practice the jog exercise on Grace. I was to change directions while really asking her to bend, and keeping her driving up from behind. The exercise had to be fluid and forward, the goal was to not give Grace a chance to stiffen her jaw while changing from one direction to the other. After a few reminders from Sarah about keeping my body soft, holding the ball in my lap and breathing, it started to come together. The softer Grace became in her face, the bigger her movement was behind. When she forgot to stiffen her jaw she also forgot to stiffen her hock. Never one’s to leave well enough alone we moved onto the lope…..

Peggy Cummings 8.20.2011

I am in the saddle holding a towel around my waist with an imaginary ball in my lap while someone leads my horse. This can only mean one thing; Peggy Cummings must be here! Peggy was at Sarah’s on Saturday for a day of scheduled lessons. I went early so I could watch the lesson before mine; I always get a ton of information by watching her work with other horses and riders. The issues she addresses for them always seem to apply to me, and from what I gather the similarities seem to correlate to almost all horses and riders.



The participants in the first lesson were a 15 year old girl and her 16.3 hand AQHA gelding. The pair have worked with Peggy several times over the last year. The gelding is very mouthy on the ground, which can be a challenge for Showmanship classes. The rider had also been having some recent less than stellar rides under saddle and was working on her own body to help her horse find his. Peggy pointed out that the gelding was post legged with his left hind leg. She found it to be common in many of the horses that she works with. She said that even as young as 3 years old horses start to carry tension in their bodies because of the unconscious things we do to them when we handle them. She also thought that his behavior issues stemmed from the imbalance and tension in his body. As they worked through a series of exercises she found that the 15 year old girl was carrying her left arm out from her body, this caused her to lose the connection and actually “drop” her geldings left hind leg. Peggy showed her how to restore the connection both on the ground and under saddle. I love watching this pair because the gelding is an incredible visual of what Peggy talks about. When he stretches his nuchal ligament and starts to connect to his hind end his is an incredible mover. He and his rider often elicit ohhs and ahhs from the crowd during their sessions with Peggy. I always see a common thread between this horse and rider with Grace and myself. Once the rider had the gelding coming through with his left hind leg, Peggy told her it was her job to make sure he continued to use it. She said that we cannot allow our horses to continue to walk the way he had been, not on the way to the pasture or in the arena. It was a good reminder of just how much we influence our horse’s way of going.

Now it was my turn. Peggy had me show her what I had been working on with Grace. I’m not sure if I tensed up from being put on the spot but when I went to show her the Connected Groundwork I had been doing at home I had absolutely no connection with my horse. I had the talk down but he walk was nowhere to be seen. Sure enough I was dropping my left arm; I had no idea I had been doing until I saw my arm do it when Peggy pointed it out. Peggy then had someone get her a towel and she demonstrated on both Sarah and I. She wrapped the towel around my midsection and used it to move my body. When her left arm was connected I could not help but move my feet, actually matching her foot falls in a dance which I seemed to magically know the steps to. When she dropped her left arm my feet rooted themselves into the ground my body tensed in fear that it might get pulled over. It was a real eye opener as to what my horse had been feeling. She showed me a better way to start the 2 handed walking S exercise I had attempted. When I tried it I kept tensing up in my back which again I wasn’t aware of until she pointed it out. I used the word “Twist” to describe what I had been doing. Peggy gave me a new awareness of the difference between the word “twist” and the word “rotate”. Twist came from a place of tension, rotate or swivel comes from connection. The difference became very clear to me under saddle.



Again I don’t know if I get more tense because I am on stage or I just think I am a better rider than I am but I swear I ride better at home than I do in front of Peggy. Once again my back was tense and I was twisting instead of rotating. Out came the towel again and this time she had me hold it around my midsection while I was lead on my horse. I quickly found that while I have been working to fill the lower part of my back the middle of my back was picking up all the tension that had been in my lower back. I was able to fill my back into the towel, and then when I lifted my sternum I was now sitting in the middle of my horse. I became aware of my seat bones I could feel them underneath me in the saddle. When we worked on rotating my left side kept tensing and clenching it refused to cooperate. My left ribcage collapsed. I was aware of it, but seemed unable to think away the tension. Peggy had me hold her helmet in my lap to represent a ball. I had to hug it with my arms holding it into my stomach. This time when I rotated my left side did not clench, my horse turned underneath me. I felt both my seat bones in the turn and my ribcage did not collapse. Pretty amazing stuff!


At the end of the lesson I brought up a point of frustration with Peggy. I always feel like I am on my way and riding better at home, but when I have a lesson with her I feel like we go back to where we started. She pointed out that Grace and I had progressed and had been doing good work, but it was her job to point out those little unconscious things that I do that get in the way of connection. I am so incredibly appreciative of her work, the little things that she sees that I do not, the little things that make a big difference in my connection with my horse. I am off to the big retail store this morning to knock out some grocery shopping. Don’t be surprised when you see an extra towel and a ball in my shopping cart.

A new awareness of the connection from my left arm

Left arm doesn't look so good here and neither does my horse's hind end. Hmmmm

Rotating to the right while holding the towel.

Talking to Peggy at the end of the lesson

Right Side, Left Side, Right Side, Wrong Side?

I’ve noticed when working on Connected Groundwork that Grace gets stuck on the right side. She is great out on the line on both sides, but when I work close to her for exercises like Elephant Trunk and Walking S she locks down her right side. This time I decided to save myself time by asking the question “What am I doing wrong?” and it occurred to me that I have been handling horses for 30 years and I NEVER lead them or handle them from the right side, I always lead them on the left side. It makes sense that Grace would do well going to the right on exercises where she is away from me as I’ve always lunged her on both sides with the belief that I had to in order to condition her evenly, so why not lead from both sides?

I’ve started leading Grace to and from the pasture from the right side. It is amazing by how conditioned my body is to do everything from the left side of my horses head. I seem to almost get in Grace’s way on the right. More than once I have felt her drop her right shoulder into me when walking her in a turn. I had to be very aware of my body, specifically where my hips and torso were pointed. She does the same thing under saddle… wait… maybe I do the same thing under saddle…. Oh Really??