Ah, but horses are a mystery, aren’t they? Why do they do the things they do? Why do they get sore backs and travel crooked? Why are they so different with different riders? Hmmm, I wonder.

The complications and confusions about horse behavior stem from the fact that the answers can be buried under an assortment of different rocks. Everything from the horse’s conformation, training, personality and past experience can effect his behavior and way of going under saddle. However, perhaps the most common solution to back soreness and movement issues lies with the rider and not the horse at all.

If we assume that the average horse is about 1000 pounds and the average rider about 150 pounds, such a rider would be15% of the horse’s weight. This is not an insignificant burden, even though we tend to view horses as big, and therefore inherently strong, animals. If a 150-pound rider were to put 15% of his body weight, or about 22 pounds, of live weight on his back, then he might understand the true impact of his weight and balance on a horse. If the weight were off center, you would tend to move more easily that direction - to "stay under it" as it were. It is no different with a horse. If you lost your balance, that 15% burden on your back might make matters worse, but certainly would not be of much help in correcting the problem. It is no different with a horse. If the weight were a backpack on a hike, and listing to one side, the hiker would be much more prone to tripping on the heavy side. Again, it is no different with a horse

Instinct is one of the most powerful influences on behavior in any animal, including humans. We, as well as horses, have an instinct to remain in balance. Any outside influence that causes a disruption in our balance is immediately dealt with and corrected if possible, without any cognitive involvement. We don’t think "I am about to fall, I’d better fix it." We simply move in such a way as to restore our equilibrium. If you trip while walking, the instinctive response is to pull our center of gravity up by lifting our arms and even thrusting our chests and shoulders up. When a rider looses their balance on a horse and allows this instinctive reaction to occur, it usually makes matters worse and contributes more directly to the fall than the original loss of balance.

When a horse stumbles or loses his balance, he too has an instinctive reaction. If left to his own devices, the horse usually can correct himself and falls are really very rare. However, when the rider responds with his own instinctive, and often dramatic, lifting of his center of gravity which also results in a sharp upward pull on the reins, the horse’s natural response of lowering his center of gravity is interfered with and a fall is much more likely.

A horse’s balance can be influenced in much less dramatic ways with more subtle effect than a fall of a horse or rider. Although we usually feel as though we are sitting centered on our horses, so very few of us are truly symmetrical in our distribution of weight and balance. If any part of our not-so-insubstantial burden is shifted just slightly to one side, the horse’s balance, way of going and even muscle development are effected. A horse will not bend well to the "lighter" side, as his balance will tend to stay under the weight of the rider. On the trail, such a horse may stumble frequently, as the leg on the "heavy side" may not clear the ground as high as the leg on the "lighter side".

Many cases of sore backs in horses can also be attributed to the weight distribution of a rider. Imagine carrying 20 pounds of live weight on your back, with a greater part of it slightly off center. How long would it take before your shoulders or back on the heavy side began to complain? Yet the same weight, carried centered on the back would not cause discomfort nearly as soon. Riders sometimes go through the long and frustrating process of trying different arrangements of saddles and pads in hopes of alleviating their horse’s back soreness when the problem lies with the way the sit on the horse, regardless of the saddle they are sitting in.

Instincts are not easily reprogrammed. A confident rider develops the "new instinct" of lowering their center of gravity when balance is threatened, and dropping the rein hand when a horse stumbles to allow him the freedom to recover his own balance. This is a case of mind over matter. The rider must "catch" himself in the midst of the incorrect instinctive reaction and consciously replace it with a more appropriate response. Fear interferes with the process of gaining control of instinctive reactions. The rider has to get it into his head that he is in less danger of accident or injury if he responds opposite to what his body wants to do. Eventually it starts to feel better to drop the center of gravity rather than lift it and a new "instinct" develops.

It is much more difficult to "fix" a rider who rides with asymmetrical weight distribution. First, recognize the problem. If you ride off sides you probably do other things in your daily life the same way. Do you tend to slouch to a particular side in a chair? Do you tend to always rest the same leg when you stand with your weight mostly on one leg? Do you wear the tread on your shoes differently? How does this relate to problems with your horse? Does he "short stride" (hitch) on your heavy side? Is he less balanced or rounded turning or bending toward your "light" side? Does he tend to take the wrong lead, favoring your heavy side? When he stumbles on a trail or touches a fence while jumping, is it usually with the leg on your heavy side? Is he prone to back soreness, particularly one sided? If you find a relationship here, it is not a coincidence, and mastering your weight distribution will be the solution to these particular problems with your horse.

First, identify your heavy side, then try to change your habits in daily life. When you catch yourself sitting deeper on one hip in your chair at work, shift to center. For awhile, it won’t be comfortable, but you have to retrain your body that a centered weight position is a comfortable place to be. Ride bareback until you stop sliding off toward your heavy side. Lengthen the stirrup on your light side to force you to sit deep on that side and reach for it. Above all, improve your own awareness of your balance and it’s impact on your horse. Make a conscious effort to use your weight appropriately when you ride, and correct your "horse’s problems" by correcting your weight distribution.