I always thought that in the western disciplines (pleasure,
reining, working, etc), the horse was trained to keep his head level with the
poll was so as to not interfere with the cowboy's rope, not that it was because
it was more natural.
I have a question. This may sound like the most ignorant, obnoxious
question ever, but I'm curious. Has the concept of working in a rounded frame
always been a concept in training or is this relatively new? I've been riding
for 16 years and only in the last couple years have I been introduced to this.
I rode saddle seat for most of those 16 years, and we were always taught to
keep the horse's head way up with his nose tucked, which is also unnatural for
him. So why is it that man thinks he knows how the horse should carry himself
better then the horse does? Even watching a couple reining events, I can't
help but wonder why the horse keeps his tail pinned and his head level with or
below his chest. I just don't see that as natural either so why do we
think the horse's carriage is better this way? Do horses in the wild teach
themselves to work in rounded frames or is this strictly a concept man has
invented in all his infinite wisdom? I'm not trying to be a s mart ass, just
genuinely curious.
