Riding the Whole Horse

     I see people - trainers and amateurs alike - who are good at teaching a horse to move individual parts.  That is, they move a hip or they move a shoulder or the rib cage and, of course, this is a necessary part of good training. 
     But, here's what I don't always see: putting these disparate pieces together.  In other words - riding the whole horse, the horse as an entire unit. 
     The other problem I frequently see is that, in moving one part the rider then loses another part.  This is especially true of pushing up into the bridle.  I see riders let energy just escape so the horse learns to evade and not move up properly into the bridle when asked to. 
     When the horse evades, he can't do any maneuver properly - not even a side pass or a cross-over in front and so on.  Your horse can't be truly collected unless you're riding the whole horse.  See you next week! JD