11,360 views
How and with what do I drive correctly? In riding lessons, we are always told to drive with the calf. From a biomechanical point of view, this is not entirely correct and creates a false image in the mind. Too often, this instruction leads to the heel being pulled up or the lower leg being squashed against the horse. The result is raised knees, a stuck thigh and a cramped pelvis. The horse is not an oversized tube of toothpaste that I squeeze out with my legs. The calf triggers an impulse in the horse's body, but the actual "driving muscle" is the rear thigh muscles. If you sit on a chair with both feet on the floor, your hands under your thighs and then pull your feet completely back under the chair, you will feel these muscles. This muscle brings the calf towards the horse without counterproductively straining the adductors, gluteal muscles and twin muscles (which attach to the back of the knee and pull the heel up). The driving movement is carried out in a similar way. It is a bit like you want to kick yourself in the butt. Since your calf almost immediately reaches the horse's belly, this movement is very small. It is important to give the impulse quickly but sensitively. A short contraction must be followed by immediate relaxation, otherwise the horse cannot walk freely. Mares in particular often react very indignantly to stuck riders' legs. Imagine the driving impulse like riding a scooter: you give a push and only repeat it when the speed becomes too slow for you.