In each session we will find that we have to continuously re-establish a balance between seemingly competing objectives. The right balance gives us a harmonious outcome. The wrong balance is never so.
The key balances I have found myself working with are:
-Calmness vs energy
-Straightness vs bending
-Forwards vs sideways/backwards
-Collected vs extended paces
-Strength vs flexibility
-Down vs up
-Frame lengths
-Introducing new exercises vs confirming old ones.
We always have choices to make on each “balance”. For example, if he’s calm but lazy how do I create more energy but retain calmness? I could choose to simply inject more energy and sacrifice calmness temporarily before re-establishing it. Or I could seek ways of creating extra energy without losing calmness – “putting it in teaspoonful by teaspoonful”. Do we overshoot and try to re-establish an equilibrium or do we gradually seek an equilibrium?
Figure 31 Seeking an equilibrium – choices of route
Exercises can be used to establish building blocks or as an end in their own right. In a dressage test before a judge all our movements are ends. In the warm-up before the test, we are working on establishing the building blocks on which the success of our test is built. It is important to be clear about why and how we are using each exercise. Is it to create balance or to prove it?