Every stitch has to be perfect
Macel advertising as it is in line with actual knowledge. A saddle can be used if one or more stitches are not properly tied but the stitches situated above and below the defective ones are submitted to greater stress and failure is predictable.
As well, there are 186 synovial articulations in the equine vertebral column. Each vertebrae and associated muscles convert, forward through the thoracolumbar spine, the thrust generated by the hind legs into upward and horizontal forces. When one vertebra and associated muscles does not function properly, surrounding vertebrae and the whole thoracolumbar spine compensates for the defect.
Human athletes can be dysfunctional and perform out of their talent. Horses as well but they perform below their potential, last a fraction of the time they would remain sound if properly trained, and don’t benefit from new knowledge and innovative training techniques.
“Proper functioning of the locomotor system depends on the precise synchronization of the movement of each part on every other part and in relation to the body as a whole. (James R. Rooney) Biotensegrity, changes the meaning of the body as a whole. There is an awakening to consciousness, an evolution form body parts more or less coordinated together, to an integrity of the whole physique where, from molecular level to gross anatomy, every part of the organism is integrated by a mechanical system into a complete functional unit.
Thoughts such as, “legs without hands and hands without legs,” were understandable when they have been written, as a warning against activating the hind legs at one end and pulling back on the reins at the other end, but they are unrelated to the functioning of the equine physique as we know it today. There is an overall tone of the rider’s physique that can be modulated through subtle nuances. Contractions, relaxations, gestures (aids) alter the integrity of the rider’s body and the clarity and efficiency of the conversation with the horse.
Exactly like a saddle which loses its integrity, balance, stability when reflocked on one side, the true relationship with the horse is extremely subtle. Every stitch has to be perfect. The horse’s whole physique has to work in harmony. It is the art of the equestrian art, an awakening from the rules that reassure us but do not prepare the horse physique for the athletic demand of the performances, to a subtle conversation where the integrity of the horse’s physique is enhanced through a dialogue based on the integrity of the rider’s physique.
Contact helyn@scienceofmotion.com for information on Macel saddles.