Physical Intelligence and the Coach

So how does one identify a good coach for the upper body physically intelligent horse rider? What does such a coach need to do that may be different to other coaches of horse riding?

The rider needs to develop physical intelligence in the lower body. This does not happen overnight. Nor does it happen in a single step. That is, physical intelligence will develop in various constituents of the lower body - hips, thighs, knees, calves, ankles and feet - at different rates. A supportive coach needs to understand this, and not punish the rider for developing physical intelligence faster in the knees and slower in the ankles and feet. Rather, the coach needs to encourage physical intelligence to develop in the other areas.

Have you ever heard the term "you're gripping with the knees" or "you're gripping with the thigh" barked in a lesson? The coach is correct in what they notice. What they need to realise is that physical intelligence has just developed in the knees or the thighs, but it hasn't developed in the ankles or the calves yet, so we need to focus on that.

Another thing the coach needs to be aware of, is that a lot of upper body problems stem from lack of physical intelligence in the lower body. So while the upper body position should be corrected, the problem will not go away until sufficient physical intelligence in the lower body is learnt. If the rider is hunching forwards, you can tell them to sit up straight. But sooner or later they will be hunched again. The coach needs to focus on building the rider's core strength and leg strength, as well as correcting upper body problems.