How Rider Shoulder Position Affects Hand Position and Contact
In this photo, Tessa Davis is competing her 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Shadowfax, at Training Level. Tessa wrote that she is now currently schooling First and Second Level.
Shadowfax looks light and elegant, with long legs and harmonious conformation. He is in a nice frame for Training Level. I like how he appears willing and eager to follow his rider’s aids. There is slight tension visible in his back—behind the saddle—that causes his hind leg to lift more from his back than from his haunches. When I look at the space between his front legs, I notice there appears to be a nice open triangle formed between his two front legs and the distance between his hooves on the ground (see photo, page 35). When I
