Do you ride in the center of your saddle, or do you drop a shoulder when you turn in one direction?
I certainly drop my left shoulder and pull on the left rein. This pulls my horse off balance, and they become stiff against that rein. Then I wonder why the left half-pass is difficult. Hmmm!
I see this in almost every rider I teach: in one direction, they sit off center. Darn it! I guess we aren’t made perfectly symmetrical. That doesn’t mean we stop trying—it means we become aware of our habits and work to improve them.
The next time you turn, notice whether you drop a shoulder and pull your hand toward your belly button. You may be “kinking the hose” or pulling your horse onto that shoulder.
Instead, keep your head up, your shoulders level, and your body centered. Think about using your bicep to maintain a softly bent elbow rather than drawing your hand inward.
Sometimes, helping our horses find their balance starts with finding our own!