continued........

We continued with further stretching exercises with my arms and my legs. I was asked to stretch my arms out sideways a little above the horizontal and then pivot towards the centre of the circle, and then towards the outside, again without lifting my seat bones from the saddle. I then stretched each arm separately above my head and back as near to the vertical as I could take it without losing the contact with my seat bones. The leg exercises included swinging my legs gently backwards and forwards from the hip, carefully lifting them away from the saddle, and slowly rotating my ankles. I was also asked to pay attention to my correct head, neck and back relationship.

Minette explained that the head needs to sit comfortably on the neck, with the chin neither pulled in nor jutting out, and the shoulders should be kept free so that the lower back can release. I was told to soften my eyes rather than straining fixedly between the horse's ears, and to keep my chin and mouth relaxed. All the exercises were carried out very slowly so that I could constantly assess my position. My hands were also returned to riding position in between each exercise so that I could feel the difference in my overall position as it was improving. At the same time Minette was constantly exhorting me to breathe! I thought I was breathing but at one point she said she was worried I was going to go blue in the face - this must have been the effect of the complete absorption rather than tension, because I was certainly not tense.

The sitting trot

After these exercises we moved on to some work in sitting trot. Here a problem which has been becoming more noticeable over the last few months became all too apparent. My right side is stiffer than my left and my right leg has a tendency to grip up, while my right foot sticks out at right angles to the horse. In addition, on a left rein circle (and perhaps in general), I sit out too far to the right. The rider's shoulders should be kept parallel to the shoulders of the horse, or in alignment with the axis of the circle, in the same position as they would be if the rider were walking the circle on foot. In my case the right shoulder lifts and twists forwards, the right seat bone comes off the saddle and the right calf comes up, with the result that I lose the ability to turn the horse with my outside seat bone.

Minette made me move my whole seat more to the left, sit on both seat bones, and deepen my inside leg, which immediately improved matters. What was particularly interesting was that I felt as though I was then sitting far too far to the left but when we looked I was actually perfectly central in the saddle, albeit with a deeper inside leg. It is obviously a problem which I have been incubating for some time and which will not be resolved overnight, but I was delighted to have found its source. After circles in trot on each rein we ended what was supposed to have been a forty-five minute lesson, but which I suspect was rather more. By then I was sitting so deeply that I felt as if I were just a collection of bones with nothing preventing any contact between me and the horse, but at the same time I felt very comfortable and very much at ease.

The lesson had achieved everything I had hoped for, and more. As a trainer Minette is calm and patient, and quick to praise when something goes right. Her principles are very much in the classical mode. She believes that the horse should be allowed to move rather than be pushed to move, and the role of the rider is to facilitate but never to force.

She explains at each stage what she is doing, and why, and she encourages questions. She also has unbelievably sharp eyes. A couple of times I felt my seat bones lifting fractionally - not enough for them to come out of the saddle but enough for them not to be as deep as they were before. I am sure that this would have been imperceptible to the ordinary observer, and perhaps even to many trained observers, but Minette spotted it instantly. Her constant refrain was "lengthen the spine and drop the weight into the seat bones" and I found it very useful to keep this refrain in my head when I was riding by myself a few days later. It is interesting to note that my regular trainer, who has seen me ride on many occasions over the last couple of years, told me that my sitting trot was softer than she had ever seen it before. This did not entirely surprise me; the feeling was completely different. I may have gone along as a guinea pig for the first lesson but I have every intention of returning as a fully fledged human for further sessions.

Biography

The relationship between Minette Rice-Edwards and the horse goes back so far that she cannot actually remember learning to ride. As a member of the Pony Club she was fourth at Wembley in the Prince Philip Mounted Games and she competed twice at Burghley in the Pony Club Championships three-day event. She was third in the senior individual section and went with the International Pony Club Team to America where she stayed for several years racing and training race horses to jump. Minette continued eventing both in the States and in England, riding at Badminton Horse Trials. While in the States she also took up 100 mile racing. Minette was California State Champion, and winner of the Haggin Cup for the horse finishing in the best condition in the Tevis 100 mile race, the 'Olympic Games' of this event.

Minette riding Lusitano gelding - formerly known to Christine in Portugal as "Junco"

In more recent times, however, Minette has concentrated on dressage. She spent some time in Portugal with Joaõ Oliveira, son of the famous Nuno Oliveira, and in fact arrived at the yard one week after Nuno's death. While in the States she attended clinics with Charles de Kunffy and she has also attended clinics with Arthur Kottas in this country. The greatest influence over her work in the last twelve to thirteen years, however, has been Danny Pevsner, with whom she still trains. Minette continues to compete occasionally, and she is also the editor of the RDA News, the newsletter of the Riding for the Disabled Association.

Minette's yard is in the lovely setting of what were originally the stables to Ham House, close to Richmond Park. She currently has twelve horses there, some in livery and some her own. Arrangements for livery vary: some horses are used in lessons in return for schooling, in other cases the arrangement is a reduced livery fee, and in yet other cases the arrangement is fully livery. Minette employs four full time staff and has others working for her part time. Jackie Hindley, who is an Alexander practitioner, also works from her yard. A number of riders are referred to Minette from Alexander practitioners - and also from osteopaths!

Classes may be individual, semi-private or in a group but a group rarely consists of more than four people. Current fees, inclusive of VAT, for a forty-five minute lesson are: private £40; semi-private £36; for three people £33; for four people £30.

For further information please contact Minette directly at Ham House Stables, Ham, Richmond, Surrey TW10 7RS; tel: 020 8940 6605.