"If you miscue or force the horse to perform a movement you will teach him to perform it with resistance and it causes an inefficient expenditure of energy. Then it will take more time (and energy) to reprogram the horse and correct it". Jim Reilly 2005.

"Premature or incompetent efforts towards collection reinforce inborn one-sidedness. The horse will evade the constraint by refusing to move the weaker hind leg in the direction of the centre of gravity. Horses can be made even more crooked than normal as a result of incompetent riding, especially by premature demands for collection. Restricting hands, ineffective legs, a seat that impairs impulsion, wrongly timed Parades which only affect the mouth or the neck, and disregard of a Horse's fitness for the stress of collected work will always induce the horse to avoid the painful effort by turning its quarters to one side..." Ulrik Schramm—The Undisciplined Horse

"The horse, long a symbol of power and freedom, is more specifically a teacher of non-predatory power and freedom through relationship. Those adventurous souls who follow the ways of horses almost can't help becoming more balanced, confident, and peaceful, more open to the beauty and sacredness of life." Linda Kohanov—Author, The Tao of Equus.

"Horses remind us of valuable truths that are beginning to fade in our culture. These include collaboration instead of dominance. Honesty and authenticity versus manipulation and falseness, presence versus distraction. Trust and leadership. Harmony, community, and the plain truth that we are all connected." Tony Stromberg— Author, Spirit Horses

"The power to command, which sometimes is done without the accompanying leadership (in all its various shades and colors), frequently causes failure to think." Jim Reilly 2005

"The word 'awesome' - which I used to think rather a splendid word, but which has now descended to the depths since being associated with the most mundane subjects, eg: an awesome candy bar, or an awesome pair of bandages - is a word I use for the gift brought to us by horses. The gift of their allowing us to ride them. Whilst recently debating this miracle, it occurred to me that those animals which allow us on their back, ie: elephants, dolphins, even whales - plus of course our friends the equines - all share a rare quality. It's their ability to give; their generosity which is so amazing. Not only do they lend their bodies to us to do moreorless what we want, they generally try to please. I find this awesome - especially when too often, we take these favours for granted.
The other quality which unites these same species, is their super-sensitivity and intelligence. I was moved almost to tears the other day by a picture in my daily newspaper of a family of elephants in Asia who had all been poisoned. They had obvioulsy chosen to die together, the young with their trunks interwoven with their mothers, brothers and sisters touching. You'd have to have a heart of iron not to find such incidents truly awesome...as are the stories of dolphins in the deep and how they have rescued and helped us human beings in trouble.
If we could teach all riders to have more AWE in their riding, there might be far less abuse and hopefully a greater desire to learn more". Lady Sylvia Loch

Where the rider should sit in the saddle:
It is to be remembered that the position nearest to the horse’s withers is also the very place where the effect of his action is least noticeable; the very place therefore where it is easiest, or rather the only place where it is really possible to be quite undisturbed by the horse’s action, to become one with that action, and so to avoid disturbing him through the effect of our own disturbance.
Accordingly it is in that lowest part of the horse’s back, just behind the withers, and as close up to them as we can get, near to the pommel of the saddle and away from the cantle, that we should sit. On this point leading authorities are all agreed.

Reasons not to over-bend a horse’s neck:
Consider these useful tips mainly from the French School:
Decarpentry:…”If the horse over-bends his neck when the head is drawn back towards the body, the flexibility of the loin diminishes in the opposite direction, and it remains somewhat hollow…The hindquarters will then lose some of their suppleness.”

Jousseaume:…”Do not forget that the horse, and the young horse in particular, needs great freedom of the neck each time he has to modify his equilibrium” …Have a soft contact with the hand without pulling...accustom him to come honestly to the hand which must remain low. In this way, the neck will become muscled and the trainer will avoid making it ‘rubbery’ which is very harmful to future dressage training”.

Paillard:…”We know that the head and neck play the role of a balancing pole…It is thus very clear that any constriction affecting the natural play of the neck muscles… necessarily leads to a corresponding constriction in the play of the horse’s equilibrium and of its locomotive mechanism.”

Klimke:(God rest his soul…): “We must be careful when making the horse straight not to bend it in front of the withers. We must not loosen the muscles in front of the withers for we need to build up either side of the neck so it is steady in front of the withers. We need a steady feel in our reins so if we take the right rein the horse flexes and goes right and does not simply bend in front of the withers which lets the shoulder fall out.” (Underlining be Ed.)