What is the definition of the weight of the rein?
It is simply just that!
As the horse begins to take more weight over their center of gravity and learn to use all of the correct muscles to engage the core and back. The horse is able to carry themselves correctly and safetly, as this occurs the feel on the reins becomes very soft and light. There is only a soft connection with the horses mouth and lips, the line of commnication becomes fluid, easy to flex and the poll supple,while a relaxed jaw just holds the bit in the mouth gently. If the rein begins to feel heavy,then you know the horse is not engageing the hind legs correctly, as I am learning and expanding my physical skills,it also takes tact and awareness of the horses capabilities.
Training to feel your horse with the slightest of aids, is a skill that develops over time, I beleive that a trainer needs to be empathatic towards the horse, It is an elite skill that can be developed to the highest of movements. The only factors that need to be continuious is reconizing the weight of the rein and building the horses strenght to be able to acheive the weight of the rein in all gaits.
It is a slow process, time is the only way to acheive this skill, through training your self to be responsive at the lightest carrige. It is only in those seconds that we must reward the horse for self carrige. Remmebering always that the work we are teaching the horse is both physically and mentally demanding. Now that I am feeling the motion and how to acheive this skill,I will only train for self carige and engaement of my horse. Asking for a little more each training session, but with that same feeling every time.
A great horse trainer will read the horse, train accordingly to the horse on that day. It is foolish to put ones own personal gain above the horses, as this will only lead to disruptions in the training. Horses learn through feeling good about what ever they are doing and understanding what it is beining asked of them.
It is through my own personal development, I have finally found the balance in my training. It has taken most of my life to get to this point and I could never train any other way,now I have felt self carrige.