(“The overall impression was one of stress, tightness, and disharmony.”)

I’ve said this before. Yes, here comes another iteration of the “Less is More” theme. Recently I encountered a Grand Prix horse working on the zig zags in the canter. This is the difficult sequence where the horse turns down the centerline and does three strides of half pass to the left, makes a flying change into six strides of right half pass, then six back to the left, six more to the right, and finishes with three back to the centerline and a flying change at G.

The rider was able to perform the movement “correctly,” but the overall impression was one of stress, tightness, and disharmony. My advice was simple-minded. Don’t try so hard. This next time make it (relatively) slow, casual, and almost painfully boring.

When she focused on these ideas, the movement improved markedly. It was more fluid, less cacophonous, and the horse seemed more confident in himself. By trying less hard, the rider gave him license to work within himself.

In the subculture of baseball, some pitchers are guilty of “overthrowing.” In trying to put too much mustard on their fastball, they inadvertently tighten their motion and they lose not only velocity but the deceptive “hop” that makes the ball harder to hit. When they learn to stay within themselves, the result is better movement on the ball. In like fashion this strategy promoted an air of competence and harmony in the horse along with a substantial uptick in the score the zig zag would earn.

Trying less hard has nothing to do with resigning yourself to mediocrity or being unwilling to push the envelope. It simply means emphasizing communication and a clear mind (in both partners) which, in turn, allows you to build more energy and expression when you can do it without the baggage of unwanted side effects.