When a horse is bending properly, causing spine alignment, the horse will soften and yield his face. 

 When this happens, the horse will take the bit and you will feel him work the bit off of your hands. At this point, the horse and rider are a team, each using the other for balance with a great connection. This connection is what riders dream of. The two as one.

At this point, something else happens. The horse accepts the riders help to maintain and enhance balance. This is achieved though the use of the seat, leg, and rein aids. This is contact.Contact is not just the reins tightened to feel the mouth ,but  the forward drive of the seat and legs, with the positive tension of the outside rein. The energy created by this exercise is stronger than either the horse or the rider can achieve on thier own.

 When this happens, our gaits become more enlivened and energized. the average becomes brilliant. the flat walk becomes a bold march. the rack becomes effortless. the foxtrot floats. The quality of the gaits improve dramatically with proper contact.

 More on this later, happy gaiting