Proprioceptive training teaches our brains to demand alignment rather than accepting an uneven body position. Why bother? Because our horses pick up every imbalance and alter their bodies, and then their brains, to accommodate it.

of a friend. Closed eyes are important throughout assessment because we want to test proprioception without benefit of vision---after all, we can’t ride and watch our shoulders at the same time. Ask your friend to view your stance from front, sides and rear, then jot down any discrepancies in alignment or the direction, extent or coordination of movement. Assessment takes a while, so you might want to spread sessions over several days.

First, put on fitted clothing and have your friend consider joint alignment as you stand comfortably with your feet hip-width apart, eyes closed and arms at your sides. Are your shoulders even on an imaginary horizontal line? What about your elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles? From the side, are your ears, hips, knees and ankles in a vertical line? Is your spine straight, with same-side hip joint, moving in a sideways downward arc. Arms out to the side again, and bend one elbow to touch that index finger to the same-side ear. Place the sole of each foot on the front of the opposite knee, one after another. Continue these tests as your friend chuckles and looks for discrepancies from various angles.

Part three involves standing with your back one inch away from a wall. Move your left shoulder back to touch the wall, then your right shoulder. Do the same with each cheek of your fanny, each heel and each elbow. Lift each shoulder an inch toward the sameside ear; lift each hip joint an inch toward the shoulder. Then face the wall and bring each shoulder, hip and knee toward it by an inch. You can experiment with all sorts of movements, while your friend watches for misalignment