What is equilibrium? Equilibrium is “no change”. It means that everything stays the same, the same, the same. And provided nothing changes it will remain that way.
This means that if we have a state of equilibrium, and we wish to maintain it, we must avoid changing anything. But we all know that things will change. If we are riding the track down the long side of a riding arena we will inevitably have to ride a corner. This is change. The best way to achieve and maintain equilibrium is therefore on a circle. But the surface must be consistent to ensure our circle is unchanging. And it goes without saying that our circle must be truly circular and the horse must be consistently bent. We can then feel for minute changes and act in a minute way to correct them and maintain the equilibrium.
But if we are to ride we must be able to ride through change. Indeed, good transitions are fundamental to our training. We need to be able to manage our equilibrium through turns, over undulating ground, in different paces, in variations of pace within a pace, and through many different exercises in the riding arena.
How can we do this without upsetting the equilibrium? Not changing does not help us to accept change. We must get used to change so we understand how it feels. We must prepare for all changes – and make them as gradual as possible. As we, and our horse, get stronger, we are better able to cope with more immediate (and therefore more demanding) changes.
We often think of balance and equilibrium as similar terms with similar meanings. They are not. Balance is about even-ness – neither too much nor too little. Equilibrium is a state without change. It is possible to achieve equilibrium without balance on horseback but it tends to be either unsustainable or undesirable.