🌀 Pottery in Motion – Shaping Through the Triangle of Aids

This image came back to me in today’s review class— an old analogy I used to love and still find so deeply true:

Imagine shaping a delicate vase on a potter’s wheel.

Too much pressure, and it collapses.

Too little, and the clay spins away shapeless.

But with just the right amount of presence, feel, and guidance, something beautiful begins to form—alive, centered, and in balance.

In many ways, this is exactly what we do when we shape a horse within the triangle of aids.

🔺 The Triangle of Aids – Framing Without Fixing

The triangle of aids—our body, our position, our energy, our rein and whip or gesture—creates a frame. A space of orientation. A space that guides the horse’s movement, posture, and focus. It’s not about control—it’s about support. A frame that helps the horse find and shape their own balance.

And it’s not about the tools.

This triangle is alive even in liberty work—when there are no reins or saddle, and our body, energy, intention, hands, arms, or a whip as an extension, become the entire conversation.

It’s about feel, not equipment. About shaping energy, not holding bodies. About offering clarity—not forcing compliance.

Just like in pottery, if we frame the horse too much—if our hands, energy, or body take over—the movement collapses. The flow disappears. The horse may push through or shut down, feeling overruled or overly corrected.

And if we offer too little support—if our aids are unclear, absent, or disconnected—there’s nothing to melt into. The movement flies apart. The horse becomes unsure, unstable, or simply loses connection to the task.

🎨 Shaping the Moment – The Art of “Just Enough”

True shaping lies in the middle.

In the art of just enough.

Just enough guidance to create clarity—Just enough space to allow expression—Just enough presence to feel what’s needed—And just enough stillness to let it unfold.

This balance is not fixed. It’s fluid.

What was helpful a moment ago might be too much now. What was not enough before might suddenly feel perfect.

The sweet spot is not a formula—it’s a living, breathing conversation.

🐎 Each Horse, Each Moment

Every horse has their own needs. Their own sensitivities, imbalances, and questions. Some horses crave more clarity, others more freedom. Some feel secure when the frame is close; others need more room to explore.

And every moment within a session can shift this dynamic.

That’s why we must stay with them—present, curious, adaptable.

Not fixing them into a mold, but shaping a shared form together.

💬 Dialogue, Not Control

The triangle of aids isn’t a mold to press the horse into.

It’s a dialogue. A relationship. A space for trust to grow.

Like a potter shaping clay, we don’t impose—we respond.

We shape with feel.

With listening hands, grounded posture, and energetic awareness.

When we offer that kind of shaping, our horse begins to offer back.

That’s when true movement appears—balanced, engaged, and soft.

Not because we made it happen, but because we invited it, together.

🌟 A Frame That Breathes

A healthy frame breathes. It supports without holding. It guides without gripping. It contains without closing.

This is the invisible art of shaping movement.

This is the living triangle of aids.

And just like pottery, it reminds us again and again:

The magic lies not in how much we do—But in how well we feel.