The horse as a quadruped has a slightly different way of managing movement patterns to humans. This also pairs, with the horses very uniquely evolved brain, with a smaller, under developed pre frontal cortex (which in developed brains facilitates complex problem solving, planning and reflection) and a larger, more profoundly developed movement region that responds to the processing of emotions & nervous system arousal.
This combination of brain features is what provides us with the horse - a sensitive, athletic flight animal with a specifically limited way of undertaking & learning movement patterns through learned reactions to motivating stimulus aka 'things' in their environment.
For the horse, everything it does, and is - is about survival.
So in order to function with a fairly small brain with limited capacity to use energy, as this highly refined, reactive survivor - all of the horses innate movement patterns are built upon the Foundation Four, that for the horse to undertake themselves - should require very little cognitive energy.
However, when we want to bridge these as a response to an unnatural aid (human), the horse is required to use much more cognitive energy load to learn.
The Foundation Four are: Go Stop Turn forequarters. Turn Hindquarters.
These are the foundation movements that the horse builds all ‘physical’ learning upon. They are the primary movement patterns of the horse, and all other movements are built upon measurable, consistent competency of these Foundation Four.
The horse's body moves, and then the brain learns.
Therefore when the horses body moves with competency, consistency & relaxation with each of these, and each stage of variation of them - the horses brain can achieve clarity and neutrality of stress, or minimal cognitive energy load.
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