Steinbrecht spells out the supporting aids which I will briefly summarize here. First he mentions weight in the stiffups; shifting more weight into one stirrup will produce a response from the horse. He also discusses an open seat, explaining that the horse's rib cage, when the horse is collected, will shorten and expand. The rider must be intentional about giving the rib cage more room by opening the thighs and allowing the legs to remain flat against the horse. A correct open seat allows the horse to move freely, but requires perfect balance on the part of the rider.
The weight of the upper body also acts as an aid, so it is important to have proper distribution of the weight. In general, leaning back pushes the horse forward, leaning forward restricts the horse's movement. Lateral weight displacement is very important. A rider must make her/his own body flexible and agile in all parts through diligent exercise.
Steinbrecht makes special mention of the head; It is very heavy, relatively speaking, but it is not a separate entity, and it should act as part of the upper body.
4. Lateral weight displacement is truly a supporting aid…can have a strong effect.
Rider must be diligent in exercising her own body…making it flexible and agile in all parts.
5. Be aware of head…it is very heavy, relative to rest of body. Head should always be upright on neck so that it acts as part of upper body…not independently from it.
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