The notion of poise comes from aplomar: achieve, in a symbolic sense, that something has a great weight or other characteristic of the lead (heavy metal with atomic number 82). The term of aplomb is often used as a synonym for tranquility or calm.
For example: “Despite the difficulty of the situation, the hospital director explained to her, with aplomb, what her husband’s surgery would be like”, “We should not despair: it is time to act with aplomb”, “The team lost poise and allowed his rival to turn the result.
Poise, in this sense, refers to acting calmly, without haste. It is also linked to reasoning each step: poise, therefore, is the opposite of making decisions without thinking or doing something desperately.
Take the case of the mayor of a city that is being rebuked by some of its neighbors, unhappy with their decisions. If the leader acts with aplomb, he will take the necessary time to listen to the complaints and then he will try to reassure the population, explaining in detail why the measures he promoted. Instead, if the mayor responds impulsively, he may start arguing and shouting with people who criticize him.
Act with aplomb necessary in emergency situations where the calm and clarity when making decisions can make the difference between life and death. However, it is not a very common trait in humans. This does not mean that impulsivity cannot be beneficial in certain cases; in fact, as always, the ideal is a middle point between spontaneity and inner peace to think before acting.
The idea of poise is also equivalent to arranging things vertically. In the field of geometry, poise is the line that is drawn perpendicular to the horizon. By extension, poise is checking the plumb line (the weight that, attached to a rope, indicates the vertical line) to confirm whether, in a building, the walls being erected have verticality.
The term poise is also used to give name to the way in which horses place their paws when standing. It is a line perpendicular to the ground that is measured from the highest point of the cross (a prominence that is in the anterior portion of the spine, common to quadruped mammals) and must reach the ground and pass through the elbow, both from the top and from the back.
In this context it is used in the plural, and poor poise is said to give rise to problems such as lameness, lack of strength, and limb interference. Detection of this anomaly is relatively simple, since it is enough to observe the animal from the side, front and behind.
If the horse is in motion during the examination of its limbs for poise problems, it must be placed on hard ground; In addition, we must pay attention to each of the following three phases: the start of the stride, the flight and the support. It goes without saying that the perfect shape is very rare; on the other hand, the degree of imperfection presented by the majority is insignificant, and in no way affects their performance in their daily lives, either in freedom or in captivity.
If we stand in front of a horse with good poise, we will notice that its limbs are parallel to each other, that its weight is equivalent and that its feet are the same distance from each other as the beginning of the legs at chest level.
