That takes one stride, then you should be able to be passive for a few strides. Passivity includes awareness of and sympathy with the horse. Then your hands become part of the horse's mouth, your legs part of his sides, your seat one with his back. Lendon feels that a rider at any level must not forget that the goal is to become a part of the horse. According to the dressage rider, misunderstanding contact often undermines the horse's stabilization.
People think contact is holding or pulling.
Contact is simply taking the slack out of the reins and nothing more. They always pull me nearly off my feet. Contact is not hard pressure. Contact is feeling the hairs on the horse's sides. Teaching the rider to ask the horse to carry itself, light and forward yet stabilized, results in a quieter, more effortless ride.