Riding from the waist up
Dressage riders will know that the ‘fine tuning’ of
focusing on the rider’s upper body will help improve your horse’s general
balance, rhythm and flatwork; although it must be understood that everything
must stem from impulsion that is put in by the rider’s seat through to the horse!
Position
It is very common to see riders looking at their horse’s
head and/or neck, instead of where they intend to go, i.e. letters in an arena,
around curves, or in straight line. As the head of the horse is a low focus
point, this will result in the rider’s head tilting forwards and down, the
effect being that the rider will appear top-heavy, out of balance and with the
shoulders out of alignment.
This in turn will cause the rider’s elbows to drift outwards,
and cause hands to take up the position of a piano player!
To adopt the correct
position, start with your head, as everything is naturally directed from this
point. If you are able to keep your head in the correct forward-looking
position, relaxed and confident, your shoulders will follow suit, be upright,
and allow your elbows to remain quietly by your sides, and your hands will be
in the correct ‘thumbs up’ position. Try to imagine yourself balancing a book
on top of your head and holding a cup of water in each hand, and you will have
a very correct riding style!
Contact
To have a good contact, there should be a straight line
running from the bit, through the reins into the hands, and ending at your
elbows. It is then important to establish the right amount of pressure. Not
enough contact will cause ‘washing line’ effect reins; too much may result in
the horse leaning on you, becoming unsettled and clearly uncomfortable. There
will be a happy medium between you and your horse, whereby he will accept the
contact and work into the bridle.
Transitions
Your complete body language is the communication between you
and your horse, and the distribution of your weight will be determined by your
upper body. Your horse will naturally follow where your weight goes, for
example in your transitions to move up to a faster pace you will naturally go
slightly forwards with the movement and if you can train yourself to sit up
when you come down to a slower pace, again your horse will be with you as he
follows your lead. 
If you are asking your horse for a downward transition with
your shoulders hunched, this will give very mixed signals and may result in a
hollow and awkward movement. A good tip to keep shoulders in the correct
position is to think tall, and you can even practise this when dismounted in
your everyday life by ‘walking tall’. This repetition will soon become second
nature, making it easy to transfer into your riding.
Very often we concentrate overly on the welfare of our
horses and tend to forget ourselves - look at physical therapies and sports /
activities that will help develop your own strength and fitness.Don’t forget to invest in good quality breeches and undergarments to allow you to focus on your training and riding!
Obviously Derriere Equestrian offers a comprehensive
range of products! Check out our main website for details and to locate your nearest Derriere Equestrian Retailer.
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