Do you want to perfect your position?
Derriere Equestrian sponsored
rider Erin Orford offers her tips...
Concentrating on the upper part of the body, shoulders have a huge
influence on your whole riding position and ability. Most people have right
side dominance, and therefore tend to ride automatically more strongly with that
arm, hand and leg, which can often create a horse which leans in that
direction. Subconsciously, we may tend to ride for longer on our favorite rein,
as this feels more comfortable, and in general gives us an easier ride! It is
very important to be aware of this and set our exercises equally on each rein.
Correct posture
Correct posture in your riding is essential for consistency, as well as
well-balanced and obedient work from the horse. Your shoulders are key, so aim
to keep them square and upright. Dropped shoulders either side or hunched
shoulders are commonly seen in rider’s work, often causing elbows to stick out,
resulting in poor rein contact and loss of balance.
This can all be corrected with careful thought and the right position.
Imagine
pinching your two shoulder blades together behind you, and pushing your chest
forward and upward. Be sure to keep your head centrally balanced, and always
focus on where you are going, as opposed to the horse’s head or neck. You
should be able to draw a straight line from the horse’s bit to your hand and
elbow, and ideally there should also be an imaginary line from your ear,
shoulder, hip and heel, although this latter ‘ideal’ does vary according to the
rider’s physiology, the saddle you ride in, etc.
None of this ideal body position will be possible if your shoulders and
core are not in the correct position, which is the foundation for maintaining
good rein and leg contact, and will result in the horse moving evenly.
None of
us are completely symmetrical; we all have an element of asymmetry (to
different degrees), so it’s important to keep going back to trying to achieve
symmetry in the saddle. It doesn’t take much to throw you off balance – I have
one arm slightly longer than the other, so I ride with my reins slightly
shorter on one side to ensure my shoulders and core remain straight, which
helps to ensure an even contact on the horses’ mouth.
We are often quick to
criticise the horse if things are not quite right, but we should always first check
that we are giving them the best opportunity to get it right.
Conversely to our own ‘right handedness’, because we do so many things
from the left hand side of the horse (as this is easier for us), we create in
the horse a preference for his left rein. Horses are always easier on one rein
than the other, and it is always predominantly left, as we are predominantly
right! This is another reason for ensuring all exercises are performed equally on
both reins and include regular changes of rein to create suppleness on each rein
for both parties. A really interesting challenge is to learn to mount and
dis-mount equally easily from either side of the horse, which is gymnastically
difficult, but can be learned with a little time and patience.
Small chunk training
It may prove helpful to break your goals up into bite size chunks, and
focus on perfecting a certain area of your riding position (such as your
shoulders) for a time; and in another session, consider your seat or legs. When
possible, ask your trainer or a friend to video some of your schooling
sessions, so that you can analyse the complete picture; it is surprising how often
what you feel doesn’t match how you look. This is great for checking symmetry
and straightness as when you have a stiffness or stronger side, what you
perceive to be straight is often slightly crooked and this becomes your ‘norm’
or your ‘centre.’ If you’re not lucky enough to have support on the ground,
mirrors can be particularly useful both on and off the horse, to train your
muscle memory to recognise true straightness.
Naturally, a good sports bra aids
shoulder position when riding, as it allows you to relax and ‘free up’ the
area, rather than ‘hunching’ subconsciously to avoid breast ‘bounce’.
The
Derriere Equestrian Sportief sportsbra is a fusion of encapsulation and compression; it is designed to lift,
separate, shape and support a woman's breasts, without the use of under-wires,
and is a key part of your riding and training wardrobe.
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