Tackling transitions by Derriere Equestrian ambassador Erin Orford

Walk to trot transitions sound so simple, but it is so important to get the foundations right, and these basics must come before all else if you are to progress up the ladder as a successful partnership with your horse! Many horses rush the upward transition, and can hollow out in the downward transition; both should be performed consistently if you want to achieve good marks in a test. The horse shouldn’t anticipate the next move, e.g. you would lose valuable marks in a dressage competition if going from a free walk on a long rein into a rushed jog, rather than a medium walk! 

When schooling, try to establish a soft medium walk; forward but not too fast or rushed! The horse should not lean on you, but should be working into the reins and accepting of the contact - this is your communication line. ‘Sponging’ the reins with your fingers can be used to encourage them to soften rather than pulling or using the reins for your own balance. The horse should keep the momentum going without you having to nag with the leg but you should also be able to use it to influence their body without them blocking against it or rushing forward so they stay between the leg and the rein. (If you use your schooling whip as an adapted leg aid, be sure to use it to back up the softening rein aid, to encourage forward movement.)

Handy halts 

Once you have established a nice walk, as an exercise, ask for a good, square halt. Use your body as a half-halt to shorten the steps, whilst still riding forwards into the halt. One of the most common errors I see is riders stopping from the rein and taking the leg pressure completely off, which would encourage the horse to fall into the halt, and to lean on you. Ride forwards into any transition to keep the horse stepping under and pushing forwards and upwards into the transition, rather than doing it front to back from the rein, resulting in the hind legs being left behind.

The preparation for the halt is the most important part of getting a good halt, so check the horse’s balance and straightness (e.g. are they falling one way or another?), as if they’re crooked and falling one way going into it, this will be how they halt. You should be able to prepare for the halt without the horse anticipating it, so in training, only ask them to actually halt when you have them in the right place during the steps before it. They should step forwards into the halt, and stand in a nice balance, ready to push forwards out of the halt. If they leave a leg behind, always correct them by stepping forwards, rather than backwards. 

Walk-trot transitions 

For a nice upward walk-trot transition, the horse must be walking for himself, so that you can give a light aid to ask them to move up into trot. If you’re having to nag them in the walk, you’re going to have to make even more effort to move up into trot, so think about how much effort you’re having to put in, compared to your horse! Give a light aid and then if they don’t respond, back it up with a quicker leg aid, making sure to reward them when you get the response you want. As in the walk, the horse should trot for themselves without you needing to constantly remind them, so if you have a lazy horse that relies on the leg, your goal is to be able to use less leg, and for them to keep trotting. If you have a hot or sharp horse that runs away from the leg, your goal is to be able to keep your leg on their side a bit more (almost hugging), without them running away from it. You can use your body weight by moving your shoulders slightly forwards (marginally!), to ask for them to move forwards, and by sitting up a bit more, to ask them to wait. 

Trouble shooting 

To check if your horse is truly on the aids, you can set yourself markers to trot or walk at, and then you can see how long it takes your horse to respond, as in a dressage test, you need to have the control to be able to perform a movement or transition right on the marker. You can do transitions both on and off the track to check you have control of their body before during and after the transition, and notice any changes during this. It’s also worth checking your own rider balance and position; it’s easiest for the horse to carry us when we’re in balance, and they want to be directly under our weight. So, if we’re moving all over the place, it makes it more difficult for them to be straight! Once you are able to do these transitions effectively, you can also add in transitions within the pace by riding forwards and then collecting the trot a little, and then forwards again. This will also help to develop the expression within the trot, and allow you to play with the gears; but make sure to start with small changes within the gears before building this up, so that the horse stays soft and supple over the back! 

Downward transitions 

To gain a pleasing downward trot-walk transition, you should go into sitting trot, maintain your forward energy and use your body to ask the horse to start to sit and shorten the trot steps to help their balance, going into the walk. If you need to, you can use the outside rein to give a half halt, but make sure to give it straight after, so that you don’t rely on it to slow down, and you’re not pulling the horse into walk. If they are bracing going into the transition, try to play with slowing the trot down within your trot work, whilst keeping the softness, so that you can keep them in a good balance, and soft during the preparation of the transition. This will allow you to ride forwards into the transition, rather than using the rein to pull them backwards into it. Over time and repetition, this will improve and your horse will get stronger within this, so that he can maintain a good balance and outline throughout. 

What to wear 

When you’re training, the Derriere Equestrian Treviso Training breeches are great breeches to consider. They’re designed to promote optimal comfort and performance, and work in harmony with the Derriere undergarments, ensuring all fabric surfaces come together in a symbiosis that completely eliminates chaffing, abrasions and discomfort! The material content is a comfy mix of cotton, microfibre and elastane. 

All about Erin Orford Derriere Equestrian sponsored rider Erin Orford is one of Britain’s most determined and inspirational dressage riders. A qualified UKCC Level 2 Dressage coach, Erin has her sights set on the Paris 2024 Paralympics and beyond. Visit - www.erinorforddressage.com

www.derriereequestrian.com

Getting to know dressage rider Erin Orford

 We asked para-dressage star Erin Orford to share a favourite flatwork exercise, and also asked her a selection of burning questions, from advice to advice for her younger self.

 

Can you share a simple exercise to help with a specific rider issue?

“A great one is to Find Your Centre. Many of our daily activities (mucking out, driving, sweeping etc) put more strain on one side of our body, or require more rotation to one side than the other. Often, they'll be completed by our dominant and more natural side automatically, or in some cases (like driving), you have no choice in the matter,” Erin explains.

“This can impact the symmetry of the rider and how we sit in the saddle, but also how far we are able to rotate each way, which may affect what we perceive to be the centre, when we're sat in the saddle,” she continues. “When standing with your feet hip-width apart, or sitting on a chair, have a play with how far you can rotate your body each way, and use a mirror to see if what you feel matches what you see, to find out what is comfortable, and whether there is a difference in your range of movement. Ideally, your range of movement should be the same each way,” Erin advises. “If this is not the case, it may affect what you feel is your 'centre', both off horse, and when you are sat in the saddle.”

 

Which is your most memorable horse and why?

“All of the horses I've been lucky enough to ride have taught me something and helped to make me the rider I am today.”

 

What’s your best piece of advice, and why?

“Always be ready - I was first reserve for Team GB for three different years, and it's the hardest role, but I'd never want to regret that I could have done more. It came in handy in 2017, when I got called up at the last minute to make my championship debut, and we came back with Team Gold and Individual Bronze!”

 

Which person do you look up to today in equestrianism and why?

“I admire anyone who is working in the equestrian industry; it's not all about the medals and the winning, but the small successes too - it takes a lot of hard work and resilience to keep working towards your goals.”

 

What’s your ultimate riding or training goal?

“One day I would love to ride at Grand Prix; until then my goal is PSG! I could do the movements, but never all on the same horse!”

 

What’s your biggest regret?

“Not taking enough time to enjoy the achievements – often, you’re so busy moving onto the next thing, you don't appreciate what you've done; so that's been one of my goals for this year.”

 

What would you’d tell your younger/teenage self?

“Everything happens for a reason, so learn from it but never give up.”

 

What’s the horse you would like to have ridden?

“I have so many! Valegro and Uthopia seem like obvious answers, but also Helen Langehanenberg's Damon Hill.”

 

Who would be your ideal dinner party guests?

“Michael McIntyre, Chris Hoy and James Corden.”

 

What will you be doing in 20 years’ time?

“Hopefully still riding and teaching, enjoying competing, and helping others to enjoy their horses too,” Erin concludes.

 

Visit Erin’s Facebook page to follow her journey - https://www.facebook.com/EOrfordDressage

The Perfect Pelvic Tilt

 

Derriere Equestrian ambassador and UKCC Level 2 Dressage coach, Erin Orford, explains how achieving the perfect pelvic tilt can improve rider effectiveness.

Perfecting your position

We asked Erin to share some wisdom on the subject of getting the correct pelvic position when you’re schooling: “When I am working with my flatwork clients, one of the key issues that does crop up is how we use our pelvis, and how this translates to effectively sitting to a trot,” Erin explains. “Most elite dressage riders have very 'mobile' and intuitive seats; for example, when riding effectively, most of the time you will have a very relaxed and mobile spine, quite neutrally positioned at the base.”

“The significance of the neutral position is that it allows movement of the pelvis so that you don't block the horse in their body, whilst being able to maintain the strength through your core,” Erin explains. “Within this, you can then adjust your weight accordingly, in order to encourage the horse to come back a little or move forward.”

Practicing with a chair

Erin says that sitting on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor can help you to establish this. “If you’re tilting forwards, your back will arch more, and if you're tilting back, you'll feel like you're slouching a bit,” she adds. “Both tilting forwards and tilting backwards for too long will lead to your back aching. But in the correct position, you should feel it more in your stomach muscles. Playing with the realms of this movement whilst looking in the mirror can help you to see where the 'correct' position is, and learn to associate how it looks with the feeling of it, to help you to translate that onto a moving horse. The correct position means you can be effective whilst being comfortable,” Erin explains.

Straightness and being equal

“For me as a rider and trainer, a good seat is often about straightness and being equal. Your body should match the line of your horse, whether you’re on a straight line, a circle or a movement like a half pass; your body will influence how the horse uses theirs,” Erin adds. “A lot of the time, daily activities in our lives can teach us to be slightly crooked or one sided (mucking out, driving etc). Our muscle memory will make us think we are sitting straight, but often we aren’t; so using mirrors, watching videos back of our riding, and getting immediate feedback from the ground can help us to teach our brain what ‘straight’ really is!”

“To be able to effectively sit to a trot, you need a strong core, but also suppleness in your lower back and pelvis; so it can be a difficult combination to achieve! I try to keep a neutral position, as this allows the most movement,” Erin tells us. “I can then take my weight forward or back within this, to encourage the horse to go more forwards, or come back a little. If the horse is using it’s back correctly and pushing nicely from behind, they are always easier to sit to - so the better you can achieve this, the easier you’re making it for yourself.”

Getting the horse on your seat

Erin says that the horse will also want to move under your weight. “Think how difficult it is to carry a bag of feed that moves around, compared to something more stable,” she suggests. “So, when you’re walking your horse on a long rein, either at the start of the session, or at the end if it’s safer, try adjusting your weight to move the horse around the arena, rather than using your leg or the rein. You often see riders putting their weight in the direction they think the horse will go (i.e. to the inside, if they think the horse will fall in,) rather than using their weight on the line they actually want the horse to take, which encourages them to ‘step under’ it. They should stay in the same rhythm and balance when you give the rein - that’s when you know they’re really ‘on your seat!’” Erin concludes.

For ultimate comfort in the saddle, so you’re not thinking about discomfort when trying to hone your sitting trot, try the Derriere Equestrian Performance Padded Panty, which is designed to eradicate seamlines visible through breeches and ensure no rubbing, chaffing or abrasions are created. Incorporating the Derriere Equestrian Padded Support System (DEPSS), the garments protect the perineal area from friction and discomfort.

Erin Orford rides for Britain in Para-dressage, and has also competed up to Advanced Medium at Regional level. Erin was a Gold and Bronze medallist at the 2017 FEI European Championships. as well as a silver medallist the following year at the World Equestrian Games, both with Dior. She now has her sights set on the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics and beyond.

 

 

 

Lucy Cartwright & Daniel Bremner - A holistic outlook

Along with husband Daniel Bremner, dressage rider and trainer Lucy Cartwright has not been resting on her laurels recently, placing top ten in the FEI PSG at Hunters Equestrian with Holme Grove Bernini. She’s often in the ribbons with a string of rides, including Frederico and Grandio. Here, she shares some tips for improving feel when training, by focussing on one’s hips and harmonic movement with the horse.

Daniel and I are very focussed on holistic training and riding, from the way in which we manage our horses and the breakdown of exercise we do with them, to the type of schooling we undertake. We know from our own riding and the training we undertake with elite riders, as well as our work with clients, that the rider’s hips are key in flatwork – strong, mobile hips can really help create stability and strength in our lower body. This region of the body is very important for dressage riders of course, but anyone focussing on flatwork training, even with a view to competing in other disciplines, will find that effective hips help us increase our flexibility, and gain control of our seat. Those imperceptible cues given to the horse in the more advanced movements may be invisible to spectators, but are being translated loud and clear to the horse through the rider’s hips and seat.

The hips shouldn’t be overlooked or considered to just affect the lower parts of our bodies, e.g. how we hold our thighs, and how mobile our lower joints are – they also influence the mobility of the pelvis (and how well we can sit to a trot!), as well as our upper back and torso, especially in terms of and the quietness of our shoulders and hands.

Feel isn’t just about rein contact!

As the horse’s body moves, our hips rise and rotate with its motion, our legs absorbing the movement as the pelvic area softens and also absorbs the movement. Ideally, as the horse's hip raises, our same hip also raises, while the upper body adjusts. I have some lovely youngsters coming up through the levels, and I find that my goal for a good sitting trot with them is to rotate the pelvis downwards, so one extends the lumbar spine and really ‘goes with the movement’. The phrase that we often use with our clients, ‘feel’, really does radiate from the hips and the seat, as this tells us so much about how the horse is moving, and about their natural propensity to move their back and utilise their natural paces. Feel isn’t just about rein contact!

So, what can fixed or stiff rider hips lead to? Apart from making the overall picture more rigid and less harmonious, it can directly affect things like correct canter strike-offs, as well as lateral ‘drifting’, e.g. on a circle. Again, with youngsters it’s important to let them use their bodies effectively and not to restrict them. I find that core strength, e.g. in the rider’s stomach and lower back, directly affects hip mobility, in that a strong core allows the hips to relax and do their job, rather than tightening to keep balance. Having flexible hip flexor muscles is of course key – unfortunately, long hours spent sitting in cars and at desks can cause hip flexor muscles to shorten and tighten, which is why I find that many clients have issues in this area. 

 

Suitable exercises

Yoga, pilates and pre-and-post-ride stretching are all beneficial for improving hip flexibility.

Jennifer Miller’s article for the United States Equestrian federation, ‘Loosen up’, has some excellent advice and exercise tips, and quotes Jennifer Kotylo, Pilates and Equilates instructor, who says that most people have the innate ability to have good range of motion, but they don’t use it day to day. “Move it or lose it! If the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia, or connective-tissue fibres, surrounding the hip area don’t get used, they ‘forget’ how to work properly,” she advises.

In addition to yoga, pilates and pre-and-post-ride stretching, any regular exercise like walking, swimming and cycling will help our riding fitness. Work with an instructor to focus on any areas of tension, and remember to equip yourself with some comfy, supportive riding underwear - the Derriere Equestrian range, featuring the DE Performance Padded Shorty and the Performance Seamless Shorty, is designed for both men and women. Personally, I forget I am wearing them, meaning I can pay attention to how my horse is reacting to me, without the distractions of discomfort.

 

Lucy Cartwright, formerly based with Carl Hester and a leading trainer within her own right along with husband Daniel Bremner, found success at Junior and Young Rider levels (twice winning the Under 25’s National Championship). She is also a former Champion at the Badminton Young Horse Finals where she rode Valegro, and a former Summer British Dressage National Champion.

With husband Daniel, Lucy offers a range of dressage services at their base DL Dressage, including training livery, competition livery, sales preparation, training of both horse and rider and clinics throughout the British Isles. 

 

Shop the Derriere Equestrian Riding Underwear Range here www.derriereequestrian.com