Catching up with Erin Orford

 

Derriere Equestrian ambassador and UKCC Level 2 Dressage coach, Erin Orford, is one of Britain’s most determined and inspirational dressage riders. Here, she shares her experiences of 2020:

“It’s been such a strange year for so many of us!” Erin explains, with a nod to the COVID pandemic and its effects on equestrian enthusiasts. “An Olympic Games has never been postponed before, but it is right that the decision was made for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to happen in the summer of 2021 instead. It was arguably the only decision that could have been made, as health always comes first; but if you had told me in February that that's what would happen, I’d never have believed it. It just reminds you that nothing is guaranteed, and emphasises how important it is to enjoy what you are doing on a day to day basis, because the goal-posts can be moved without any warning!” she continues.

Erin started 2020 with every week planned out until the end of the year; so to go from that feeling of organisation to having nothing in the diary during lockdown was definitely a bizarre feeling for her. “Particularly as summer is usually the busiest period, as we build up to selection for whatever championship is happening,” Erin muses. “For myself and the team at home, after a successful start to the season, it did feel galling that our year was effectively cancelled. However, in the great scheme of things, we had a lot to be grateful for, so we just had to adapt, adjust and make the best of the situation, like everyone!”

Appreciating the simpler things

Erin says she has been able to work remotely from home in her day job, but that with the sudden reduction of riding opportunities in the earlier months of 2020, and the absence of a swimming pool at that time, she had to work hard to maintain her fitness levels! “The situation with COVID-19 has however provided me with the opportunity to step back, appreciate the smaller things, and enjoy being ‘present’,” she continues.

“I think lockdown forced us to all slow down, to take everything day by day, and to appreciate the simpler things that we often take for granted. I personally enjoyed having the time to work on the basics with my horses, and enjoy riding them without the pressure of having things perfect, in time for competitions,” Erin adds.

“It has been nice to get back in the arena, and back doing some teaching; we’ve had our Para Championships at Solihull, and the recent Keysoe International, so it’s given us the chance to get some arena time before the winter. I am now looking forward to continuing my training with an eye on Tokyo 2021, continuing to help my lovely clients with their riding, and enjoying my horses over winter,” Erin states.

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. Shop the Derriere Equestrian collection today. 

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.

To find out more about Erin and her team visit her website, Erin Orford Dressage. 

 

An introduction to endurance, by leading rider Katie Bedwin

 

Endurance riding is my passion, and the competitive events themselves are the culmination of a great deal of time spent training and developing relationships with my horses. The discipline is essentially long-distance riding, at a set speed – for me, it’s all about enjoying the experience and the connection with the horse I’m riding, and enjoying the results of all of our training. Finishing is the real prize, although accolades like being the current Reserve Young Rider National Champion are always lovely! Distances of the competitions vary, and can include anything from 20 miles to 100 miles-plus. So there’s something for everyone, as well as pleasure rides, if you want to try the concept out in a more relaxed environment.

The idea is to complete the full distance as quickly as you can, passing the mandatory vet checks, and crossing the line with the horse in full health. It’s a fine balancing act, both on the day, and in your preceding training! Endurance riding is fun though, allows you to experience beautiful countryside – a recent UK event was the Tilford ride in Farnham, Surrey, which takes you through heathland, pine forest, along some challenging stony paths, and up to the glorious Devils Punchbowl, beneath the San Gabriel Mountains.

 

The requirements

So, what do you need to contest endurance? Your horse ideally needs to be a good all-rounder. Correct limb formation to avoid strains, a well-muscled back and deep chest for physical resilience, strong quarters, well-proportioned hooves, a nice temperament and a rhythmical gait are all desirable traits.

Training wise, your horse needs to be fit for the duration of ride – even a shorter ride of 20 miles can take around three hours. I advocate cross training, e.g. doing multi-discipline work with my horses – they do cross country schooling, jumping and polework, as well as lots of flatwork to develop suppleness and balance. I have always incorporated a wide variety of activities into my training programmes, as I believe it can significantly improve performance; partly as it works different muscle groups and skillsets, and decreases the risk of repetitive strain, but also as this variety is fun, and improves a horse’s attitude to work.

In terms of the rider, you do of course need the same relative level of fitness as your horse – e.g. most averagely fit riders could manage a 20k ride, however as you start tackling the more challenging rides, you do need to develop your own stamina and fitness, as well as your core strength and mobility.

Comfort is key

As an endurance rider, comfort in the saddle is key – my first post-lockdown endurance competition was an 80km ride in the 34 degree heat! – so clothing wise, I do like to have suitable underwear, beneath breathable, comfy riding wear. The Derriere Padded Panties are great, as you can just forget about your clothing and focus on the ride, rather than worrying about chaffing or discomfort. Equally a good bra like the brand’s Sportief is advisable, as a good sports bra aids shoulder position when riding. It allows you to relax and ‘free up’ the area, rather than ‘hunching’ subconsciously to avoid breast ‘bounce’, which can be tiring over long distances. The Derriere Equestrian Sportief sports bra is designed to shape and support a woman's breasts, without the use of under-wires, so is great addition to your riding wardrobe, whatever your riding discipline.

 

 

Nurse Katie Bedwin is a leading British endurance rider, with six 2019 national titles to her name. She was ranked as the second-placed GB rider in the FEI U21 rankings, and was Reserve Young Rider National Champion last year with Aberllwyd Ibn Phariz, at the 120km 2 star. Katie’s plans for the remainder of 2020 and 2021, when she will compete as a senior rider, are to continue contesting graded endurance rides at her level, and train for and compete at a 160km three star with Phariz. Visit - https://www.facebook.com/katiebedwinendurance

According to the governing body Endurance GB, the organisation continues to move towards resumption of endurance riding in England and Wales, in line with guidance issued by the Government and British Equestrian, and is now running social rides and Graded Endurance Rides. Visit - https://egb.myclubhouse.co.uk/

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

Antoine Nowakowski – brief encounter

Antoine Nowakowski – brief encounter

Leading dressage rider and trainer, Frenchman Antoine Nowakowski, shares with us his lockdown experience, which includes some very brave training practices!

A less structured approach

Like many peers, Antoine found his equestrian activities curtailed during the COVID-19 lockdown period, with public gatherings in his home-country of Belgium shutdown mid-March, and non-essential international travel banned later that month. The livery and training yard that Antoine runs with his partner Yanna Denis, Ecuries du Moulin, was forced to adapt to the new guidelines, and training of the horses became a lot more relaxed and less structured.

“It’s true that management of the horses during the lockdown was very different than normal,” Antoine explains. “As all the competitions were cancelled, Yanna and I wondered whether we should give horses a break, or keep them fit in case of a re-start of competitions.”

Trying out new things

With Governments advising against riding outside of one’s property, many riders were forced to focus on arena-based training, or riding within the curtails of their facility. But with no set idea of how long the restrictions would last, this indeterminable time could have proved unstimulating for horses used to the thrill of top level competition. “We didn’t want the dressage horses to be too bored with the constant training of exercises in the manege - but giving them a rest was also a bit challenging,” Antoine remembers. “If we did rest the horses, and then if dressage competitions restarted sooner than expected, we wouldn’t have been prepared for the ‘D Day’,” he continues, “ so we decided to try a few new things.”

Bridleless riding

Antoine’s top rider Quatergirl was subsequently enlisted into a new regime of bridleless riding! Pioneered by natural horsemanship trainers, bridleless riding is said to be one of the clearest illustrations of the connection between a horse and rider. “It’s a beautiful example of horsemanship. It employs the use of relief and release, and is a true test of not only your relationship, bit also your seat and body aids, and accuracy. It takes some practice!” Antoine explains. “Not having the bridle, just using a neckstrap for balance and an element of control, really allows the horse the freedom to go forward; it shows you that you can control your horse’s direction using your seat, bodyweight and leg aids.”

Not content with trying out this new training method, Antoine also tried his hand at jumping (“Very small!”) – and then, feeling very adventurous, and with immense trust in the mare, bridleless jumping! “It was really fun!”

This ingenious way of keeping training varied has meant that the seven year old Quatergirl kept her fitness and muscle-tone without her usual training regime, and was also kept mentally stimulated. “The mare was perfectly fit and happy when competitions restarted,” Antoine says.

A PB for Quatergirl

When restrictions eased, the Ecuries du Moulin team started planning their training and competing schedule, welcoming 5* dressage judge Isabelle Judet for a clinic, and venturing out to shows again. With a couple of events under his belt once lockdown was relaxed, and very pleasing mid-70s percentage scores, the team’s hard work was clearly paying off. Then Antoine and Quatergirl gained a personal best of 78.7 % in the seven year class at Saint-Trond National, winning the class in style.

The bridleless training has certainly been working well for this exciting pairing - Antoine’s is now aiming for the selection for the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in December, in Germany, and we wish him all the best.

Comfort and performance

Antoine is a big fan of Derriere riding underwear. “Remember that when the rider is comfortable within the saddle, they can move more easily with the horse’s gait. Comfortable underwear and breeches are a must and the Derriere Equestrian range is designed for both men and women; it’s hard to find great riding underwear for men, but I find these products excel at their job, offering exceptional comfort and performance,” he concludes.

 

Antoine and Yanna advise that you should only try bridleless riding only on a horse you know very well, have adequate control over, that’s highly trained to accept leg and seat aids. “Ride in a manege, and start carefully in walk, with a helper to ensure your safety,” Antoine suggests.

www.derriereequestrian.com

“This what I have always dreamed of…” Showjumper and Derriere Equestrian ambassador Bex Mason shares hew news and views.

 BRIEF ENCOUNTER

 “This what I have always dreamed of…”

 Showjumper and Derriere Equestrian ambassador Bex Mason shares hew news and views.

Bex Mason has worked for many years breaking in horses and competing at an international level with elite riders such as Tina and Graham Fletcher, and Ludo Philleaperts. Bex specialises in producing competition horses, and has a strong team of up-and-coming, world class equine competitors. She runs popular showjumping clinics in Gloucestershire, and is the current Myloplast Foxhunter Masters National Champion with her ride Vancurtis, or Kimmy.

Bex Mason is the epitome of the hard-working showjumper, regularly taking multiples of horses to shows up and down the country, and heading to sunnier climes in Europe early spring. A busy schedule of producing and competing horses, peppered with occasional showjumping clinics when time allowed, was the norm for Bex until the end of 2019.

Time to reflect

A routine ankle operation in December came at the right time for Bex, at a quieter time of year, but it was not a time for festivities, as David Fudge, owner and breeder of horses including Bex’s top ride, Kimmy, very sadly passed away just after Christmas. 2019 had seen a very successful year for Bex and David, with wins on a number of his horses under Bex’s care at events including HOYS and Hickstead, and the prestigious Foxhunter Masters National Championship. His passing was a terrible blow to Bex. A freak fall in February 2020 saw the showjumper tear both ankle ligaments, so when lockdown came around, in some ways, she must have been ready to pause and take time to reflect, and slow down her busy schedule.

The resulting months in lockdown have been revelatory for Bex, allowing her to train at home, invest time in her coaching business, and devote time to self care and development.

She has subsequently spent the spring and summer working on the horses’ training, notably with her top ride, Kimmy, now part-owned by Bex, since David Fudge’s family gifted a half share in the horse to her.

 “I had some sad times with bereavement and other personal issues over Christmas, so in some ways, the recent, slower pace of life has been a blessing,” Bex says. “Lockdown has been crazy – we’d never have believed that such a situation would happen – but it’s allowed me to re-focus on my coaching,” says Bex, a British Showjumping accredited coach.

Incremental improvements

“After my fall, I ended up doing lots of work without stirrups, focussing on my core – I am now so much stronger! I did lots of schooling and also safe hacking without stirrups,” she explains. As part of her rider performance programme with Hartpury College, Bex has been working with senior equine science lecturer and osteopath, Liz Launder. “I regularly do exercises from the rider performance programme, which help give me incremental riding improvements; I work on my core, incorporating yoga stretches and working on my proprioception and flexibility,” Bex continues. “It’s all rider-focussed, so you perform the correct riding exercises out of the saddle; I have set routines that also help my ankle strength. Rider fitness and balance can be the decider between being placed or not – for example, if I land too much to the right with my bodyweight after a jump, and I need to turn left, that’s half a second gone. The programme has helped me immensely,” she says.

Appreciating the small things in life

Bex has also been working on her own mental health of late. “Every morning I wake up especially a little earlier, to meditate, and do some affirmations and journaling. I like to appreciate the little things in life – it gives me a really good start to the day,” she explains.

Bex’s horses have not been resting on their laurels either, during lockdown – normally the youngsters would be contesting age classes, but Bex says as they still have lots of growing to do, the lockdown period has allowed them valuable growing time. “Longevity is everything – there’s no rush for them,” Bex states.

 Kimmy will now be targeted at grand prix and international stairways classes, as well as the county circuit, and the Hickstead All England Jumping Championships at 1.40m. “There will also be some local shows to contest all year round to keep the horses ticking over, and then we will head to Spain or Portugal in February,” Bex explains. In fact, the rider is off imminently to a show at Rectory Farm with all seven horses in her string, including the nine year old Pure Pleasure, who’s competing at 1.30m, and the five year olds Korenosa and Feins Cornet. No rest for the wicked!

Taking a step back

Aside from the rewarding riding, Bex has seen her coaching business take off in 2020. “It’s given me a whole new perspective in terms of my business. “There’s a lot of ‘fluff’ in our usual lives, so it has been good to take a step a step back and see everything more clearly. It’s helped me see what’s important, and the balance I have now what I have always dreamed of; good horses, good people, living my dream,” she explains. “With lockdown, some horses got sent home to their owners, so I had my four that I own, or part own, and more time on my hands. I got together with my friend Rachel, who also grooms for me, and we started the clinics – I am so enjoying the coaching,” Bex says. “This year has reignited my passion for training, and I feel like I have a really good balance of riding and coaching now,” Bex concludes.

Ultimate comfort

For ultimate comfort in the saddle, so you’re not thinking about discomfort when trying to hone your sitting trot, try the Derriere Equestrian DE SPORT Seamless Shorty, in male and female designs, designed to eradicate seamlines visible through breeches, and ensure no rubbing, chaffing or abrasions. The new, integrated waistband further ensures no restriction or discomfort for the wearer. Visit http://www.derriereequestrian.com.

“I find myself expressing love for my Derrieres daily,” Bex says of the underwear range. “I openly discuss the results and versatility of the products, whether it’s to customers at my yard, or fellow competitors at shows; I don’t even realise I’m doing it - these pants change riders’ lives!”

www.derriereequestrian.com 

Sitting pretty – how to develop a more effective sitting trot, with dressage riders Matthew Burnett and Laura Eve Thyer

We asked two of our Derriere Equestrian dressage ambassadors, Matthew Burnett and Laura Eve Thyer, to share some top tips for achieving that elusive, harmonious sitting trot. Read more about Mat and Laura far-below.

The facts: Under British Dressage rules, trot work may be ridden sitting or rising for all tests at Elementary level and below. At Medium level, all trot work must be ridden sitting except extended/Medium trot movements, which may be ridden in rising. At Advanced Medium level and above, sitting trot is mandatory.

Let’s look at why the scales of training require sitting trot after a certain level. It isn’t for aesthetics. Sitting rather than rising allows you to stay in harmony with the movement of the horse, while maintaining your position over his centre of gravity; a good sitting trot allows the horse’s movement and own posture to be optimised, not compromised. The rider’s aids can be used more subtly and effectively!

Balance and ‘feel’

“Sitting trot can be used for the training and improvement of all horses. You will forge a stronger connection in your partnership, and sitting trot can be especially useful to engage the horse’s hocks, and perform the more advanced movements,” Mat Burnett explains. “It is also essential for your balance and rider ‘stickability’, and will give you a far better feel for the way the horse is working beneath you than rising. Because all of the elements and objectives being worked on en-route to Medium level are extensive, the rider’s pelvic and hip mobility develops over time, as they move up the scales of training. In fact, the strength and muscle memory is often found in the rider’s thigh; as the hip joint extends and flexes, the thigh absorbs the movement from the higher joints,” Mat adds.

A neutral spine

“Perhaps one of the most common issues seen with less experienced riders is a sort of protective, flexed position, when the seat bones angle too far back in the saddle,” Laura Eve explains. “You can push your pelvis forward and your bottom back, to recreate this off the horse, and will feel an exaggerated curve in the lumbar area of your back. The other extreme is to tuck the pelvis under and extend the back, which often looks as if you’re sitting behind the vertical. In fact, in between the two extremes is where the pelvis is most comfortable, akin to a ‘neutral spine’ in pilates or yoga. It’s this ‘middle ground’ position, with ‘engaged’ yet relaxed thighs, that allows a nice sitting trot to develop in dressage.”

Girding the loins

The main hip flexor muscles in our body are the ‘iliacus’, covering the wide pelvic bone, and ‘psoas major’ which connects the lumbar vertebrae. The name ‘psoas’ is of Greek origin, meaning ‘muscle of the loin’ – so, to coin the biblical phrase, it’s time to Gird Your Loins, or prepare and strengthen! Effective hip flexing, and thus sitting trot, requires a strong core, so in order to be effective, you will need to develop and strengthen the muscles that support both the pelvis and the spine, including those in your bottom, back muscles, stomach and hips. Postural work like yoga and pilates may help.

“In terms of mounted exercises, you could start by working without stirrups. Start by crossing your stirrups across the pommel to give you more depth of leg, keeping your legs long and low. Aim to be very upright in your body, but allow your hips to relax and absorb the movement of the horse,” Mat advises. “Send him forward from walk into a slow jog trot to ease you into the gait, and not bounce you out of the saddle. When you’re happy with this, ask for a little more impulsion, opening up into a working trot. Little and often is the way to accustom both of you to train in this way, if you’re still developing your sitting trot, which will soon become second nature. This could be part of your training every time you ride, gradually increasing the duration and tempo. You will probably also find working without stirrups useful when you’re working on leg yield, shoulder in and transitions. When regaining your stirrups, you may wish to lower them a hole or two.”

Utilising lungeing

“It is very easy to be out of ‘sync’ with sitting trot, bouncing against the movement, and going from the extended to flexed positions described earlier. But this will make your horse hollow, and inevitably you will be out of balance, says Laura Eve. “To avoid this happening, it is a good idea to sometimes be lunged in sitting trot without stirrups and not holding the reins, giving you the opportunity to concentrate solely on your position, whilst the control of the horse is in the hands of a friend or trainer. Once you feel more balanced and in sync with the horse, you can then add exercises with your hands and arms to ensure you are relaxed, and develop your core strength. You can then move on to controlling the horse’s gaits with your seat. This will ensure the horse is really listening to your seat aids, and develop your control for half halts and transitions” Laura Eve suggests.

For ultimate comfort in the saddle, so you’re not thinking about discomfort when trying to hone your sitting trot, try the Derriere Equestrian DE SPORT Seamless Shorty, in male and female designs, designed to eradicate seamlines visible through breeches, and ensure no rubbing, chaffing or abrasions. The new, integrated waistband further ensures no restriction or discomfort for the wearer. Visit http://www.derriereequestrian.com

Mat Burnett

Mat’s famous dressage training camps with originalequestrian.com are due to start running again shortly, and he’s also busy training clients at his Herefordshire-base. After spring’s lockdown, he has also been out competing, campaigning the eight year old Nibeley Black Pearl, and the nine year olds Graxieux SSH and Humus Von Singing at medium level, winning a clutch of regional classes. Mat also offers dressage training at his stables in Herefordshire and throughout the UK at various venues.

Laura Eve Thyer

Laura has been using the lockdown period to focus on training and plans for the future. She made the decision to try and breed her most advanced Dressage horse, Chablis Sinclair, during this ‘downtime’ period. Her younger prospect, Chianti, is about to make his competition debut, along with a young horse Florian, an exciting hope for the future.

www.derriereequestrian.com 

 

Core strength for horse riders By Derriere Equestrian

Core strength for horse riders

By Derriere Equestrian

We need to be comfortable in the saddle in order to improve our own balance when horse riding. For example, riding without stirrups and absorbing the horse’s movement in the more extravagant gaits certainly requires a good level of personal comfort, so we highly recommend comfortable underwear and ridingbreeches!

When schooling, we usually focus on exercises to improve the horse or pony, but it is very good practice to turn our attention around, and work on our own seat and balance in the saddle, as essentially if we are ‘as one’ with the horse, the resulting partnership will show a great improvement.

For both novice and experienced horse riders, work without stirrups is fantastic for balance and improvement of the seat. It encourages us to be loose in the body, going with the horse’s movement within the saddle, and not bracing against the movement or becoming stiff - especially through the rider’s back which causes ‘hanging’ on the horse’s mouth to support incorrect posture. A bit of self-discipline will be needed with this riding exercise, as initially it can be somewhat daunting! Whether you are a fan of showjumping, eventing, dressage, hacking or another equestrian discipline, you will find it useful!

Start at walk, with your stirrups crossed in front of the saddle, remembering to keep your legs long and low, dropping the weight into your heels. Keep an upright posture, but remember to keep your shoulders down and relaxed. Correct breathing and relaxation is essential; it is so easy to try too hard, causing tension throughout the body, which will result in stiffening and being against the horse or pony’s movement, rather than with it. Practise twenty metre circles, serpentines, figures of eight on both reins, the aim being to get a forward elastic walk on the horse, and for your body to relax into the movement within the saddle, and create the correct bends and straightening when needed. 

We then need to be able to progress with the same exercises at trot. If you are nervous or a novice, start with ‘little and often’ – perform, say, the twenty metre circle, then back to walk, then move on to another movement, then back to walk, etc. Sit deeply through the transitions and breathe normally. Use your dressage letter markers to help you’ and increase the trot work as you improve. It is better for a horse rider to perform a small task very well, than a more difficult one badly.


When comfortable in trot, move on to canter, but use the simpler exercises of circles, then going large in the riding arena. Inevitably the most difficult task will be the downward transition from canter to trot – be aware of the need to absorb the extra movement through your body in the change of the horse or pony’s gait. Once you are established in all three paces, you can do some more advanced transitional work without stirrups; don’t be afraid to try walk to canter and trot to halt, as this will really strengthen your position and riding posture.

If your horse or pony is not over-sensitive, you can also try these exercises with your stirrups hanging down in the normal position, and you can then occasionally practise regaining your stirrups, ideally without looking down to find them, and without changing your riding position or rhythm. 

This is an excellent-confidence building skill to learn for any scenario whilst riding your horse or pony. As you become more experienced without stirrups and your balance improves, you will also be able to do pole work and small jumps as a matter of course.

If you are able to incorporate regular sessions of work without stirrups into your riding regime, you will establish a very secure seat and position in the saddle, together with increased core strength in your body. You may eventually feel happier in the saddle with your stirrups a hole or two lower in your everyday horse riding activities, as you will be less dependent on them for balance.

Most importantly ..... Don't forget to do all of the above in your #Derrieres! 

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