Riding in Balance

1 Riding in BalanceWe are all dreaming about it: our horses are full of energy, yet in perfect Balance listening to our slightest request, we are Riding them effortlessly and gracefully, appearing to the onlooker quiet and relaxed. We think this ideal is only a beautiful dream, never attainable for regular riders and only left for a gifted want to tell you that this is not so! There is a way to learn the principles and laws that govern our bodies and the bodies of our horses. These laws and principles work for horses and riders of all shapes and sizes.

2 When you learn how it works, you can apply this knowledge to any horse or rider. It is not magic or extremely difficult to understand. What you need most of all to succeed is genuine love for horses and humility to learn from journey to this understanding was long and full of questions that no one could answer. This was like making my way through a jungle. It was hard to see where to go next. The pieces of truth were rare and far apart. The clear path that I finally stumbled upon was made by Mary Wanless, a Riding teacher from England that had the courage to look at Riding from a different perspective.

3 She calls her method Riding With Your Mind. Through years of painstaking research she came up with a clear and complete system of horse Riding principles. It is mindbogling that no one before her put it all together. I'm not suggesting that the system makes Riding a piece of cake, far from that, but it showed me the clear path. It is now so much fun to move forward, to explore, to find solutions to everyday problems. Now I can take full responsibility for my actions on the horse and look at his responses as approval or disapproval of what I'm horse is always right - this is an old saying from Renaissance Haute Ecole (high school).

4 These words are so true! Day after day horses that I ride prove this to me and show me my place every time I stop listening to them. If you share my passion for horses, for learning, have courage to open your mind, and have patience with yourself and your horse let's explore what makes us good riders. Rider's Yastrebova, Riding Instructor and Trainer. 2007 Irina Yastrebova. All Rights Reserved. Web Site designed by Northern Software Rider's PostureHorses only do what we ask them to do. Horses do not know our agenda, or what it means to carry us in Balance .

5 The horse only reacts to our actions, our weight and our the TV reality series "Amazing Race" contestants had to ride horses in Argentina. A woman didn't know how to ride and was swaying all over the place in the saddle. Her horse tried to catch her, moving under her left and right, which of course unseated this woman so badly she started falling, caught her horse with reins, and caused him to rear. The woman fell down and everybody thought that the horse was acting up. This is an extreme case of a horse's reaction to our lack of Balance .

6 However, to some extent, this happens to all of us. We lose our Balance , we give confusing aids, we use reins to keep us in the saddle and we expect our horses to deal with all that and to figure out what we want. The most amazing thing is that horses do figure out what we ask them to do. Unfortunately for them, they do this very well leaving us to believe that we are in control and know what we are don't like the phrase "to sit" when I talk about rider on a horse. To sit is to relax, to give up your weight and Balance .

7 This is the last thing you want to do on a horse - to give up your Balance , to become loose and floppy. We are not passengers on our horses. We do not relax and follow their movement. In this partnership, we must play a leading role. A horse can give us a movement, an energy but we have to shape the movement, we have to direct the these important facts about a rider's posture:Alignment - Good posture either on the ground or on the horse starts with a good alignment. A vertical line dropped down from the ear goes through the shoulder, hip and heel.

8 The shoulders are relaxed and down, the pelvis is in a neutral (vertical) position, and the legs are under us. Click here for more detailed explanation and - We often hear that riders should relax and absorb the movement of their horses through the middle. Read these facts and decide for yourself if this is a correct way to approach Joints - Most of the horse's movement must be absorbed by our hip joints. If the hips are locked, all the movements of the horse's back get transfered to our spine. Click here for - There is almost no talk about the role of the thighs in Riding .

9 Few fragments of information here and there. The only exception is Mary Wanless' "Ride With Your Mind" approach. The way of using our thighs in Riding was my biggest discovery of all. After I understood that concept everything else just fell into place by itself. Click here for a complete Imbalance - We all have it. It begins with the position of fetus in the womb and continues through out our life (right/left handedness, habits, active or sedentary life style, posture etc.). When you know your imbalances, you can work toward minimizing their effects on your Riding .

10 Read - You need to work with your body off the horse to be able to create enough flexibility and strength in the joints and muscles to support Balance during the movement. Without that it is very hard to correctly influence your horse. Start Yastrebova, Riding Instructor and Trainer. 2007 Irina Yastrebova. All Rights Reserved. Web Site designed by Northern Software Alignment Photo 1. Good posture either on the ground or on the horse starts with a good alignment. A vertical line dropped down from the ear goes through the shoulder, hip and heel.