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The usual answer
to correct crookedness in the rider - like the horse - is to
mould them into an, perfect “outline;”
i.e. fix the bits that stick out, like that straying elbow,
toe or collapsed hip. You are told to stretch up through your
collapsed side, turn your toe to the front and keep your elbow
by your side. Only to find that within minutes your
teacher’s voice is once again ringing through your ears
leaving you feeling hopeless as you are reminded that you’ve
lost it all AGAIN! Here are
the 4 biggest inhibitor to success rarely addressed in
training.
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Quick
fixing the rider’s position compounds the problem of
asymmetry by adding new layers of crookedness on top
of the old ones.
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The
rider’s feelings are unreliable
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The
horse’s one- sidedness makes it impossible for the
rider to sit straight.
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The
riders busy mind builds tension and blocks feel.
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Almost every rider has asymmetries in their
body, the problem is that many riders have never
been taught body awareness and so their
asymmetry is allowed to go on to affect their
horse’s soundness, performance and
interpretation of their aids. Most riders and
trainers know they have asymmetry in their
hands, rein contact, hips and feet, they also
know that too much emphasis is put on the
horse’s training, and their coaching is often
sadly lacking.
The rider’s mind and body "style" is paramount
in training because it reflects in the horse’s
outline. Good riders produce horses with similar
outlines, while other riders seem to have the
same "horse problems" on each horse they ride.
In my opinion it’s time to drop the ideal and
get real! Move the emphasis off copying what the
great masters did, onto what they saw, heard and
felt.
When we do that
we drop a whole load of pressure and tension
associated with trying to be perfect. We are free to find out
what is happening bio mechanically for both
ourselves and our horse. We soon begin to realise that it will not
take years and years of training of trying to be
perfect to achieve natural stress free
excellence.
Once riders have an intellectual understanding
of mechanical crookedness,
both in themselves
and their horse, training begins to make sense,
and they can finally apply a simple corrective
cure learned through studying their own and
their horse’s body movements and the forces
acting on their musculoskeletal system.
By breaking the mould and studying the
biomechanics of riding we soon discover that
“less is more” and that when we stop doing the
wrong thing the right thing does itself. We move
from nailing the horse onto the bit to
effortless, free, proud carriage.
Why the
rider’s feelings are unreliable.
Let’s start
with a little test. Everyone has his or her
unique way of sitting in a chair, driving a car,
or in the saddle. When you try to alter your
habitual way of sitting, it will feel wrong and
your muscles will continually shift you back to
the position they are use to and know as normal.
The morning dismounted sessions focuses on you.
I
use the Alexander technique and the mechanical
horse above, to
correct your asymmetry, unreliable feelings and
cure your horse from throwing you off balance in
walk trot and canter.
Murphy-
the mechanical horse has:
Horse’ sensitive to leg aids both on and behind the
girth
Fully animated riding school
Articulated neck for realistic movement and lateral
work
Save or download sessions to CD for use at home
Simulate dressage competitions and dressage to music.
If you are coming for a
full day in
the afternoon we apply the mornings work to
riding. In this workshop you
are invited to stop lagging behind and explore
an incredible journey into the world of
biomechanics!
Once you
have an understanding of mechanical crookedness,
training begins to make sense. On this workshop
you will learn how to apply simple corrective
treatments learned through studying their own
and their horse’s body movements.
You also have great
fun learning how to correct your
unreliable feeling and quieten your busy mind.
Here’s the point. You should know that riding with a crooked seat
can easily throw your back out of alignment, throw
your horses’ back out of alignment and cause
crippling repetitive strain injury in your
four-footed friend, such as sacroiliac pain, hip
pain, hock pain, spavins, locking stifles, kissing
spines, bridle lameness which eventually
permanently ruins your horse for riding.
Call me
now for more details while you are thinking about it.
07877782174. If you get my answer machine please leave a message. Include
your name and number and let me know
when is a good time to ring you.
click here
to get your free workbook
now.
click here
to email me with any questions.
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