WHY CHOOSE JONI
BENTLEY
TRAINING?
Her training is
unique; not the same as
Mary Wanless, Heather Moffat or Alexander teachers working
with riders. Joni has developed her own rider/horse training
system, much like F.M. Alexander developed one for humans.
Her
training shows you how to:
1) Make your training free of obstructive barriers by schooling
the rider first.
2) Stop banging away at training that doesn't get results.
3) Make training classically correct, kind, safe and
successful for riders of all levels.
4) Make your training more organic and less panic and manic? She
teaches riders and horses to flow rather than be fixed into an,
"outline" drawing from her experience of French Classical
dressage, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais and NLP.
5) She brings out the rider in you with her logical anatomical
approach to training.
6) She shows you the benefits of power versus force.
F.
M Alexanderdiscovered that for
good locomotion in humans, the neck must be free to allow the
head to move forwards up and out of the shoulders. Only then can
the back lengthen, widen, and the lower body suspend down
onto the ground in an opposing direction.
POWER
Both F.M. Alexander and the great
classical masters agreed that self carriage depends on
the neck being free to balance the body. Only then can
the head, neck and back work unimpeded as an integrated
whole.
The
Classical Masters concur that the horse's head and neck must be allowed to move up
and out of the shoulders in a graceful uncramped arc seeking the
bit in order for the quarters to sit and support the forehand.
Horses
and human body are slung in a web of musculature from
the head, rather like a suspension system. We are both
vertebrae, the only difference is that we are on a
vertical plane and horses on a horizontal plane. When
the head leads the movement in a forward and upward
direction it literally draws upwards on the bones to
which the muscles are attached. This drawing upwards is
balanced by muscles releasing downwards in an opposing
direction.
FORCE
The main reason horses
are resistant to going on the bit is because
they are crooked behind. By forcing a horse with
a pelvic twist - as in the photos left and right
- into “an outline,” by pulling them in and
kicking them on, or even worse using draw reins,
you tighten and contract the neck and lock it
down and in. With the neck contracted and short
the hind quarters can't lower or step under.
COMPARING GOOD AND BAD
USE OF THE HORSE'S BODY
THE PULL UM IN. KICK UP ON SCHOOL.
Feeling the
pain of the bit digging in his tongue the horse
defends by either going above or behind the bit.
You lock
the head and neck down and in (the very opposite to
good posture)
You lock
them on the forehand rendering the balancing
mechanism- the head and neck- useless
You leave
the crookedness in the quarters unresolved.
The spinal
twist affects the nerve and blood supple to the
Kidneys and liver depleting energy and therefore
impulsion.
You over
flex the top of the spine leaving the underside weak
You prevent
the horse from seeking the bit up and out of his
wither in an uncramped arch
You prevent
the spine from lengthening and widening and creating
more space between the ribs, which allows more
efficient breathing, and easier, fuller lateral
bending.
You make
the horse claustrophobic, contracted and unhappy.
THE CLASSICAL
ELEGANT SCHOOL.
The
abdominal muscles are contracting and pushing up the
back.
He is using
the full length of his spine
His
quarters are sitting back and down.
His hind
legs are stepping well under.
His posture
is working to its optimum power for his level of
training.
He is
engaged behind and as a natural consequence the
forehand is up and light.
He is on
the bit
He is
listening to his rider and expressing his natural
beauty
The horse's
head and neck is moving up and out of his shoulders
in a graceful uncramped arc seeking the bit.
Case
study on the affects of draw reins
Working
with osteopath Timothy Marris, I made a study of the
effects of draw reins on horses. Marris and I
arrived at these conclusions after examining a horse
before, during and after the use of draw reins.
According to Marris, the pull of the draw rein
creates excessive flexion to the vertebra of the
poll and upper neck area. The resulting pressure on
the brain could give the horse a headache and worsen
any existing weakness throughout the spine. This
strain is passed back along the neck and spine to
the pelvis, causing restriction of breathing,
tightening of the lower ribs and tension in the back
muscles. Marris says the disturbance of the nerve
supply to the front legs would easily cause lameness
in the front limbs. The most saddening and
disappointing effects of these gadgets, including
tight side reins, is that they make it more
difficult for the horse to raise and round his back.
The hind legs struggle to step under leaving the
spine with no support. And what effects does this
constant pain and restraint have on the horse's
spirit and well-being?
If you are like me
and want the best for your horse, click on the links
below for more information:
Can we really help
your riding? click on the email link
below, and tell me more about
yourself and what you are having
problems with,click
here
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