Fitness

Pilates for Every Equestrian

Updated:

October 6, 2023

Weighted ball exercises, core work horse riders, Upper Body Strengthening, Balance Board Squats, Exercises for Horse Riders

Being fit to ride certainly has benefits for riders but there are also benefits for our horses. The horse-and-rider partnership is unique. We owe it to our horses to be as balanced and coordinated as possible to ensure their comfort and ability to do what we ask with ease. We are not all built the same and not everyone will assume the “ideal” riding posture and position. Still, we can all work towards better posture, balance, and coordination, resulting in clearer, more effective communication with our equine partners.

Podcast - Posture, Behaviour, and Your Horse

Updated:

September 28, 2023

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This week I was joined by Equine Physiotherapist Yasmin Stuart, who is also a BTMM apprentice trainer with Celeste Lazaris. As I recently enrolled in Celeste Lazaris’ self-study Nerve Release Technique course, it felt very aligned to connect with Yasmin for a chat about her work and the patterns she’s been noticing amongst her clients through the lens of posture and nerve impingement.

Exercises to Correct Common Riding Faults

Updated:

September 28, 2023

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Many people enjoy setting goals to help give focus and guidance to the year ahead. If we map out our desired goals appropriately, make them realistic and attainable, then initiate them with baby steps, there is a greater likelihood we will achieve success. When we write down our goals we are, in essence, making a commitment and a contract with ourselves.

How to Fall Off a Horse

Updated:

September 6, 2023

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In January 2003, Penny Woodworth, who lives on Vancouver Island, BC, was taking a jumping lesson. “Smallish jumps, nothing exciting. My long-time error is looking down, which I did that day. My horse stopped, and I tumbled off. Not a bad fall at all, except that I landed with one butt-cheek on the ground pole. I got up and carried on, but I was crooked and stayed that way. After a week or so, still riding crooked and feeling shooting pains down my right leg, I went for physiotherapy. I had dislocated my sacroiliac (SI) joint. Regular physio treatments and exercises finally got it to stay in place and I continued riding.

How to Master the Sitting Trot

Updated:

April 27, 2023

Master sitting trot, Sandra Verda-Zanatta, fit to ride, equine Hip Flexor stretch, equine quadriceps Stretch, equine hamstritng stretch, equine abdominal mini crunch, equine hamstring stretch, equine interval training, improving equine flexibility, equine hip roll, equine Spine mobility

Ah, sitting trot – the nemesis of so many riders of all ages, levels, and disciplines! In order to develop a balanced, independent seat that does not hinder the horse, but rather allows him to move with maximum ease and efficiency, the rider needs to have flexibility and suppleness through the legs, hips, and lumbar spine (lower back), stability in the pelvis, and strength in the core. These qualities allow the rider to maintain an upright posture that is firm and supple, not rigid, as riding is dynamic and requires a constant repetitive series of muscle contractions.

11 Exercises to Improve Your Riding Position

Updated:

April 4, 2023

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If you strive to attain a strong classical position when you ride, we’re here with exercises to help. Are you able to maintain that much sought-after ear-shoulder-hip-heel position when you ride? If so, congratulations! If not, just keep working on those exercises and be assured that over time they will help you establish better postural alignment.

Eagle Feather Riding

Updated:

October 27, 2022

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At Eagle Feather Riding, the horses know when their riders are on their way, and come running to greet them when they arrive.

Building a Rider Fitness Program

Updated:

September 23, 2022

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The primary goal of a rider fitness program is to build stamina and strength appropriate to the discipline. All riders should have a strong core, good balance, good general flexibility, and a fairly high level of proprioception (awareness of where your body parts are in relation to your body and movement).

When the Rider is Hot, the Horse is Hotter

Updated:

July 11, 2022

overheating horse too hot summer riding heat

A hot humid day. One rider. One horse. Both are exercising at a moderate level. Who is more likely to overheat? It might surprise you to learn that your horse gets hotter much faster than you and is more susceptible to the negative effects of heat stress. Prof. Michael Lindinger, an animal and exercise physiologist at the University of Guelph, explains: “It only takes 17 minutes of moderate intensity exercise in hot, humid weather to raise a horse’s temperature to dangerous levels. That’s three to ten times faster than in humans. Horses feel the heat much worse than we do.”

Ride with Balance, Flexibility & Strength

Updated:

March 16, 2022

Gina Allan, Barb Kopacek, horse Riding Balance, 3 Point Touch horse rider, Three Point Touch ridign Posture, Transverse Abdominal Strengthening horse riding,

Have you ever witnessed the beauty of a wonderful freestyle, a reining pattern, or perhaps a show like Cavalia in which the rider and horse seem to be working together in such harmony that you can hardly tell where the rider ends and horse begins? For rider and horse to be “one” with each other is the desired state we strive for. What we seek is to seamlessly flow together in a beautiful stream of energy travelling together through space. If your desire is to achieve such a state, and to ride to the best of your ability, then please read on!