11/29/2022 0 Comments How good is your BALANCE?When schooling horses we are very aware of our horse’s balance and how this changes as they develop under saddle but for some reason, not many riders continue to think about their own balance once past the beginner stage of riding.
Why do you think this is the case when balance is such an important part of riding and when so many factors can affect it? Is it just that there are loads of other things to consider and work on? Could it be that it is not a well marketed area at the moment? It is very common for people to say I am doing this, this and/or that to work on my core yet so rare to hear people say I am doing this, this and/or that to work on my balance! I am fascinated by balance and see so many people where their own lack of it is greatly affecting their riding. Mostly they are not even aware that it could be better as it feels absolutely normal to them. If you think about it, this makes total sense, as if it wasn’t a normal feeling they would have done something about it! To be aware is the starting point of changing anything. There are many tests you can google for checking your balance on foot but it is a different balance that we require on horseback. Add in to this the fact that we are often challenged either by our horse's movement or by giving seat, leg and rein aids, it is no wonder that people develop subconscious compensatory pathways to enable them to stay upright. But being upright by using excessive muscular tension in our bodies, perhaps gripping legs and holding reins is not ideal at all. Many factors will affect our balance such as tiredness, illness, fitness and age (both very young, rapidly growing children and older people can have more challenges in this area). With this in mind, it is not surprising that there may be times when it is necessary and also beneficial to work on our balance both on and off the horse. Most riders, even those considered elite, will have a tendency to lose balance at one point of the compass - Ie forwards, backwards, to the left or to the right or more than likely a combination of a couple of these. Even if this loss of balance is only slight, it may have a huge impact on the horse as stronger aids will be required to counteract the rider's imbalance. Stronger aids are never a good thing, and we should always be striving to remove or at least reduce an aid rather than increase or add one in. Riders with good balance are able to ride with less muscular tension which allows them to feel more of what is happening underneath them and to give clearer, lighter aids. The weight of riders with sub-optimal balance will never be evenly distributed and may contribute to horse soreness, either directly under the saddle area or indirectly by causing the horse to move crookedly and therefore use its joints and muscles abnormally. Here are some examples that you or one of your students may relate to 1) Gripping with legs in order to stay in position in the sagittal plane, therefore needing even more leg to give a leg aid! 2) Slipping to one side with or without gripping with the opposite leg causing the horse to drift off its line of travel and making lateral work harder than it should be! When the rider's balance tendency is discovered, they understand why certain patterns have been apparent in their training. They can then become more prepared for movements and exercises and as their balance improves, the change in their horses’ work, from transitions to lateral work, straightness and collection can be absolutely amazing! So back to our initial question -How good is your balance? Do you ever stop to think about this? Do you ever do any exercises to improve your balance? If you feel your balance could do with some improvement or even if you think you are OK but just want to check as perhaps some of your riding movements are proving to be a little more difficult that you thought they should be, come along to one of my Rider Balance clinics. Hope to see you soon!
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AuthorDr Victoria Hamilton is an icon in the Australian Equestrian Community, with a wealth of experience as a veterinarian, coach, breeder and international dressage competitor. As one of Australia’s top dressage riders, her love of horses is contagious and apparent in everything she does. Archives
February 2024
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