11/11/2022 0 Comments November 11th, 2022How Aware are you? What does Awareness mean with regards to riding? What do we need to be aware of?
Rider Aware is to be aware of ourselves as riders. Of our minds and our bodies as we all know how much both of these influence our horses! In fact, it was my inability to connect with a mare many years ago that lead me to learn to meditate and for that I will be forever grateful . How true is the saying “our horses are our teachers”! In more ways than one and not only with respect to riding and horse interactions but about life in general. Some people are more body aware than others, but this is certainly an area everyone is able to improve. It is worth checking in on every now and again as it can change with stress, age and injury. Our minds are incredible about getting us back after injury… consider when you have an injury, initially we have an increased awareness of that area. It hurts and the pain forces us to rest the area and find other ways to function. Sometimes after a while we subconsciously block out the area so we can get back into the swing of life. Old movement pathways may never be completely restored to what they were prior to the injury, for whatever reason, and before we know it we have set a new “normal” feeling or new “normal” way of moving, sitting or standing. In riding we may see this as riders sitting unevenly, leaning, collapsing, twisting and many other asymmetries. Fortunately there are now many new fun and easy techniques to allow our own brains to identify these patterns and very quickly open up new neural pathways. This is by far the most effective way to truly correct these and works much quicker and result in much longer lasting changes than when concentrating solely on the musculoskeletal system. Your brain needs to become aware of the issues in order to reset itself. This is so much better than someone else telling you that you are sitting crooked, have uneven hands, shoulders, legs or whatever. If your brain knew this was the case then it wouldn’t allow it! We need to show your brain that this is happening and let it feel the correct pathway. We can even use trigger words until it has been reprogrammed and sees the correct pathway as normal. There are many different ways to do this depending on what we are trying to change. For example, we can increase our awareness of a particular part of our body by tapping or using training aids to work on superficial and deep proprioceptors. Training aids can also be used to either place your body in the correct position, or to do the opposite and exaggerate the undesired position or pathway to increase awareness. What works for one person may not be the same for another, even if they present as having very similar asymmetries. I think this is why I am so addicted to this way of training. It is often like detective work to result in a formula for the rider to take home and reprogram! That and the fact that the results are amazing! Riders also need to be aware of our horses - their bodies and their mental state. For this, some knowledge of their movement and how it affects what we feel is important. Every rider should know the footfalls of each pace as well as some basic horse biomechanics so they understand what part of the horse’s body is resulting in what they can feel underneath them and at which part of the horse’s stride this occurs. This will then allow them to perfect the timing of their aids, as well as to work out which part of the horse’s body is not working correctly when they can’t feel what they should. This is so important not only for correct training, but also to detect early training and/or soundness issues. This is nowhere near as daunting as it sounds and is easy and fun to learn! With this knowledge, your aids will be much clearer for your horse. You will be giving your aids when your horse is perfectly set up to react – a great help for lateral work, transitions and flying changes. We should also be aware of our environment when riding, for logical reasons such as safety, identifying potential dangers to us and also anything our horses may perceive as dangerous and react accordingly. If we are aware of the weather and work surfaces we can plan our ride accordingly such as being prepared if our horses may be fresh in cold, windy weather or tire easily when doing hill work or working in a deeper surface than normal and not overtax their bodies in anyway. So we have a big job as riders! We need to constantly move our awareness between these three main areas – ourselves, our horses and our environment as it can be counter-productive and even dangerous to be completely oblivious to what is happening in one of these areas!
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11/11/2022 0 Comments What would YOUR horse say?????So often people say to me "I'm not good enough for my horse"! That is a crazy comment to make as do you think any horse really cares if he/she doesn't have an Olympic rider on their backs?
In saying that, we should always strive to be the very best riders we can and perhaps there are ways you can improve your riding. No matter what style of riding you do, by continually assessing and improving different areas of your riding, you can make your horse's life under saddle mentally and physically easier and more enjoyable. I thought I would dedicate a post to each of these attributes as they are all so important for riders to develop. It is easiest to discuss them individually but they are very inter-related, especially the first four. For example, riders with good balance are able to feel more that those who still need to improve in this area and riders with good feel will be more aware of their own body and that of their horse. Awareness is the best starting point to discuss as without that, riders are unable to know that change is needed and are less able to follow through on changes made, either with regards to themselves or their horses. Stay tuned, enjoy and I hope that by reading these posts you will begin to see some areas where you could develop as a rider and gain some tips! No matter what activity is expected of your horse, it needs a healthy back to function properly. As people know, horses were not designed to be ridden and their backs need care and preparation before they are started under saddle as well as care during their ridden career. There are three things riders should consider to protect their horses back:
The old saying "No Hoof - No Horse" is so true and something we should never forget.
The Australian climate is particularly harsh on horses feet with often remarkable variation in moisture content in the environment over short spaces of time. When you add the hardness of the surfaces many horses work on to the equation, there is little wonder many horses have problems with their feet. But there are three simple things a horse owner can do to protect their horses feet: Horses' joints are the springs of life... so protecting them is vital for longevity. Performance horses work particularly hard, so it is important to minimise wear and tear on their joints. Find out nine things riders should do to protect their horses' joints:
MOST modern horse riders understand the importance of a correctly fitting saddle, seeing the benefits for both horse and rider. Gone are the days where any old saddle will do, with savvy riders now looking to maximise the comfort of their horse and improve their own balance and position in the saddle. However, not too many riders develop such an intense interest that they go on to start their own saddlery business, designing their own saddles and importing other carefully selected brands from across the world. But this is exactly what VH Saddlery founder Dr Victoria Hamilton did.
As a veterinarian, international competitor and dressage coach, Victoria has always been fascinated by how riders and saddles directly and indirectly impact a horse’s natural movement. To improve the well-being of her own performance horses and retain the natural beauty of their movement whilst being ridden, Victoria was driven to find better solutions in saddles. She admits to being a “total saddle nerd” spending hours researching the development of different saddle trees and reading studies on how various saddles affect horses. “I think it is due to my own passion of developing horses under saddle and my love of biomechanics,” Victoria says. Dissatisfied with the options available on the Australian market, Victoria, a veterinarian and international dressage competitor, initially used her vast knowledge of equine anatomy and rider biomechanics to research and develop a range of dressage and show saddles that are fully customisable for both horse and rider. “There weren’t many options for custom-made saddles in Australia when I developed the VH Signature Range,” Victoria said, “And I had a horse at the time that was particularly difficult to fit, so I was trying to find the best solution for him and others struggling with similar issues. “Also, I am quite a petite person who rides some very wide horses and am not prepared to compromise on either horse or rider comfort.” “The VH Signature Range features soft, flat, generous panels and wide channels, which provides superb freedom for the horse, allowing their hindlegs to swing through and their backs to lift. This gives the rider an incredible feeling underneath them. And the fact they are custom-made means they can be made to suit almost any horse and rider combination.” Recognising all riders have different preferences, with both horses and riders having unique needs when it comes to a saddle, Victoria began researching other saddle brands to give Australia riders more choice. After stringent testing and quality control, Victoria began importing the Ryder and Discovery Saddle ranges and has recently added Max Benz One and Jeffries saddles to the list. “When I am looking a new brand of saddle I am particularly interested in the saddle trees and how they differ from what is already available,” Victoria said. “Ryder saddles for instance offer a wide selection of trees, to suit all different shapes and breeds of horses, which is like having access to a whole range of different saddle brands.” While she is interested in new technologies and innovations, Victoria is wary of gimmicks which pop up from time to time. “We need to look at everything with open eyes but we also need to be sensible” Victoria says. “I also play around myself with developing trees and have been trying some very novel ideas. I am very excited about one in particular!” Victoria has always been interested in saddles that will allow horses to move better and saddles that allow riders to better communicate with their horse. “This will help all horses and not just those in a particular group,” Victoria said. “I really like finding saddles to help horses with particular traits that may limit their options in saddles.” While many people may consider these horses “difficult to fit”, Victoria doesn’t particularly like the phrase, maintaining there are now many saddle options available for all horse and rider combinations. In an ideal world, every rider and horse combination would have a custom-made saddle such as a saddle from the VH Signature or Ryder ranges, but there are various factors, with budget being the main one, that impact a rider’s ability to get a custom-made saddle. “I started importing the Discovery range of off-the-shelf saddles because they offer incredible quality at affordable prices for riders of all levels and disciplines,” Victoria said. “One of the most notable features of the Discovery saddles is the uniquely shaped and flexible tree, with two tree options making them more suitable for a wider range of horses and riders. “They use modern techniques and carefully selected materials so they can produce a top-quality product while keeping them affordable for as many riders as possible. “As the sole importer of Discovery Saddles to Australia, I feel so fortunate to be able to offer these incredible saddles to the Australian Market.” In order to offer more options at that lower price point, Victoria continued to research new ranges, recently adding Jeffries and Max Benz One saddles. “Jeffries is one of the best known and most respected names in the horse-world, with their British saddles made from the finest leather, laminated wood trees and pure wool flocking,” Victoria said. “Again, the tree of the Jeffries is something that makes them completely unique, with four different trees available in the dressage range. “The trees vary in the spaciousness of the head and the angle of the rails, as well as in the stitch lines, making them an ideal fit for a wide variety of horses.” Max Benz One are another well-known and respected saddle brand across the world, creating quality and attractive saddles, with some notable features. “The tree in the Max Benz One saddle is slightly longitudinally flexible, allowing movement to flow across the saddle,” Victoria said. “And for riders that appreciate the look of a saddle, you cannot go past the elegantly and eye-catching appearance of a Max Benz One.” Despite the flawless reputation of the saddle brands selected for the VH Saddlery shop, Victoria always tries every saddle on her own horses and a range of others before deciding to stock them. “I look for quality in all part of the saddles, including all the fittings and tree structure, as well as the visible parts such as the leather,” Victoria said. “I also look at the history of the company and the people involved, the ensure they have a long history of producing high quality saddles.” As a vet, Victoria always has the comfort and welfare of a horse in the forefront of her mind and as a coach also cares greatly about helping riders to improve, so they can achieve their dreams. “I find great pleasure in helping nervous riders to feel more secure, elite riders to experience the feeling of their horses natural and powerful movements beneath them, empathetic riders to find a comfortable saddle for their horse, and all riders to improve their own riding in order to reach their personal goals.” By offering five brands of saddles, which include a range of dressage, jump and all-purpose saddles, Victoria is confident VH Saddlery can find the perfect saddle for all horses and riders. By Victoria Hamilton Wow! It is hard to believe it was 20 years ago I competed in the FEI World Dressage Challenge Final in Hagen, Germany. I can still remember the day I received the letter of invitation to compete from our EA. I was living in Victoria at the time and had competed with Asaachen in the Australian final at Werribee. That was third final I had attended and placed in as in 1998 I won with Ardtio in Queensland, in 1999 I came third with Asaachen in Sydney and then in 2000 he won the event when it was held in Victoria. I was so naïve back then and had no idea that there even was a world final for the WDC, so receiving the letter was incredibly amazing and something I will never forget. To earn the right to represent your Nation internationally is something we all dream of. 5/31/2021 0 Comments How to GoBY JENNA SANTOS
What is it that’s makes us feel safer on a horse with limited get up and go? As a self-confessed nervous nelly, I certainly do not enjoy a horse than rushes around, as I feel less in control than I do when I must continually push them on. And I know I am not alone. You have all seen those wanted ads from people searching for more whoa than go. Why is this so common? Why do we feel safer? 5/3/2021 0 Comments How to Be BraveBy Jenna Santos
I am not a confident rider. If a dog barks, if a mouse sneezes, if a horse in the back paddock farts… I assume my completely sensible horse is going to suddenly turn into a fire breathing dragon, expand his great wings, throw me fiercely to the ground and fly away, burning villages as he goes. It’s never happened… but it could. My fear began before I even owned a horse. After waiting my entire childhood, working my way through uni and squireling away every cent so I could finally realise my dream of owning my own horse, the very first one I trialled bolted while I clung on helplessly. I fell most ungracefully into a solid wooden fence which resulted in a broken arm, severed nerves, an 8-day vacation in hospital, three operations and a 12-month recovery. Suffice to say… things had not gone to plan. A few years later, still adamant I was going to ride, I finally brought my first horse. But I was so utterly petrified I would shake uncontrollably just tacking her up. Slowly but surely, I built my confidence, but those fears still come creeping in from time to time… and this is how I deal with them. 4/12/2021 0 Comments How to Matchy MatchyBy Jenna Santos
Presentation is not my strong suit. This not only applies to horse riding, but life in general. I do not enjoy shopping, so I wait until my clothes become so badly ripped, stained, or otherwise battered to the point I can’t possibly continue to wear them, before heading to the shop, grabbing whatever looks like it might fit and beelining for the checkout. I rarely wear make-up, my hair gets brushed once a week (at best) and I can’t even tell you last time I had it cut. I would like to say I give my horse the dignity of a decent presentation, but alas, I’d be lying. He’s constantly filthy. I used to blame the lovely red Wheatbelt dirt, but things have not improved since he took up residence at Victoria Hamilton’s property in the hills. Even with all that beautiful green grass he manages to bury dirt deep inside his coat where it will forever stay. My idea of grooming in running a brush over him a few times before a ride and calling it a job well done. |
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
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