It really is a very special feeling to have your horse on your seat, to ride with lightest aids as a harmonious unit. “On the seat” means having a meaningful connection between the rider’s and the horse’s bodies with which we can influence the horse’s movement. It means to melt with the horse; that’s how Benjamin Werndl sums it up.…
Spring is in the air. Soon it’ll be warmer; and we’ll be able to train outdoors more often. Many of us have been working exclusively in an indoor arena for a few months; and those walls are becoming pretty boring. Raphael's tip for more variety in your daily training To avoid getting indoor-sour, Aubenhausen rider Raphael Netz regularly takes his…
Flying down the long side at an extended canter, united as one, the motion of horse and rider inextricably intertwined. Riding transitions and movements with nearly invisible aids requires a supple, flexible, and stable seat. Mainly, it takes a deep seat to be able to optimally feel the horse and influence the frame and movement at all times. “A deep…
It’s an amazing feeling to glide across the diagonal in an extended trot – the horse moving powerfully forward yet barley touching the ground. But how can you achieve that? How do you get both expression and lightness? The horse’s back plays an important role here! The horse's back as the key for more expression and lightness “If the back…
“My first world championships – together with Team Germany aspiring to meet the expectations – that’s a whole new level of challenge. I think in some way, everyone has felt that way who has prepared for a certain situation for a long time that’s important to you: where your delivery has to be on point, where you want to show…
“Upper body back, sit tall!” That’s a familiar instruction in riding lessons. After all, an upright, centered seat with correct ear-shoulder-hip-heel (ankle joint) alignment – one line that should be perpendicular to the ground – is necessary to give precise aids. That’s how the German FN manual describes it. However, achieving this perfect alignment isn’t as simple as it may…
It‘s a fantastic feeling to ride down the centre line in collected canter – light, active, the horse in front of your leg and full of energy, ready for anything to come. But how do you achieve true collection? It’s not simply riding slower, it’s about your horse shifting more weight onto its hind legs, so that it lowers the…
Pregnancy is a very special time. And above all, it’s a very personal and individual experience, which may be perceived very differently by different women. During this time, every rider inevitably asks herself whether and to what extent she can still get into the saddle. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on so many factors. Just to name a…
For many the start of the competition season is imminent. The winter break is a good opportunity to consolidate the basics and to work on individual challenges. But what’s the best way to train if the first competition is imminent? “Basically not much changes in the work on the basics,” emphasises Benjamin. "I’m working on getting the horse balanced and…
Most horses are naturally crooked – some a little more, others a little less. This is comparable to the right- and left-handedness in humans. As a rider, you can easily notice this, for example, if the hindquarters don’t stay on the outside track, if the horse leans on one shoulder or if the rein connection is uneven. The physical causes…
