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…
It takes more than physical skill to be successful. The capacity to produce top performances at exactly the right moment and to think clearly under pressure is essential. Mental training helps to increase awareness of your actions, and to stabilize and strengthen on a physical, emotional, and mental level. It addresses your own conviction of your ability to master challenges.…
As dressage riders, we want to be supple and flexible enough to go with the horse and allow the movements to flow through the horse’s body from the back to the front. At the same time, you need a strong core and sufficient stability in order to withstand any of the forces acting on your body, so you can sit…
From the very moment we sit in the saddle, we are challenged to sit upright, not to round our shoulders, and to balance on our seat bones. Dressage is a demanding discipline as it requires a correct body position and alignment. Our spine must be in the neutral position – neither creating a hollow nor a rounded back. “The ability…
Having a desk job, sitting all day, is generally very unhealthy – not just for equestrians. That’s because our bodies weren’t made for sitting. “Sitting is the new smoking.” Fitness coach Marcel Andrä is on point with this statement. He explains what he means with this simple example: Someone has a classic desk job and starts their day having breakfast…
