Cross-training for riders plays an important role in maintaining long-term health, performance and comfort in equestrian sport. Compromise and even pain in the locomotor system, especially backpain, have already become the world’s most common health complaint – with a clear worsening trend. A sedentary lifestyle, repetitive motion or strain at work or during sports can result in these types of…
Let me say this upfront: on average, we spend too much time sitting and not enough time moving around. Our modern lifestyle negatively affects our posture. Because we spend so much time sitting – at work, at school, in the car – our muscles shorten, and the muscles of our core lack strength. An unhealthy posture then quickly becomes habitual…
Spring is in the air, the days are getting longer, and temperatures are rising. Many riders are looking forward to spending more time outdoors with their horses. After months of intensive indoor training, everyday routines can quickly become monotonous. That’s why tips for a varied spring training routine are particularly valuable: new training stimuli, small changes in daily routines, and…
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…
“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…
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…
The goal of under saddle training is to bring the horse into balance in motion, at the halt, and in the different movements. The prerequisite for accomplishing this is a rider who is balanced in the saddle him- or herself. Jessica von Bredow-Werndl explains: „It is important to me to be able to optimally sit all my horses so they…
The feeling of the sitting trot is a little bit different on every horse. Some horses have a huge trot and lots of impulsion, others have a flatter, quicker stride. The art of riding lies in the ability to adjust to each horse’s movement while sitting deep in the saddle, maintaining a stable position to allow for optimally developing each…
