This past weekend while doing a clinic, I had a really great example of a rider with extremely tight lower back and hamstrings muscles. Since I see either one or both of these issues quite frequently, I thought it might be helpful to share some ideas about what to do about it.



Kelsey (photos in the comment below) is an intermediate level rider, but she seemed to be at a plateau- which is why she registered for the clinic. She works during the day seated at a computer, commutes…

Hi,

This week we did not have anyone submit specific questions or photos for comment (Please do- if you're reading this blog and like it, and have some questions...go ahead and attach comments regardless of whether you have some pics or not. There are probably 10 other people out there who have the same question. Plus, you get free recommendations without having paid a clinic fee, or personal training fee.)



So, I got thinking about the season- gearing up for shows, and the…

Hello, I hope you had an enjoyable Easter or otherwise long weekend! Last weeks' blogpost generated a great question from a Barnmice member. I thought I'd repeat her email below because her question is actually something I hear all the time: how do I do exercises to improve my riding fitness when I have hardly any time and space is tight?



The Question



Thank you SO much for all of these tips Heather!!! I have a little bit of a twist on a "fitness for riding" type…

Hi,

The rider who submitted her photo and question for this weeks' blog has asked about a common issue I see quite a bit when doing clinics: getting a straighter back.



Depending on your physiology and your body's compensating patterns, your version of this problem might be completely different from your friends'. Even two people that look like they have the same posture in the saddle, might be that way for slightly different reasons. Of course, mounted posture takes into…

Hello,

This weeks' participating rider sent in a very technical description of her question. You can see her description in the comments section of last weeks' blog. She gave me some excellent and specific information, but I wanted to hasten to encourage you that you don't have to be as technical. Just a description of what's happening when you ride that you'd like addressed with some unmounted suggestions, and a few photos suffices..even if you don't have a photo, we can still work…

One of the discussion topics in the past week on this site has been around the problem of legs creeping forward when you ride. From what I see in clinics, this problem spans disciplines- it doesn't seem to matter whether you're in an English or Western saddle. Getting that heel more aligned under your hips is a challenge.



If you look at the past three weeks' worth of Ride Better/Ride Fit! blogs, each of the three riders in the examples also shared this problem.



The…

Hello, It's great to see how many people are practicing some off-horse fitness activity during the week to help their riding. You've posted some encouraging comments. If you recognize yourself in some of the photo examples- that's great! Don't be shy about sending in your photos or posting some video footage of your ride. I won't be analysing your riding overall...just providing feedback on things you can…

Hello,



Welcome to the second week of the Ride Better blog. We have had some encouraging comments, and one rider submitted photos for analysis and recommendations. While I CAN work with descriptions without photos, it is much better if you can send in photos. If you don't have the three postures such as we see in these first two examples, just some shots of you riding, and a side view or front or rear view would still be better than no photos at all.



And, once again, I'd…

Hi, I’m really excited to present an all-new personal fitness for equestrians blog!



Ride Better 1-2-3 is about simple exercises you can do off the horse to improve your riding, and to help you begin to achieve the same self-carriage, symmetry and stamina you expect from your horse.



Ride Better 1-2-3 is applicable to all disciplines and levels. Through the photos you post, I will be analyzing rider posture and examining your issues with strength, balance, flexibility, as…