Unit3 are my shoulders square

Ignite Your Equitation

Empowering Riders to Set Their Riding on FIRE!

ThistleRidgeStables.com

Unit 3 – Are My Shoulders Square and My Eyes Up

Unit 1 & 2 Recap

• Unit 1- Riding in Balance


http://www.thistleridgestables.com/go/hunterjudgelist/

•Unit 2 – Lower Leg– Chair seat– Exercises to improve lower leg – Correct saddle and stirrup length

Rider’s Upper Body• Your upper body is a function of your

base of support.

• Our balance and position influences our horse.



Rider AlignmentStraight line•Ear•Shoulder •Hip•Heel



Why our Body Alignment is Important



Rider Asymmetry Rider leaning left and/or right.

– Can lead to horse challenges– Back pain– Uneven joint wear– Uneven muscle development– Can twist your saddle.



How to Tell if You are One Sided

• Your saddle slips• Horse has trouble with a lead• You ride with one stirrup longer than

the other.

Consider Your Stirrup Length

Check to see if your stirrup leathers are matched.

Check to see if your stirrup holes are the same but you ride on different lengths.



Check Your StirrupsRemove your stirrups from your saddle

and line them up side by side. Do the leather holes match up?



How to Improve Your Symmetry

•First is to know you are not straight.

•Stretch.•Do strengthening exercises.



Action Items – Do These Exercises

The slouching rider – rather than “sit up” think of raising your rib cage.

Pinched raised shoulders – relax, breathe and raise shoulders up to your ears and then push them down to your “back pockets”.

The leading/leaning shoulder – relax, breathe and put the hand of their leading shoulder on the cantle of the saddle fingers facing forward.



Eyes Up!• Your head weighs a lot and if you

look down it will pull your shoulders and upper body forward.

• The horse will follow your eyes.• If your eyes are down:

– You don’t know where you are going.– Your head is down and it will pull your

upper body out of alignment.ThistleRidgeStables.com


Action Items – Eyes Up!• Ride with a crop upward in your hand

and look at the end of your crop rather than looking down.

ConclusionRiding in balance includes keeping

your upper body in alignment. Simple exercises can help keep you in balance and in alignment with your horse.

Laura – [email protected]



Unit 4

• Moving on to Unit 4 – What are you doing with your hands.

• Action items - Exercises to help keep your hands still.

• Why your hands are integral to your position.

• Slide 2 http://cdn.morguefile.com/imageData/public/files/t/trestletech/06/l/1402165331eopfr.jpg• Slide 3 – Laura Kelland-May• Slide 5 - http://mrg.bz/Xaz8cD • Slide 6 – Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/fneg/5498356326/in/photolist-9nSvM1-9y5QoH-8uaYEi-8ue4Fm-

9y4u7h-4oQAkG-8uaZeP-9nSESC-9VkW7P-a1hcSd-fae5on-9nPsmp-9y1vtP-9y48v1-9y14mp-9xZVY2-9xZWE2-9y48g5-9y42Ko-9ymQfV-9ypn9m-9y9JRp-9y4Gej-9y4tCs-9ycGFU

• Slide 8 – Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/forslunda/4727357506/

• Slide 13 &14 - http://cdn.morguefile.com/imageData/public/files/j/jade/preview/fldr_2009_07_05/file7071246818534.jpg

http://cdn.morguefile.com/imageData/public/files/j/jade/preview/fldr_2009_07_05/file7071246818534.jpg

Education

Unit3 are my shoulders square