Do you ever get sick of riding circles? Dressage is just getting on our horses and doing smaller and smaller circles until eventually we’re almost rotating on the spot (oh wait, that’s a pirouette!)
So, with all these ever decreasing circles, we’ve got to be pretty knowledgeable about how to keep our bodies in the correct balance in order to be of the least interference to our horses and allow them to correctly bend and ride the perfect circle! Sounds complicated, but it’s simple when it’s done right, which is why for this week’s video, we’ve brought back Stephanie Seheult of Ride Advanced Physio to show you exactly how to ride the perfect circle!
OK let’s ride some circles
It’s no secret that the vast majority of us are asymmetrical, so even when we think we’re being super straight, we’re lopsided one way or the other, or have greater strength on one side over the other.
When riding a circle most riders will favor leading one shoulder forward, which works fine on one circle, but is the complete opposite of what’s needed on the opposite bend.
Here’s some tips to counteract our natural asymmetry and to ride a perfect circle!
- Instead of collapsing the waist and dropping the inside shoulder, rotate the shoulders in tandem as if they are a camera on a tripod.
- Instead of pulling your inside rein while on the circle, allow the rotation of the shoulders to naturally give the turning aid with the rein.
- Don’t make a concerted effort to put weight your inside seat bone on the circle, allow the rotation of the shoulders place the weight on that seat bone because of the way you’re turning.
- Inside leg stays on the girth as with the natural fall of the leg.
- Outside leg comes behind the girth to guide the horses’ outside hind leg around the circle.
Turning the shoulders will be limited by the tightness you feel in your body but once you know what side is your tight side, you can work on it.
You only need to turn your shoulders as much as you want your horse’s shoulders to move. Think of yourself like a steering wheel!
The muscles to turn the shoulders correctly to one side are the transverse abdominis and the opposite oblique from the direction of your turn.
Watch the video where Stephanie goes into much more detail and I ride Mercurio wrong way, and the right way following Stephanie’s advice!
Thanks so much for watching!
