Are you or your horse crooked?
Straightness is one of the fundamental building blocks in the Dressage training scale. In order to correctly collect and train the dressage horse, you must teach the horse to be straight and symmetrical. Rider straightness is equally important to the straightness of the horse. If the rider is not straight and symmetrical the horse cannot be straight. The reverse is also true: if the horse is not straight, the rider cannot be straight.
The most difficult thing about straightness is that often we think we are straight when we are not. In Dressage, it takes either mirrors or an instructor to tell you when the horse and rider are indeed straight! It is very difficult to assess straightness without this!
Recently, I’ve been using “Visualise” Shirts for my students (any myself). These shirts really help the instructor and the rider to assess their straightness. If you are lucky enough to have mirrors in your arena, the shirts can give you instant feedback. If not, video or pictures can be very revealing when assessing straightness.
I hope this video is helpful. You can work on these same concepts even without one of the shirts. I also believe that it is super important to consider your straightness when not on the horse and to exercise and work with a physio that helps with your straightness and alignment.
Happy Riding!
Amelia
