What better time to take an hour or two to read about your favorite topic? This year, stay home out of the wintry cold, and do a little quiet read and reflection.
I often take my own advice and immerse myself in reading to continue my "studies" of all things related to horses and riding. There are so many excellent articles on the Internet that I've read over the past months. I'd love to share these with you, since I found them informative and helpful for my own riding. I hope they might be useful for you too.
Enjoy!
Focus On The Spine To Correct Shoulder Position: This article is by Susanne von Dietze, author of the book, Balance in Movement. Her perspective on rider position is informed by her training as a physiotherapist. In this article, she discusses the rider's upper body from a photo that was submitted by a 2nd level dressage rider.
Exercises And Advice From Robert Dover: This article reflects on three clinic riders who are given exercises aimed at improving specific aspects of their riding. The beauty of this article is that the exercises are drawn out and explained, so you can take them to the barn to try yourself! Enjoy.
How To Ride And Utilize Shoulder-In With Enst Hoyos: There is a lot of information in this article: the aids, common faults, exactly how to develop the shoulder-in, and the connection between the horse's conformation and the movement.
Transitions: The Secret To Balanced Riding: You know I love transitions! This one dates back many years, but the information is timeless and thorough. Check out the section at the end titled "Cautions and Precautions" which outlines ten highly relatable scenarios that go into specific ways to counter common problems.
4 Dressage Training Problems Solved With Jennifer Baumert: This is an excellent article about four common riding problems, and what the rider can do about them: the running horse that is heavy in the hands, the fearful or distracted horse, the horse that is heavy on the left rein, and the horse that breaks into trot instead of collecting at canter.
Bute, Dex, and Risk: Dr. Ramey discusses two very commonly prescribed medications for horses, and their "relative" risk. It's a good reminder about how to make choices regarding medicating your horse, when and how.
Don't Give Up On Your Dressage Dreams: Well, any dreams, really. But this one is about Belinda Trussell's rise and fall from team status over the course of her career, and how she perseveres through it all.
7 Exercises To Improve Lower Body Strength And Balance: This site has excellent articles and videos with off-the-horse exercises designed to develop the body for riding specifically. This article, with videos, has several lower-body exercises.
Cross-Training With Cavaletti: Cavaletti work should be included for horses of all disciplines, but here's a well explained dressage take on a fairly simple pattern.
Refine Horse and Rider Balance to Correctly Channel Energy: This is a new article from Suzanne von Dietze, and has two great exercises to work on.
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Read more here:
https://www.horselistening.com2016/07/23/summer-study-session-videos-and-articles/
https://www.horselistening.com2012/01/19/listening-corner-studying-the-circle/
https://www.horselistening.com2015/01/01/a-horse-listening-reading-roundup-for-the-new-year/