Learn how to create a soft independent seat in the saddle by learning more about the structure and balance of your pelvis Everything in riding is about balance, working with gravity to move in balance and harmony with your horse. Moving in balance requires understanding your skeleton and, most importantly, the layout of your pelvis and how it ‘should’ sit in the saddle. Your pelvis is the foundation of your position and how it sits in the saddle directly influences everything else in the body. I am going to give you an analogy, bear with me. Let’s picture your car. It seems a bit off on the ro ..read more

Discover your deep six muscles and why they are important to understand as riders. This small but very mighty group of lateral rotator muscles move our hip. Individually, they are quite small, but together, they form a powerful unit. They play an important role in the saddle as a group of muscles. While each muscle name may seem incredibly foreign, the group working together is important for your position and biomechanics in the saddle. As a group of muscles, the ‘deep six’ lateral rotator muscles are often discussed together because they have a similar primary action and generally function to ..read more

Feel like you are just stuck in a rut and can’t improve. Maybe you feel like your holding your horse back and should give this whole thing up. First, and foremost. If you are feeling this right now, here is my big virtual hug coming your way. And know that you aren’t alone in these feelings. It’s a tough sport. I’m not going to say every rider goes through this, because I don’t know every rider. But hand on heart, I know exactly how you are feeling, and I know SO MANY riders who go through these exact emotions, and it’s actually a really common thing. So you really aren’t alone. And truth be t ..read more

Struggling to get some good habits happening OFF the horse? Know you need to do some training to help your dressage, but just can’t seem to make it happen? Maybe you have done one of the DRT programs, but fallen off track. Its ok. It happens. Too often we over complicate exercise, we have this idea in our head as to what ‘exercise’ should look like. It needs to be an hour. It needs to make us sweat. It needs to exhaust us. It needs to be in a gym. I need to wear the latest fancy gym clothes. My muscles need to be sore the next day or it wasn’t worth it. And if we don’t make our ‘exercise’ loo ..read more

Learn all about strength building for equestrians. Get workout ideas and discover the best sort of training to do as a rider. Strength building for equestrians is often something that is underestimated; however, I am here to shed some light as to why this might be something you wish to add to your training to enhance your performance. In this article, we’ll go over some great exercises and tips for building strength as an equestrian. Often when it comes to riding, many consider the actual riding to be better than heading to the gym. While I agree that I prefer my riding over most things, don’t ..read more

Learn how to apply the scale of training to your weekly schooling sessions with your horse. Dressage is a type of equestrian sport involving the rider guiding their horse through a series of elegant and controlled movements. Dressage aims to make the horse more supple, obedient, and responsive to the rider’s commands. One of the most important concepts in dressage is the scale of training, which provides a framework for developing the horse’s physical and mental abilities. Here’s how you can apply the dressage scale of training to your training at home in a way that’s easy to understand. The p ..read more

Dressage mindset is something we can all work on I believe and learning to have a more focused and engaged mind can give you so many benefits. My dressage mindset is something I am personally working on in myself is the ability to ‘let go’ and be more present in my every day life, but also so that when it comes to a competition setting I can be more connected with my ride. I used to get extremely nervous when competing and just end up exhausting myself because adrenaline would be running so high with so many mixed emotions. So it’s something I am working more on and trying to improve my abilit ..read more

Staying riding fit with an injured ankle can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. Try these 13 exercises out and keep your strength and fitness up while you recover. If you’re reading this, you probably have an injured ankle, and you’re looking to stay riding fit while you recover from your injury.  I’ve got you covered! Injuries are frustrating, and while you won’t be able to do what you used to do before your injury, maintaining a sense of routine and purpose is important to help you feel good physically and mentally. Often what happens when we hurt ourselves is we shift from bein ..read more

How incorporating strength training can impact your energy levels to help with the demands of life with horses. Discovering the role strength training can have on your riding and overall energy levels is something I am passionate about. I get emails from clients regularly asking for ways to improve overall energy and stamina. Clients who feel like they are running on fumes, no matter how much coffee or sleep they get. Owning horses requires a great deal of stamina and strength. Not just for the riding, but the general chores and maintenance. Then if you add on top of that property work and you ..read more

Strength training for riders is often a neglected area. Here I wanted to share why it can play a really powerful role in your dressage training. Why is strength training for dressage riders an area we tend to neglect? The strength element involved in improving your posture and general performance in the saddle is often overlooked when it comes to dressage and riding in general. It’s also an element that can often be feared in some circles because it’s believed to negatively impact the rider. Often strength training for riders is associated with a stiff and braced body and an image that comes t ..read more