The Athletic Equestrian: Over 40 Exercises for Good Hands, Power Legs, and Superior Seat Awareness
The Athletic Equestrian: Over 40 Exercises for Good Hands, Power Legs, and Superior Seat Awareness
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Overview
A proven rider training system to sharpen position and vastly improve skill in the saddle.
Whether competing in the show ring or riding at home on the trail, every rider wants to be more secure and balanced in the saddle and effective with their aids. This innovative guide uses highly effective exercises to develop your athleticism on horseback so you can say goodbye to common rider problems, such as:
- Swinging lower legs.
- Stiff arms.
- Trouble balancing over the horse’s center of gravity.
- Half-halts that go unanswered.
- Incorrect mechanics, on the flat and in the jumping position.
- And more.
Division I collegiate riding coach Sally Batton has spent over 30 years perfecting her methods specifically designed to refine and polish riders, whatever their level. In her work with hundreds of varsity team athletes, she found that trouble with position and lack of specific horsemanship skills happens for two reasons: First, riders may not have an understanding of the biomechanics required to maintain the correct position. Second, they may not have attained the suppleness and strength required to maintain a fluid, elastic position on the horse.
Her secret to combatting these difficulties won her teams dozens of championships and awards through the years. Here you learn both her time-proven warm-up and her exciting “Equicize” routine: a series of progressive exercises similar to aerobics on horseback. Batton’s recommendations help you build and strengthen the major muscle groups used by equestrian athletes, and all exercises can be customized so you can raise or lower the intensity as needed to suit your age, level, and riding style. Plus, readers find dozens of creative training “hacks” that will get them on their way to greater levels of riding proficiency in no time at all.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781646010523 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Trafalgar Square |
| Publication date: | 05/10/2022 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 61 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Sally Batton was the head coach of the Dartmouth College Division I Varsity Equestrian Team for 30 years, coaching dozens of riders to regional, zone and national titles. She is the past Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) National Steward and was presented with the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and was inducted into the inaugural class of the IHSA Hall of Fame in 2019. Batton is a certified instructor with both the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) and the American Riding Instructor’s Association (ARIA); in 2008, she was named ARIA Instructor of the Year. She is the Founder and current President of the Athletic Equestrian League, an organization that offers horsemanship education and competition opportunities to English and Western riders from first grade through adult. She lives in New Hampshire (athleticequestrian.com).
Christina Keim, M. Ed., is an award-winning equestrian journalist. Her work has appeared in The Chronicle of the Horse, UnTacked, Equine Journal, Practical Horseman, The Eastern Equerry, Northeast Equestrian Life, Green Mountain Horse Association Magazine, Woodstock Magazine, and The Plaid Horse, among others. She is a senior lecturer in the Equine Studies Program at the University of New Hampshire where she has also been the head coach of their Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association hunt seat team since 2004. In 2015, Christina founded Cold Moon Farm, LLC, a working horse farm dedicated to promoting sustainable living, conservation, and the highest standards of compassionate horsemanship in Rochester, New Hampshire (christinakeim.com).
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Hip Flexors, Hip Flexors, Wherefore Art Thou? A Guide to the Rider's Warm-Up 5
Getting Started 7
Exercise: Toe Rolls 7
The Hip Flexor Triad 7
Exercise: Soldier Leg Lifts 9
Exercise: Froggy Leg Lifts 10
Exercise: Identifying Your Seat Bones 11
Exercise: Locating the Top of Your Pelvic Bone 11
Exercise: Knee Stretch Downs 12
Exercise: Windmills 13
Exercise: Shoulder Rolls 15
Chapter 2 Equicize 16
Establishing Your Fitness Baseline 17
Exercise: Equicize Level One-Posting Contractions 21
Exercise: Equicize Level Two-Sit-Ones 21
Exercise: Equicize Level Three-Sit-Ones with Posting Contractions 23
Exercise: Equicize Level Four-The Chest Press 23
Advanced Equicize 26
Session Goal-Setting 26
Chapter 3 The Fundamental Two-Point: Gym Squats on Horseback 28
Two-Point Biomechanics in Practice 30
Two-Point Biomechanics: Evaluate Your Awareness Baseline 36
Exercise: Two-Point Test 1 36
Exercise: Two-Point Test 2 36
Exercise: Two-Point Test 3 37
Exercise: Two-Point Test 4 39
Chapter 4 The Power Leg 41
Exercise: Find Your Power Leg 47
Exercise: Power Leg Test 48
Chapter 5 Good Hands and Magic Bands: Addressing Connection 50
Shortening Your Reins-Correctly 57
Using the Elbow and Wrist Magic Bands 58
Chapter 6 Flat-Back Roll-Ups and Eyes-Up Goggles: Improving Upper Body Posture 63
Exercise: Using Flat-Back Roll-Ups for Posture Correction 66
Keep Your Head Up 68
Testing Your Posture Practice with the Trot-Canter Transition 72
Exercise: Trot-to-Canter Transition Position Check 74
Exercise: Canter-to-Trot Transition Position Check 78
Tying It Together: The Walk-to-Canter Transition 79
Exercise: Get a Marching Walk 79
Exercise: Create a Level Balance 81
Exercise: Walk-Canter Transition 82
Chapter 7 Improving Seat Awareness Through Downward Transitions 84
The Rider's Pelvis: Letting the Rhythm Move You 85
The Rider's Pelvis as an Influencer 87
Exercise: Establish the Working Walk 87
Exercise: Shortening the Walk 90
Exercise: Lengthening the Walk 91
Exercise: Establish Working Trot 93
Exercise: Shortening and Lengthening the Trot 97
Exercise: Lengthening the Canter 100
Exercise: Shortening the Canter 103
Riding Your Way to Better Downward Transitions 103
Exercise: Finding the "Drop Down" Point 104
Exercise: Walk-to-Halt Transition 104
Exercise: Trot-to-Walk Transition 107
Exercise: Canter-to-Trot Transition 107
Chapter 8 The Torture-Free Sitting Trot 108
Tip 1 Follow Through the Transition 110
Exercise: Walk-to-Sitting-Trot Transition 110
Tip 2 Disconnect Your Brain 111
Exercise: Stop Overthinking the Sitting Trot 112
Tip 3 Learn by Watching the Best 113
Exercise: Ride Like Your Idol 115
Tip 4 Practice on a Circle 115
Exercise: Back Pockets 116
So You Think You Can Sit the Trot… 118
Chapter 9 The Biomechanics of Bending 123
Bending Basics 125
Exercise: Springing 128
Exercise: Map Out a Circle 129
Exercise: Ride the Bend 130
Exercise: More Advanced Bending 133
Exercise: Figure Eights 134
Troubleshooting the Bend 138
Chapter 10 Making Friends with an Unfamiliar Horse 142
Trying a Horse for Lease or Purchase 144
Getting Acquainted Under Saddle 150
Assessing Your Collegiate Horse Show Draw 153
Conclusion 160
Learn More and About the Authors 163
Acknowledgements 167
Index 169