Equestrian – Riding the Horse

The basic requirement for the players of Equestrian is their potential to stay on their horse. The entire sport relies on the rider’s bonding with the horse. From taking care of the horses to keep them happy and active to perform in the event, everything needs to be taken care of.

Alignment of Rider’s Body

While sitting on the horse, the riders are advised to keep their body aligned. It would be wise to stay relaxed and feel comfortable while sitting on seat bones avoiding use of thighs to grip the horse. The rider should remain calm and should not show signs of anxiety and nervousness.

While standing on the horse, it is very important to keep the upper body in the same alignment as it was during the sitting position. In short, body should be aligned from head via hips.

Riding without Stirrups

Riding without stirrups helps in developing body balance along with strengthening lower leg. This exercise helps the rider to naturally sit deeper into the saddle centering on the horse’s back. It also helps the rider to naturally lean towards the sides when he is on the saddle.

The feel of horse’s moving rhythm can also be developed by posting trots. The riders can lift their body up from their saddle by just using their horse’s stride by posting without stirrups.

Five-Five-Five Exercise

Five-Five-Five is another exercise which gives the rider the capability to pay heed to where the horse’s hooves are. This can be done by feeling the movement through the horse’s body as it moves. Here the rider needs to sit on the saddle for five strides as the horse walks, before posting for the next five strides.

At the end of the first five strides, the rider and horse stand for five more strides. This exercise should be practiced daily so that both the rider and horse are comfortable with it. Practicing these three sets of moments make the riders well aware with the rhythm of the horse’s stride.

Once the rider is pretty sure of being on the saddle, the final step is jogging in a circle. It begins with a trot and directs the horse in establishing a large circle. After forming the circle, tighten the circle by half and direct the horse into a jog. As the circle tightens, drop inside stirrup and maintain the balance. Once the rider feels the hang of it, they can easily change the direction and practice.