Core Conditioning for Horses

Author: Simon Cocozza
Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books
ISBN: 1570769427
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 402

Book Description
Gentle ways to improve the horse’s core fitness while relieving pain related to conditions such as kissing spine. Every equestrian wants to know: what is the difference between the horse that “dances” when you are on him, and the one that doesn’t? According to Visconte Simon Cocozza, Trainer and Examiner for the La Fédération Française d'Equitation (FFE), it all comes down to the horse’s posture. The horse’s ability to use the powerful mechanisms already built into his body relies not upon the strength we can see on the outside but the strength on the inside. This invisible and complex arrangement of internal “core” muscles control the horse’s posture, suppleness, and agility. Their good condition is the key to the dance. Equine core muscles are very difficult to isolate with the traditional training techniques common to horse sports. However, by examining what we do with the human body when faced with a weak core, we can find new methods for conditioning these areas of the equine body. Cocozza has taken principles of the human practice of yoga and used them to develop novel ways of reaching deep within the horse’s body and: Gently “unlock” areas that may be a little “rusty.” Improve core fitness. And even relieve pain related to conditions such as kissing spine. In this highly illustrated book, he provides step-by-step instruction explaining easy mounted exercises that enhance the horse’s posture, and boost his confidence in his body and movement, making him easier to ride, and ultimately, the dance partner you’ve always imagined.

Connection Training: The Heart and Science of Positive Horse Training

Author: Hannah Weston
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781916210103
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 318

Book Description
A practical guide to using reward-based training techniques to create a true partnership with your horse. This leads to lifelong connection, effective problem-solving and joyful performance.

When Two Spines Align: Dressage Dynamics

Author: Beth Baumert
Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books
ISBN: 1570767734
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 250

Book Description
Within riding exists a fundamental conflict of interest: The rider needs to have control—her confidence depends on her ability to control the balance of her own body as well as that of her very powerful horse. The horse, by nature, needs to feel free—free in both mind and body to express himself through movement. In When Two Spines Align, author Beth Baumert, writer and editor at the equestrian magazine Dressage Today, resolves the freedom-control enigma by taking a close look at the individual components that make up riding and dressage and providing practical ways riders can learn to harness the balance, energies, and forces at play. Readers will discover how to use “positive tension” and their body’s “power lines” to become balanced and effective in the saddle. They will then find ways to understand and manage the horse's balance and “coordination challenges.” Ultimately, the rider learns to regulate and monitor the horse's rhythm, energy, flexion, alignment, bend, and line of travel by properly aligning her spine with his. When the center of gravity of a balanced rider is over the center of gravity of a balanced horse, that place where two spines align becomes the hub for rider and horse harmony.

Rider Biomechanics

Author: Mary Wanless
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781910016145
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Rider Biomechanics is a collaboration between rider biomechanics coach Mary Wanless and functional anatomist Thomas Myers. Myer's seminal book Anatomy Trains explains how connective tissue joins muscles together into functional chains. Some of these chains extend from head to toe, and they are the 'lines of pull'. Elite riders excel in balancing the tension in their lines, creating a stable balanced structure which can transmit and redirect the forces of the horse's movement. Easy, fluid, sitting eludes less skilled riders - but this book, with its copious photographs and illustrations, provides a route map for reorganising 'lines of pull', sitting, and influence on one's horse. It is through balancing one's own lines that you learn how to balance one's horse, changing his carriage and movement, and discovering the secrets of the few talented riders who naturally possess those skills.

Centered Riding

Author: Sally Swift
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780312127343
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Book Description
Widely known for her innovative teaching philosophy stressing body awareness, the value of "soft eyes," proper breathing, centering, and balance, Sally Swift has been a pioneering riding instructor for half a century. In book form for the first time, her methods enable horse and rider to achieve harmony, working together naturally, without pain. Unlike traditional teachers, Sally Swift does not believe in forced training techniques that cause stiff bodies and tense riding. Instead, through the use of vivid, unusual, and highly creative images that transcend mechanics ("Pretend you're a spruce tree; the roots grow down from your center as the trunk grows up"), plus a thorough knowledge of human and equine anatomy, this wise and inspiring teacher enables the conscientious equestrian to reassess habitual responses, in order to ride in natural positions, break through frustrating plateaus, and achieve ever-rising goals with comfort, vitality, and precision. Precise illustrations and photographs never before used in riding books explain anatomy and image work to give mind and body new and relaxed approaches to the inner process of riding. Centered Riding is for those with little experience all the way up to world class.

Ride the Right Horse

Author: Yvonne Barteau
Publisher: Storey Publishing
ISBN: 1580176623
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 313

Book Description
A compatible personality is the most desirable quality in a horse, yet it is much harder to assess than gait or conformation. Trainer Barteau describes the four basic equine personality types--social, fearful, aloof, and challenging--and the different clues to identify a horse's primary traits.

Whole Heart, Whole Horse

Author: Mark Rashid
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1626369283
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 285

Book Description
Many horse trainers, even those who espouse the so-called natural horsemanship approach, take the position that horses who fail to obey a human's request are doing so as much out of perversity as ignorance. That's not Mark Rashid's view. In his words, "If we understand that horses can't separate the way they feel from the way they act, then we can start to see that unwanted behavior isn't bad behavior at all. More times than not, it's just the horse expressing the way he feels at that particular moment in time. . . .How we perceive that information dictates how we respond to it." Whole Heart, Whole Horse focuses on this idea, covering such subjects as gathering information from the horse, turning rider/trainer mistakes into positive experiences, developing realistic boundaries between you and your horse, understanding how and why horses release energy from real or perceived traumas, and reaching a comfortable balance point between horse and rider. Rashid analyzes developing softness, consistency, dependability, trust, and peace of mind in both horses and humans, as well as how to become a leader whom your horse will willingly want to follow and work with. Full of examples that extend beyond the training pen, Whole Heart, Whole Horse offers good sense and information that will make you a more astute, capable, and sensitive horseman and person.

The Compassionate Equestrian

Author: Allen Schoen
Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books
ISBN: 1570767173
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 442

Book Description
This marvelous book, borne of a unique collaboration between Dr. Allen Schoen—a world-renowned veterinarian and author—and trainer and competitor of many years Susan Gordon, introduces the 25 Principles of Compassionate Equitation. These Principles, conceived by Dr. Schoen and Gordon, are a set of developmental guidelines, encouraging a level of personal awareness that may be enacted not only through the reader's engagement with horses, but can be extended to all humans and sentient beings he or she encounters. The 25 Principles share stories and outline current, peer-reviewed studies that identify and support methods of training, handling, and caring for horses that constitute a safe, healthy, non-stressful, and pain-free environment. Through their Compassionate Equestrian program, the authors encourage all involved in the horse industry to approach training and handling with compassion and a willingness to alleviate suffering. By developing deeper compassion for their own horses, and subsequently, all equines, equestrians transcend their differences in breed preferences, riding disciplines, and training methodologies. This leads to the ability to empathize and connect more closely with the “global collective” of horses and horse people. In doing so, a worldwide community of compassionate equine practitioners and horse owners will emerge, which will not only benefit the horses: People involved with horses are found in many influential segments of society and have the potential to affect wide circles of friends, acquaintances, and co-workers from every walk of life. These are simple changes any horse person can make that can have a vast impact on the horse industry and society as a whole.

Fit to Ride in 9 Weeks!

Author: Heather Sansom
Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books
ISBN: 1570768307
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 489

Book Description
Regardless of discipline, level of expertise, training philosophy, body shape, or fitness level, all riders do better—in horse-related activities on the ground and in the saddle—when they take care of their bodies and maintain their fitness. While riding is a great way to enjoy an active lifestyle, on its own it is not enough to condition and tone the body to the degree we need, and then the horse must make up the fitness gap in our physical partnership. If our reflexes are slow, if our bodies fatigue, if our position collapses, if tension patterns appear, then the horse suffers repetitive asymmetrical strain or develops compensatory movement habits. It is for his good, as well as ours, that certified personal trainer and riding coach Heather Sansom has developed an utterly achievable 9-week plan to give every rider the straightness, suppleness, strength, and stamina she needs to rider her best. With hundreds of one-of-a-kind illustrations depicting accurate musculature on the rider’s body, and dozens of proven exercises organized in a progressive fitness program with easy-to-use schedule charts, Sansom’s book is the key to enjoying the ride, being fair to your horse, and getting into fabulous shape—in nine weeks!

A Very Young Rider

Author: Jill Krementz
Publisher: Dreamhouse Publishing, Incorporated
ISBN: 9780975551622
Category : Horse shows
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
A ten-year-old girl relates her experiences as she and her pony train and prepare for riding competitions.