Be a better rider
Tips, research and technology to make you a sensation in the saddle
IMAGINE THAT THERE was a book available entitled ‘How to ride a horse’. Obviously we’d all buy a copy and read it from cover to cover. Or maybe there’s a week-long course we could go on, at the end of which we’d know ‘How to ride a horse’. If only it were that simple! Celeste Wilkins is a PhD scientist at Hartpury University and in her research she has been attempting to answer this very question. At this year’s Horses Inside Out Conference she presented her findings during her discussion entitled ‘How to ride a horse: unravelling the postural strategies of dressage riders (or How do they look so good on a horse and why don’t I?)’.
“Every rider has a strategy to absorb the movement of the horse which is influenced by many factors, such as their anatomy and physiology, as well as their skill, horse, goals and confidence,” says Celeste. “There’s already plenty of research that tries to identify these strategies, focusing on the stiffness and shock absorption qualities of the rider’s trunk, hip and pelvis, for example. Not surprisingly, a stiffer rider will create greater impact forces on the horse’s back, while a very soft or unbalanced rider may alter the horse’s way of going as he tries to maintain balance under his unstable rider. “Previous research has focused on the technique of skilled riders and data that is pooled into averages, but no research has looked at riders as individuals to uncover what all coaches already know: every rider has a different strategy that works for them.”
“A stiffer rider will create greater impact forces on the horse’s back, while a very soft or unbalanced rider may alter the horse’s way of going as he tries to maintain balance”