Favorite Finds 34
Playing with a Large Exercise Ball
I love the idea of using a large exercise ball to play with moving with the horse but staying balanced at the same time. I am sharing just two different ways to use the large exercise balls that I find helpful for riders but there are plenty of other ways to use them as well. The first exercise is great for anyone who is trying to figure out how to stabilize their trunk while still being mobile and soft in the arm. The second exercise is more exploratory, play with your seat bones and stability in the upper body and practice turning or going in different directions on the ball. You can also practice leg yields or shoulder in on the ball too! This is great practice if the weather is keeping you inside and you can’t make it to the barn.
TMJ and Hyoid Release
This video does not need a ton of explanation because Richard does a wonderful job explaining what he’s doing with the horse during the entire video. I find the hyoid and TMJ area very interesting because it has a trickle effect to a lot of different areas in the horse’s body which in turn, effects the riding. This is a simple way to help your horse and another way for us to track how our horse feels in their body. Be careful and patient with your horse, give your horse space and do not do this with your horse tied up or in cross ties.
Neck Positioning
This is an interesting read and I appreciate the conversation that of course riding behind the vertical is bad but also that riding with the horse’s head up and braced is not necessarily any better. I always remind students not to ride the horse where they would like to finish but where the horse is at right now and what I mean is related to what Celeste explains in the post. You have to develop a horse to carry themselves in a higher neck position, if the horse is not developed enough, they will not be able to maintain the higher neck position without brace or tension, first you must create a long stretch through the top of the neck and then gradually pick the horse up. I don’t care what discipline or style of riding you do, look at your horse’s neck, make sure the top of the neck is engaged with work, not the bottom or underside of the neck.