Favorite Finds Week Seven
Social Media Account To Train Your Eye
There’s a lot of content out there in the wide world of Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram and it can be hard to train your eye for good horsemanship & riding. One of my favorite accounts is @blondedressage who I primarily follow on Instagram. She shares videos from the top competitors in the top competitions and discusses correctness and horsemanship. If you are looking to train your eye or have a better understanding of the sport, I highly recommend her page. You don’t have to agree with everything she puts out but you can educate yourself a little more from her videos.
Meditation I Love
Full disclosure: I am not a meditation guru. I have only been meditating for a few years but I have found it extremely helpful with bringing awareness to my life, especially my riding. I am more aware of when I slip into a negative headspace or when my focus is on what’s for dinner that evening and I am not present with my horse and when dealing with anxious horses, sometimes the most helpful thing is just to be with your breath and your body. Like anything, there are different styles and flavors for everyone but I first started meditating with the Calm app and that’s where I found Jeff Warren and his wonderful style of teaching. Jeff is playful, honest, and real in a way that is approachable for beginners. You don’t feel like an alien sitting there with monkeys in your brain. One of my favorite meditations from Jeff is called “Welcome to the Party.” The youtube version of this meditation is below but it’s also available on the Calm app. Basically “Welcome to the Party” treats your thoughts and distractions as just friends passing by. No need to try and exile them or run away with them. It’s a playful way to remind yourself to stay cool even if distractions happen. You just acknowledge and move on.
Cavaletti/Pole Work For Everyone
I am always looking for more exercises that use poles and cavalettis because it is not something I am super comfortable with as I did not grow up with a ton of gymnastic/jumping in my young riding days. It takes a little time to set up, but it can be extremely beneficial for all disciplines and it keeps the work interesting and fresh. All horses benefit from some of this work, you can help them with collection, flying changes, bending, or just being mindful of their feet. If you’re like me, you start to get a head trip with distances and set up but as always, you can find videos and content online to help. Below are two videos, the first is a simple explanation of how to count out strides to set up the poles. The second video is Ingrid Klimke doing many different set ups with her horses, you don’t have to do all of the set ups she does, but think of your horse and what he/she needs help with and then try and set up from there. I will say, it is easiest to do this pole work with a friend so you can have them adjust or fix any poles so you do not have to get on and off your horse.