Rider Biomechanics Templates
Welcome!
Zoom in with Mary and hone in on the essence of World Class Basics, through the lens of Rider Biomechanics.
Do listen to this introductory video before you dive in!
The GaitsSkilled Rider and Advanced Horse
“Begin with the end in mind” ~ Steven Covey
Good, horse-friendly riding in the basic gaits.
These sessions demonstrate angles, posture, body movements and timing to illuminate the foundations of good Rider Biomechanics in each gait. You will start to train your eye so that you can begin to see the details of what really works for you and your horse. We’re here to help you develop these skills step by step, in bite-sized chunks!
We hope you are inspired by this, and will welcome your feedback in the comments! We’d love to see photos or links to videos of you and your horse.
Walk Template
Rising Trot Template
Sitting Trot Template
Canter Template
The GaitsSkilled Rider and Green Horse
“Begin with the end in mind” ~ Steven Covey
Good, horse-friendly riding in the basic gaits.
These sessions demonstrate angles, posture, body movements and timing to illuminate the foundations of good Rider Biomechanics in each gait. You will see how a green horse challenges rider stability!
We’d love to see photos or links to videos of you and your green horse and how your Rider Biomechanics are challenged by your green horse.
Walk with a Green Horse
Ages and Stages
“Sharpen the saw” ~ Steven Covey
See riders and their horses working on the next step of their evolution.
Skill development job is never a done deal and much of the satisfaction lies in the journey rather than the destination.
These sessions look at incremental improvement at the margins of each rider’s skill as part of a continuous and never-ending improvement where horse and rider learn together.
Small changes can lead to massive improvements, or the rider can convince themselves that they are changing but not really leaving the comfort of “home”.
Walk with a Green Horse
Walk Template
Rising Trot Template
Sitting Trot Template
Canter Template
Comments
We welcome your feedback, questions, photos and links to your YouTube video here! Our coaches are ready to help.
Great idea as I have always struggled to train my eye to see the overall picture so really looking forward to these templates as already learned so much from dressage training
Excited for this new program. I will be doing it with my Connemara pony, Lexie as my mule, Bonnie is getting up in age and time to start Lexie.
I found that fascinating. So many things make more sense when you slow the video down.
Love the slow motion. Really helpful. And love the “bite size pieces” these templates offer. Regarding the sitting trot template and the critical “changing the up into the down” are there some “feelages” you can describe to help accomplish this? Or some exercises on- or off-horse that could help me identify the muscle groups involved? I too was taught to move my spine forward and back but with the help of other Ride With Your Mind concepts, I’m now able to stabilize my middle more, but still struggle with keeping my seat well on the saddle.
Hi nancy. So pleased you are enjoying these templates. A really simple image to help get the feeling of ‘changing up into down ‘ is to think of ‘squashing the bumps ‘. We, as humans, tend to tense and go ‘ more up ‘ to avoid the bumps when we actually need to do the opposite and match the up force the horse is creating with a down force hence thinking of ‘squash the bumps ‘.
Hope this helps!
Ali Wakelin
Thank you! Tried this today and it was really helpful. Somehow it also enabled me to feel more proactive with my seat; meaning, instead of riding on top of the movement, I felt I was able to create the movement. Sort of like the feeling that goes with good rising trot mechanism and being able to create the rhythm. It’s amazing!
Am so pleased that this has made such a difference to your sitting trot!
At the walk – really helpful. A question: Does one use a “pedalling” action with legs in time with horse’s rhythm and swing of ribcage from left to right? (as I’m told to do by my coach) thank you!