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We encourage you to engage with the community within the Forums to get the most from your membership.
Take a look at the map below for a guide on where to start. Scroll down to find information and links to each element.
There are podcasts for learning about Rider Biomechanics when you are on the move, there are video and recorded webinar courses on groundwork and rider biomechanics.
Sometimes it’s useful to see horses working at a similar level to yours, or the same type as yours, or riders who are like you. Our Real Life Riders series is ideal in this instance. It follows our Dressage Training TV Ambassadors and their horses on their training journeys. Our Ambassadors aren’t professional riders, they are real people, with real horses, conquering real training issues… just like you!
For those interested in the deeper understanding on human anatomy, and the physics of riding we have in depth courses such as The Riders Body
If you want to put in to practice the learning, and gauge your understanding and progress there are certification courses in both groundwork and rider biomechanics. And there are forums where you can ask questions and post videos for our resident expert Ali Wakelin to comment on.
STARTING POINTS
What is RWYM?
Even if you have met RWYM before this is the best place to start! In a webinar format, Mary Wanless describes the philosophy and key elements of the Ride With Your Mind approach to skilful riding. This Ride With Your Mind thread runs through all of our content.
Even if you have met RWYM before this is the best place to start! In a webinar format, Mary Wanless describes the philosophy and key elements of the Ride With Your Mind approach to skilful riding. This Ride With Your Mind thread runs through all of our content.
Language & Learning
Do you know how ‘language’ can help or hinder your coach’s ability to help you learn? Mary describes how RWYM coaches use language to ensure accurate communication of “feelages”.
She then goes on to describe the process of learning and how you can become a more skilled learner.
Toolkits
What do you have in your training toolkit? How can you improve your toolkit, and increase your chances of success with your training?
The RWYM system covers three toolkits: groundwork, riding and gymnasticising the horse. This webinar style video explains these toolkits and how they interact in detail.
GROUNDWORK
The Well Trained Horse
Is your horse well-behaved on the ground? Are you aware of how horses learn? And how you can help your horse to understand you and become lighter?
This 6-part course develops your skills as a trainer and your horse’s skills as a learner. This course sets you and your horse up for better communication and more effective progress through the following courses.
Groundwork Certification Programme
Cover all the groundwork elements in a structured way and then test your skills in our Groundwork Certification Programme.
Each unit has a clip explaining a task and you are encouraged to submit videos to our forums for feedback and eventually a “pass”. When you have completed all the units in a level you will be emailed a PDF certificate.
ESSENTIAL LEARNING
THE HOW OF RIDING
This course is the beginning of your rider biomechanics journey. It shows you step by step all the basics from alignment to sitting trot and canter.
THE SEEKING REFLEXES
Mary expands on the concepts taught in the How Of Riding and explains how to reach a horse into the rein and maintain it through all paces and transitions.
STEERING, STRAIGHTNESS
& SIDEWAYS
In this course Mary Wanless offers more detail about straightness in horse and rider and how this affects your ability to steer. This course builds to offering important information about beginning lateral movements.
COLLECTION & IMPULSION
Once you and your horse are established in the basics, this series on collection and impulsion will show you the next part of the journey. This course includes in-depth coaching on how to collect your horse, and further develop their paces.
RIDER BIOMECHANICS
RIDER BIOMECHANICS
IMPROVE THE SEAT & GAIN INFLUENCE
For a deeper understanding of how you can influence your horse’s posture, watch this recorded webinar series, hosted by Mary Wanless. See demonstrations of how traditional teaching language can muddy the message, and why it’s so important to understand the physics responsible for the responses your horse offers.
RIDER BIOMECHANICS CERTIFICATION PROGRAMME
Now you have a thorough understanding of the training and ethos of Ride With Your Mind, we encourage you to put what you’ve learnt in to practice. This step-by-step course hosted by Mary Wanless breaks the system in to bite-sized chunks. Easy to follow, put in to practice and upload videos for Senior RWYM coach, Ali Wakelin, to assess.
Dressage Training Journal
Dressage Training Journal is a free to all online magazine with great training tips, advice and articles from Ride With Your Mind coaches, product reviews, and DTTV member profiles. We are not producing new issues at the moment.
