Three Simple Winter Riding Tune-Ups

It's supposed to snow here in Virginia today - if it's snowing where you are, hopefully you're blessed with an indoor. If you are riding, no matter your discipline, here's three simple riding tune-up exercises to fight the trapped-in-the-indoor winter doldrums.

1) Calling the Footfalls: Can you accurately sound-off when your horses hooves hit the ground and push off again? It may sound nit-picky, but being able to time your aides requires being able to feel where the horse's body is and where it's going next. At the walk, try to call out "Now" or something similar when you feel the inside hind leg push off the ground. (If you don't have a mirror, you'll need a groundperson to verify). Connect the feeling in your seatbone to the moment when that hoof pushes off - now you know the perfect time to give the canter aid (for a walk to canter transition). The horse technically strikes off with the outside hind, but using the timing for the inside hind will give you just the right "time-delay" from your aide to the horse's reaction. Focusing on the inside hind will also help you "lift" the horse into the canter instead of pushing his haunches in by driving the outside hind.

2) Checking the Horse's Straightness: If you have a mirror, practice your transitions traveling toward the mirror, but on the inside track. You might be surprised how much your horse has been relying on the track instead of staying between your aides. If you have no mirrors but you have an indoor, pick a line from the ceiling (not on the track) - a sprinkler pipe, electrical housing, support beam - and ride under it, tilting your head as far back as you can, so you can't focus your eyes straight ahead. Concentrate on the line overhead and try to develop the feel of when your horse's body moves out out of alignment. When you can ride the line without drifiting, try simple transitions, also with your head back. Putting your head back will help develop feel in your seat and tends to make your seat deeper, too.

3) Checking the Rider's Straightness: The simplest way to check rider straightness is to ask an experienced groundperson or trainer to watch you ride in a straight line away and give an honest assessment. If you are on your own, however, you are not at a loss....try this: at the halt, lift both upper and low legs slightly away from the saddle so you are left balancing primarily on your seatsbones - ask the horse to walk on and note if you slip to one side of the saddle or the other. If you have to catch yourself with your right thigh right away, you are probably used to sitting too much to the left. Another easy correction is to make yourself ride without stirrups on a regular basis - even if you only practice turns at the walk, riding sans stirrups will encourage you to stay more centered.

Happy Winter Riding!