Do you use a crest release when you jump? Wonder if you are in balance with your horse? Think you are ready for a more sophisticated type of release over fences? Here’s an exercise to find out if your weight is in the right place for an automatic release. An automatic release is where you […]
forward position
Murdoch Minute No. 02: Elbows By Your Sides
Do you have trouble stopping your horse? Do you brace against your stirrups while pulling back on the reins? Does your horse fall forward when you move off? You may be doing too much with your arms and not enough with your seat. Stabilizing your elbows by your sides may be the answer.
Murdoch Minute No. 06: Balancing Your Head
Do you have trouble looking where you are going? Does your neck get tense when your ride or become stiff afterward? Do you have difficulty sitting the trot? The solution may be all in your head. Here’s a quick tip for finding a good comfortable head position.
Murdoch Minute No. 19: Find your hips for a solid forward position
Do your hips feel stiff? Do you have difficulty folding at the hips when in light seat or two-point? Do you have trouble absorbing the motion at the sitting trot? Whether you ride western or English having the ability to move at hips (not the waist) is important to an effective seat and a solid position. Here’s a quick tip you can do off and on your horse to improve your awareness of your hips.
Elbows Sticking Out
Do you have trouble keeping your elbows by your sides? Does your instructor keep yelling at you to keep your elbows in? Perhaps you have only one wayward elbow that you can’t seem to control. The answer may be in giving you a tactile sense of where your elbows belong and letting you feel the benefit of having your elbows in the right place.
