Riding Tips - Letting go of Physical Tension

A rider's physical tightness usually starts with clenched seat bones. This tension, creates rigidity that travels up the spine between their shoulder blades, into their neck and shoulders, down the upper and then forearm, ending with gripping in their fingers on the reins. From the seat down, there's often a shortened leg position, with an outward turned knee and toe, and a clamped hamstring and calf.

Horse Rider Tips

 Tips for Resetting your Breathing and Releasing YOUR Tension at the Halt

Without realizing it, many riders hold their breath quite frequently when interacting with or riding the horse.

Horse Rider Tips- Assessment Opportunities

TOP 5 Physical Assessment Opportunities

PC: Cassy Kendall

Of yourself, any time you work with your horse, but especially if you feel out of your "comfort zone."

When learning or experimenting with a new way of communicating and interacting with the horse, people can unintentionally develop intensity in their facial expression, tension in their posture, increased energy, and tight movement.
Without meaning to, as a person is trying to mentally assess, process, and physically coordinate their communication with the horse, they may also be conveying unintentional signals to their horse.
This adds unnecessary confusion when attempting to change old patterns in the interaction.

Horse Riding Tips: Improving the horseback rider's balance

Tips for Improving Rider Balance

So much of our horsemanship can be improved in the time spent bringing awareness to our behaviors and thoughts before we ever involve the horse.
The reality is most people don't have the option of enough time in the saddle. We are often disconnected from our thoughts, and we have very little body awareness.

5 Horse Handling and Riding Tips by Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey

When learning or experimenting with a new way of communicating and interacting with the horse, people can unintentionally develop intensity in their facial expression, the tension in their posture, increased energy, and tight movement.

 
Without meaning to, as a person is trying to mentally assess, process, and physically coordinate their communication with the horse, they may also be conveying unintentional signals to their horse.
This adds unnecessary confusion when attempting to change old patterns in the interaction.

So here's a checklist for My TOP 5 Physical Assessment Opportunities of yourself any time you work with your horse, but especially if you feel out of your "comfort zone."