but wait! I forgot the important bit!

One of the most important parts! I forgot to include in the "brief history of Kelly", was one single riding lesson I had when I first got the new horse ("Radish" was his name by the way).

I was lucky enough to have been taken under the wing of a wonderful man who taught me how to "feel" horses muscles (more about him later).  He had a friend coming over from Germany who was going to backpack around Australia, and make a bit of spending money giving some riding lessons, unfortunately I cannot for the life of me remember his name right now, but hers, was April.

I only had one lesson with her, but this was the moment.  You know how you have those pivotal moments in life? Well, she pulled my legs around, all the way behind me, made me put my feet up behind the saddle and walk like that, do lots of ankle circles, knee circles, shook my legs till we heard a massive CRACK, and my hip popped.   She stood back, nodded, and said "that's better, that's where your leg should be".  I had not realised it, but I had always ridden with one hip higher than the other, and turned out differently, so much, that my left side was completely different to my right, and I never even knew!

All of a sudden my leg moved where I wanted it to, it actually went "on" and "off" instead of up and down, and my hips followed the movement of the horse.  I had never felt anything like it! I was flabbergasted! how could I have never felt this before? So off I went, she sent me off to do some trot and canter work, which I felt was a million light years better than anything I had ever experienced before.

Then she pulls me up again,  she is looking very frustrated!  I start to get worried, what am I doing now?  her english was not that great, and maybe I wasn't listening so well, so enamoured was I with what I was doing. Finally she spits out "sit up and look pretty on your horse! you don't want to look like the hunchback! sit like you are a princess!"

Yet another jewel of information that I savoured and try to remind my self of everytime I ride.  I truly had no idea how much I leant forward, how round my shoulders were, how saggy my breastbone.  Although people had told me before "sit up, sit up, sit up" it was the picture of riding like a princess versus riding like a hunchback that worked for me. 

This lesson is when I had the realisation that I desperately needed to develop an independent seat and better posture to improve my riding.  This is what inspired me to ride with no stirrups everyday, bareback regularly, and spend time in the round yard with no reins.  This is when I knew, that if I could make my body move right, my horse would be able to go right.  This was the transition from "unconscious incompetent" to "consciously incompetent",  an essential part of any path of learning.

I was unable to have anymore lessons with April as she went on her travels, but I did find some books in the library that I still refer to today.  The imagery in "Centered Riding" by Sally Swift is amazing.  I kept it by my bed for weeks, reading a small part each night, then again in the morning before I went to ride.  I then took one part of my body and worked on it over and over till it improved. 

Which leads me to where I am now, passionate about improving my body awareness, and passionate about helping others develop it too. 

I am taking the course! biomechanics for riders, and who am I anyway?

I have started my course, it is amazing how simple it is.  Everything is logical and makes sense, but is not something we all think about.

So what is biomechanics?  well, according to www.answers.com it is as follows ;

n.

1. (used with a sing. verb) The study of the mechanics of a living body, especially of the forces exerted by muscles and gravity on the skeletal structure.
2. (used with a pl. verb) The mechanics of a part or function of a living body, such as of the heart or of locomotion.

Simply, I am studying how the movement of the riders body affects the movement of the horses body.  I believe that for most riders, if they can improve the way their body moves, become more balanced and centered, and have better posture, it will allow the horse to perform better.  

One of the interesting parts about it, is that most of the information is contained within the FEI rules for dressage!  They are quite specific as to how your body should be, where your hands should be, where your head should be, how you legs should be, your heels etc.  Check out www.horsesport.org and you can find the rules and read them for yourself.

So what made me choose this?  well, I have always wanted a career in horses, I have studied a Bachelor of Applied Science (equine) only to find that the parts of the horse industry it allowed me to work in were not my passion.  I love riding, jumping, dressage, eventing, training, working with young/green horses etc. 

I am certainly no natural! and I did not own a horse till I was 21, so I missed all those years of pony club and early competing that helps you develop an instinct for the horse at a young age.  When I purchased my first horse, I had no idea! I got some VERY bad advice from a "friend" as to what horse to buy, turned out she was making commission on the sale and really couldn't care less about it being the most appropriate horse for my skill level or goals.  The horse I bought (because she was pretty) was a lovely little chesnut mare , who was an ex- polo cross pony.  Keep in mind, I wanted to do dressage and jumping....... and was very inexperienced...... well, you can imagine......

I spent a lot of time on the floor, I am lucky, in that grew up doing gymnastics and martial arts so I know how to fall.  I literally fell off at least once every single time I rode that horse.  I kept at it and kept at it, thinking one day I will get better at this, if I just keep practicing.  I was at uni in Wagga studying my degree, so was broke and couldn't afford lessons, so most of my learning was through reading, videos, and watching and learning from friends.  I tell you what though, I understand a LOT about the theory of riding!  I also was fascinated with all the different training methods I came across, so spent a lot of time learning about how to start a horse, join-up, breaking, backing, lunging, and all the various different forms and variables of various training methods.  

One fall I had, I got my foot stuck and got dragged on my head, I don't know how far, luckily, I don't remember anything :)  It really renewed my efforts to get better at this, I knew that it had to happen eventually, I mean surely even the worst person cant ride thousands of hours and not get better!

Finally, a few years later, I had moved to Queensland and was having some jumping lessons (I was also riding racehorses by this time), and fell off yet again.  I burst into tears, and said to my instructor, "I DONT UNDERSTAND! why do I keep falling off? what am I doing wrong? can you please get on my horse and tell me what I am doing?" he said "No way! I am not getting on that crazy horse, she will kill me! get a new horse!"  This was a revelation to me.  Through all the years, no-one had suggested to me that I might be better off on a different horse.

I got a new horse, (straight off the track, but quiet) and suddenly all the years of learning theory and trying different things was like magic! my horse responded, within months I was jumping him, doing basic dressage and beginner eventing.  This was amazing to me! I kept saying to people "well he must have had some decent  training before he became a race horse, he responds so well".  Yes that is certainly part of it, but also it was just such a different experience from riding my mad mare, I could not believe it.

Since then I have taken a number of off the track horses and turned them into nice riding horses.  One of which competed at Pre-novice eventing before I became pregnant, in fact the last competition he went to was the State championships, where he came 12th. Unfortunately he died before I was able to start riding again.  So I have started again and have a few horses on the go now, a lovely mare "Sky" who has had one pre-novice start ( I fell off and didn't finish though, yes, I still fall off), a flashy gelding "Mocha" who everyone loves to bits, and always scores well in dressage.  A new OTT who I haven't done much at all with yet, and I have just purchased my first warmblood, who is 2, and who could forget Misty, the pony for my son..... except we can never catch her.... grrr.... what to do with her ....

Now, this is of course only one part of the equation, first -  make sure you are riding a horse that is appropriate for your skill level and goals! there is nothing more heartbreaking than struggling over and over with a horse that you are not ready for!  

Second, understand that if you ride right, your horse will go right!  You WILL improve your horses way of going by having good posture and balance. My early years were spent in a crouch, waiting for the inevitable fall,  this meant my horse never had any chance to improve her way of going, all her weight on the forehand, me gripping on for dear life, the slightest over balance by me, and she would spin, gallop, or stop! I also hate to think of what I did to her poor mouth.  

One of the best exercises I ever did when i got the new horse, was spent hours in the round yard with no stirrups and no reins.  I knew I needed to develop and independent seat, I knew I needed to make sure my hands were not going to interfere with the horses mouth.  Only a month later people were complimenting me on my lovely hands :) (well, at least the MASSIVE improvement anyway).  

It has been a long road, and I am still by no means the best I will be, but I have certainly learnt a lot, and improved a lot.

I would like to share with you as I learn, and I hope you can gain something from my experiences that will help you with your riding as well.  

Kelly Tombs

www.postureseatbalance.com.au