Oblique

Oblique
Between P & B Individual Oblique to centerline

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Fit to ride?

Dressage horses are finely-tuned athletes, but what about the riders?
Leslie Bliss finds out how more of us are waking up to the importance of keeping in shape .....

Jon Pitt, who is a performance coach specialising in equestrianism and has trained top riders such as Laura Bechtosheimer, knows how difficult it is for riders to fit fitness and healthy diet into their daily routine. "One of the most important things is to help a rider organise a structure that fits and keeps the energy levels up. The biggest challenge is a rider's schedule and workload, but eating little and often speeds up the matabolism, which is a big help. Knowing riders, I would also say a temporary break from the wine might help too!" he says.

Jon goes on to explain why carrying too much weight will affect your horse's performance: "Dressage is a sport where there is no handicap weight system and the less weight the horse has to carry, the more expressive it can be. Most elite riders are aware of their 'competition weight' and will make sure they reach it before the show.

"It becomes quite easy to motivate riders when they see their horse move better," says Jon, who goes on to explain why the opposite - being too thin- is not a good idea either. "A dressage rider needs to find a balance between the right weight and good stamina. We know that top riders need a lot of stamina for the intense muscular tension required to hold a position."

Jon condiders exercises to stengthen the pelvic muscles to be the most important for dressage riders: "The Pelvis is the foundation and it stability and function is vital to helping the horse to do what we're asking from him. Exercises such as Pilates are good for awareness, but it is important that whatever we do on the ground transfers and is of use when we get in the saddle.

"we also know that, at an elite level, cardiovascular fitness is important and riders work harder than they might think. This is why preparing for that with something like a run, fast walk, cross trainer or rower can help. Also, with large amounts of muscle tension within the body, it is improtant to stretch as it releases tension. This prevents it building up ans causing problems."

It is telling that fitness consultancy TORQ has won this year's BETA Innovation award for thier Rhubarb & Custard energy gel. TORQ coach Matt Hart says: "A hug amount of time is spent conditioning the horse, butthe rider is neglected, so we've moved into this market to redress the balance."

To illustrate the improtance of fitness for the dressage rider, Matt relates it to another sport which is not perceived as being physically demanding: "Tiger Woods has been the best golfer in the world by a clear margin for many years. He leaves no stone unturned in preparation for an event and part of this preparation is hard physical fitness training. It means he doesn't fatigue like his opponents and can concentrate on the task in hand. It has been proven that fitter people panic less and have more pramatic approach to things in general."

Fitness and diet go hand-in-hand and the "you are what you eat" theory is well known. "if you train without fuelling yourself properly, you'll get fitter for sure, but you'll soon plateau, because your body doesn't have the resources to drive your fitness forward." says Matt, who has a dregree in soprts science.

"There are tow factors that will affect your mental performance: dehydration and blood glucose. If you become dehydrated, your concentration will drop significantly. Your brain is entirely regulated by your blood glucose levels, so if these slip, so does your concentration and focus.

"They worst foods to eat are those high in fat and high GI carbohydrates. Fat acts like a plug, preventing the body absorbing useful ingredients and high GI foods raise bloodsugar levels temporarily and then dump it soon afterwards. You don't want to be competing when your blood sugar has bottomed-out as you're just not going to be in the potimal mental zone," says Matt, whose TORQ's energy bars are designed to proveide about 45 mins of consistent and high blood sugar levels.

A dressage rider needs to find a balance between the right weight and good stamina" Jon Pitts, Performance Coach.


article by Leslie Bliss for British Dressage issue 4- 2011

Here is an article that I read in British Dressage Magazine that I thought I would share, this is part 1 of 2.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Why Do Quadrille?


Originally known as horse ballets, the quadrille developed in France from a dance of the same name. Quadrilles historically numbered in multiples of four that performed complicated patterns and maneuvers, and were accompanied by music often written specifically for these gala performances. Eventually these horse ballets evolved into the elaborate equestrian festivals known as carrousels. One can only imagine the impact of such events in the days before the technological revolution.

The tradition now continues in riding clubs and schools all over the world. The value of quadrille riding is very well recognized. It gives the riders a way to have fun with their horses in the company of fellow riders, the M&M's have Wine and Cheese Night once a month after our ride, we use this time to catch up with teammates lives outside the horse world, discuss problems and upcoming events. The very nature of quadrille riding requires that riders sit up, look and ride. In addition, the challenge of being part of a group performing intricate figures provides a very special exhilaration and enjoyment to individual participant. If you are new to the competitive dressage arena or an accomplished competitor or anywhere in between riding as a team takes the pressure of you as an individual, as the tests are judged on spacing, alignment and synchrony of all four riders, this leave you to gain confidence and experience in the arena. USDF has quadrille tests available on their website at : http://www.usdf.org/downloads/forms/index.asp?TypePass=Tests.

The horses in the quadrille have to learn say in line at various paces, as well as balance and rate themselves. They learn to pass other horses and to be passed without protest, to go at the speed their riders choose regardless of what the horses around them are doing, and to leave the group promptly on command. This is sometimes a challenge for dressage horses who are use to performing alone and only have to deal with other horses in the warm up arena.

Find four or more individuals who would like to start riding as a quadrille and order Why Do Quadrille?, where I gathered most of my information for this post, off the USDF website.

Sue, Melissa, Gabby & Jeanine
When competing as a Quad you can have a little fun with your outfits.  We wear our white breaches
and black jacket in the winter & matching colorful short sleave shirts for the summer.
You can wrap your horse legs in colorful polo wraps that match your outfits.
So be creative but keep it conservative & neat, you are still competiting in the dressage arena
Sue, Beth, Bea & Jeanie at Rocking Horse
Performing Training Level




























If you have any question or would like any help with your quadrille or display team, please call me at 352-267-0082