First of all, please forgive my awful drawing! An artist, I am not! The drawing only serves for illistrative purposes and is most definitely not anatomically or proportionally correct.

As riders, we should always strive for quiet, effective communication which is sympathetic. Foreceful riding, and the all-to-common "kick and pull" approach should be avoided so far as is possible. Most riders know that we should use our seat more than we actually do, but has anyone explained to you exactly how to do that? For a long time, I was told "use your seat, do less with your reins" and everytime I was left thinking "How? What does that actually mean?". Today, I'm going to briefly cover how to use your seat when turning and bending, and why you should use your seat.

Nice, short little post for you today for a change; 4 benefits of using Franklin Balls.

1. Improve your balance, position, coordination of movement, and "feel"
   
2. Improve your confidence due to increased stability
   
3. In the long-term, it may allow you to focus on your horse's schooling, due to not having to concentrate so hard on staying balanced in the saddle
4. Allow your horse to work more correctly, "over the back", with an engaged hindend, due to not being restricted or compromised by the rider's tension, asymmetry, or poor proprioception

So I've decided to hunt down some really useful resources - videos, diagrams etc. that I can share with you guys! They will all be shared on my Facebook page, and a lot will make there way to here too.

This one was created by an American dressage rider, trainer and Doctor of Chiropractics, and it's all about using the core, and goes into hip flexors a little bit. It's quite long (a little over an hour) so make sure you've got some biscuits and a drink! Credit Jamie Pestana D.C. & Megan Leonard.