I've picked up some more freelance teaching hours at a truly delightful little yard, locally to me. How lucky am I to have found not one, but two, lovely yards to freelance at! The 'new' yard has invested in a riding simulator, and I went along to a staff practice session the other day. I absolutely adore simulators, and have become very accustomed to them (the yard where I learned to ride had one; Hartpury university has 2 - a standard one, and a very rare Eventing one; and now this new yard has one as well!). I had a play with some Franklin balls to fix a few things. I was throwing my hip out to the left, and collapsing over my right hip which you can see a little in the video (more side planks needed, unfortunately - I hate doing them!).

The weight sensor shows-up on the screen as a dot that moves around side to side and forwards & backwards with your weight, I was able to keep the dot centred and very steady and still, so was obviously much more balanced than I felt,  which was nice!

I am delighted to announce that you can now find me on Wise Owl Equitation! Wise Owl is a platform designed for remote equestrian coaching. It's easy to use, and a great way to access coaching from anywhere in the world.

I will be teaching dressage/flatwork, position & Franklin Balls, long-reining & in-hand work, equitation theory, and stable management via the platform, as well as taking video analysis/commentary of all of the above + polework, show jumping, and cross-country.

Jump & polework are still available in person, as are all of the other lessons I normally teach.

I've kept my prices down as much as possible, to make coaching accessible for everyone. I charge just £20/60 minute lesson, and only £10/30 minute lesson.

Do feel free to drop me a message via the Wise Owl Equitation platform, or my website to arrange something or ask questions prior to booking.
You can book lessons from anywhere in the world - USA, Australia, Europe, India - anywhere. All lessons are instructed in English.

Fixing your light-seat or jump position is easy 9/10. So here are my go-to's and quick fixes that help most jump position/light-seat problems.

1. Shorten your stirrups, and then shorten them again. SHORTER!! When I jump, I shorten my stirrups so that my knee is bent to a 90 degree angle. My thigh is at a right angle to my lower leg.

2. Heels down. Press forward and down with your heels to stop your leg sliding back over fences. If your leg slides back, you'll be less secure and might struggle to keep your hands independent. So heels DOWN.

3. Push your seat back towards the cantle - usually this happens quite naturally, the horse's movement normally does it for you. If your seat normally ends up over the pommel when you're in mid-air, you need to push your seat back.

4. Get out of your own way. If you keep your hands at the base of the horse's neck, they will end up in your way and you won't be able to fold properly. Think about pushing your hand towards the horse's ears a little bit, so they don't get stuck in your stomach.

5. LOOK UP, with soft eyes. Breathe, and allow your vision to include what's happening to either side of you. If you can only see a 1m square section of the wall in-front of you, you're too focussed, and tense.

"I'm a classically trained rider/trainer, who teaches all disciplines including Franklin balls & positional work, in-hand work & long-reining, equitation theory, and stable management. I offer goal-focussed coaching, to all levels of rider including first-time horse owners and riders with disabilities. I hold a BSc Equestrian Sports Science, BHS qualifications, Franklin Ball certified trainer, and NLP Practitioner".

Pivo meet is a great option for live remote coaching. You don't need someone to video, just your pivo, phone, and some bluetooth headphones.
In-hand & long-reining; dressage & flatwork; positional correction and/or Franklin ball lessons are all available.
https://uk.pivoriders.com/?frmrd=y

The other option is Wise Owl Equitation; an online platform designed specifically for remote coaching of riders & equestrians, allowing me to teach riders anywhere in the world. Dressage/flatwork, in-hand work, long-reining, Franklin balls & positional work, equitation theory, and stable management lessons are all available.
I've kept my prices affordable, so everyone can get involved;
I charge just £20 for a 60 minute, 1:1 lesson and only £10 for a 30 minute slot.
I charge £20 for video commentary (video analysis). Via the platform.

Click for my Wise Owl Equitation profile

I know how it sounds. I know. But, as a riding instructor I can speak from the experience of having genuinely seen it work in every client of mine that has tried it.

As I've written about on many occasions, having an independent seat is vital for good riding. Common problem areas are tension in the hips/pelvis, stiffening of the back, and stiffness of the arms or shoulders. If you are stiff, tight, or restricted in any of these areas, it will almost certainly impact how you ride; your balance, the refined communication with your horse, and your horse's ability to carry you well.

One of my favourite (albeit newer) techniques to improve tension areas is to "breath into" that area. Some people find it really easy, and it comes quite naturally for them, for others it takes work. As a rider myself, the thing I struggle with the most is actaully remembering to do it!

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

Franklin Balls are a branch of the Franklin Method, originally invented to improve the proprioception & suppleness of dancers, but now scientifically supported for use in equestrians.

The use of Franklin balls to improve balance, position, feel, and body awareness is becoming much more wide-spread, not just around the UK but across the globe.

I was a real sceptic when I first heard about Franklin balls. Truly, I thought it was complete nonsense; a mumbo jumbo pseudoscience.
How wrong I was!
If you're interested in trying Franklin Method balls to help your riding, keep reading to see my 3 top tips for getting the most out of your session.