Show notes
I am VERY EXCITED to share with you today and interview that I know will help give you some tips to improve your position and get straighter in the saddle!
A big part of Dressage is straightness. All horses are naturally crooked and so are the riders. It is very important to first identify these asymmetries, understand how the effect your position and your horse and then work to correct them!
Here are some of the key takeaways from the interview although I highly suggest you watch the video as there are a ton of really great information in the interview:
— It is important that you can see and actually visualize your asymmetries so that you can fix them. Often our proprioception is off - we think that we are straight when we are not. The first step to correcting this is you must see your asymmetries.
— Building Blocks for Straightness - to assess the rider’s straightness, always start with the pelvis and make sure that the pelvis is sitting straight in the saddle. Then work your way up to the ribcage, shoulders, and finally the head.
— Consider what you do outside of riding - the way that you sit in your car, the way that you sit at your desk and even the way that you sleep effects your riding and symmetry in the saddle as does any old injuries you have had. Exercise, working with a physical therapist, and addressing your asymmetries when NOT riding is hugely important.
I am very grateful to Dr. Russel MacKechnie-Guire fo doing this interview! I learned a ton and I hope you did as well! Dr. Russel MacKechnie-Guire is the founder of Centaur Biomechanics and developed the black jackets with a yellow ex on the back that I often use in my videos.
Russell MacKechnie-Guire holds a PhD in EquineBiomechanics, graduating from the Royal VeterinaryCollege in 2019. Russell’s thesis was titled ‘TheRelationship between Saddle and Rider Kinematics,Equine Locomotion, and Thoracolumbar Pressures inSports Horses’. Russell is based at Centaur Biomechanics,a company which he founded in 2006. He has extensivelyresearched the effect that tack (saddle, bridle and girth)has on equine health and performance. Russell’s currentarea of research is horse-saddle-rider interaction, spinal kinematics in horses when ridden over ground and the effect that rider asymmetry has on equine back movement. In addition, Russell collaborates with researchers from around the world on various research projects associated with equine health and performance. He regularly presents his work at international meetings throughout the world and is a consultant for the British Equestrian Federations World Class, Team GBR programme. Russell is a member of the Team GBR’s Scientific Advisory Group, Society of Master Saddlers Scientific Advisory Group and chairs the horse+rider subgroup, part of the International Task force on Laterality in Sports Horses.
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