Tim Malin, USDF Gold Medalist

Many riders maintain their passion for equestrian competition throughout their lives, even if it means returning to the sport after taking decades off to raise families and build careers. However, some returning riders find they don’t approach competitive riding the same as they did as youngsters.

They’re a little stiffer in the joints and quicker to get sore. Using their arms and legs in certain ways over decades has made them unsymmetrical in both body conformation and their natural movements (e.g. less supple in one direction of the ring, just like their horses). Moreover, they often aren’t as comfortable taking some level of perceived risk (e.g. riding faster or dropping their stirrups) to advance their riding skills.

The exercises that Tim demonstrates in this video are designed to overcome some of these barriers and help you become a stronger, more physically capable person in the process. These exercises will help any rider, but are especially useful to riders needing to  improve their body positioning, become more fluid in the saddle and find ways to work through their cautious approach to riding.

What You’ll Learn

This lesson will show you how to:

• Perform exercises in the saddle that help you get into a good position in the saddle, loosen up your body and make it easier for you to maintain a good frame in both directions of the ring
• Develop your ability to sit comfortably in the saddle at the trot and canter without incurring soreness and back discomfort
• Improve your evenness, and your horse’s, in both directions of the ring
• Acclimate yourself gradually to increasing and controlling speed at various gaits

These are the kinds of exercises that can accelerate your development and help you break through developmental plateaus.

Length: 36 minutes
File size: 422/543 MB
Download: 9 minutes
$19.99

For Macintosh/PC with QuickTime Player/iPad (MP4)

For PC with Windows Media Player (WMV)

If you’re concerned your computer won’t play the file you want, you can try out our test videos first. Click this link to access them.

Link: Test Video

If you’d like to see Tim teaching a lesson first, try viewing this free tip. It focuses on releasing your reins in a way that improves your communication with your horse.

Length: 4.5 minutes
File size: 56/69 MB
Download: 1 minute
$Free

For Macintosh/PC with QuickTime Player/iPad (MP4)

For PC with Windows Media Player (WMV)