Welcome to Gaia! ::

I think most of you know me fairly well by now, but I'm Aria and I ride mostly dressage. I used to event and ride western, but dressage is my true love. I'm in an instructors training program for Therapeutic Horsemanship at St. Andrews Presbyterian College and I teach three TH lessons a week, one to a group of 3 elementary school aged boys with Learning Disabilities and ADHD, One to two middle school kids (girl and boy) with mild learning disabilities and ADHD, and one to a 5 year old boy with Epilepsy and a developmental delay. The program that I teach in is based around the American Forward System of Riding, which I'm not the biggest fan of, but it makes sense for our program. We basically use hunter principles, though most of them never get to the point of cantering, let alone jumping. My middle schoolers can post the trot, but they're the most advanced group I work with.

So here's my problem. One of my boys in my Monday lesson (the three elementary aged boys) can't get into two-point. I've done task analysis, I've had him watch the other boys, I've tried giving him a neck strap to pull up on, I've had his volunteers hold his legs to stabilize them and make it easier for him to push up out of the saddle. His upper body looks great. Shoulders back, back straight, eyes up, but his butt is still in the saddle. Right now, we're just doing two-point over poles at the walk, but I was hoping to progress to two-point at the trot in the next few lessons, and the other boys can do it. Anyone have any ideas of how to get him up off his horse's back? This is getting really frusterating because I really have no idea what to do.

A note: All lessons are conducted with volunteers for each rider. There is someone leading each horse, and one or two "sidewalkers" walking beside the rider to assist them in different things. Lower functioning riders have the sidewalkers hold them on the horse, and I'll sometimes have them hold the rider's ankle to help stabilize their leg.

Go ahead!

The problem with 1's leg is probably directly related to her balance issues. A lot of riders, when they start to get off balance, will cling with their legs to try to stabilize themselves. I have a few other questions to ask you before I give you exercises/advice smile
Are you teaching them in a group or as privates?
Does she get generall tense? Or does she just grip with her legs?
Are her legs just tightening? Or is she gripping with her knees/heels?
What is her horse's reaction to her tightening her legs when she get off balance?
What style of riding are you teaching? More importantly, do you have them in two-point a good portion of the time/at all?

I can give you a few basic things to try right now though. For one thing, warm up with balance exercises everyday. Walk with one or both arms out to the side, above the head, reaching forward, behind her back, etc. Stretches also help. Having the rider stretch while they're in the saddle moves them around, which helps them learn how to balance and use their body while on the horse. Things like reaching forward for the ears or back for the tail not only increase flexibility and tone, but help the rider to better understand how their body functions in conjunction with the horse's gait. If you can do so safely, it is better to have her stretch/balance with both arms at once, but if that can't be accomplished in your lesson environment, one at a time works. Things like arm circles, trunk twists, etc. Help to orient the rider in the saddle. If the rider is doing something incorrect to correct their balance, correct it. For example, if they reach forward for their horse's ears and their leg slips back in an attempt to balance them, remind them to keep their leg forward. While working on these exercises emphasize the importance of keeping a soft leg, reminding her often to keep her leg hanging long and relaxed.

As for number two, well, incredibly lanky 13 year olds generally don't have much control over their limbs in general. Most of the time the reason that they're so lanky is because they had a sudden growth spurt and havne't quite figured out where all of their limbs end yet. My brother did that around that same age. He went from being about eye level with my chin to being able to comfortably rest his chin on top of my head within a year. Work on strengthening exercises to increase tone and awareness of where his limbs are. If he has a problem with his legs swinging, you can also try tying his stirrups to the girth. That's a common technique with the instructors at my school, you just have to do it correctly, because if you lash them too tight, it makes the rider's leg bendin strange ways, but if you do it too loose, then it completely defeats the purpose of the exercise. This can help to get them to feel what a steady leg is supposed to feel like. You can also try to focus on angles. He may not know where the ends of his arms are, but he can tell if his elbows are really bent. Double-posting can help him gain more control over his upper body and learn how to balance it in space. Actually, double posting could be helpful with your girl with balance issues for the same reason.

I'm teaching pre-jumping lessons to a 15 year old girl, and I'm having a lot of trouble getting her to post correctly. I don't know how to explain what it should look like. I mean, I say, "every time the horse's outside leg goes forward, rise your butt up out of the saddle and push on your heels." I think she gets the concept, but when she posts, it looks messy and her toes go down instead of her heels. Anybody know how to correct that?

Also, tips on explaining how to sit the canter? She cantered for the first time this week, and ended up clinging onto the horse's neck for dear life. I've been telling her to "move with the horse, really think about your butt being plastered to the saddle." She also just has general trouble keeping those heels down. Sometimes they'll go down, but not far enough. I've demonstrated for her, pushed them down for her at a walk to get the feeling, and explained over and over again, but she just isn't doing it and it's really effecting her riding position.

Thanks!

Almost a year after the question was asked, but I come in here so infrequently anymore... I figure I can still post a fun idea to help with the heels-down problem for anyone else who might encounter it.

Cut rings out of cardboard, big enough to fit easily over the toe of a boot with plenty of room to spare. The plastic diving rings that you use as pool toys work excellently as well. Balance the rings on the riders' toes. If they keep their heels down, the rings stay on. If their heels come up, their toes go down, and the ring falls off. Some riders need a more concrete input for a concept like that. It's like balancing something on top of your head to remind you to sit up straight.

As for sitting the canter, it's all about relaxing the lower back. Think of the lower back like a bowl of jello. Be butter melting over your horse. Images like that usually work pretty well.