feet bobbing up and down

[acb.antonia]

The trick is to hold it all together with poise rather than tension- this is the bit that takes ages to get right because the muscles need time to mould into this posture so that it's all natural- absolutely no tension.  Easy to say, extremely difficult to do!!  I also find it useful to warm up without stirrups- just walking - so that when I come to work in and take my stirrups back my legs have stretched an inch or 2 which helps to make me feel more secure and keep the legs relaxed too.  In fact, since I've realised that my saddle is no good I have been riding almost exclusively without strrrups. 
I have ended up trying alexander technique with a lady called erica donnison who has horses herself and she has really helped me to understand how it feels to properly relax the muscles- I'd really recommend it to anybody who rides.  I believe that Danny Pevsner who trained at the srs is an alexander practitioner.  No doubt that would be a brilliant combination.
I have also taken up lots of exercise recenltly (it's amazing how much motivation one can muster from trying on a bikini in the bright glaring lights of the debenhams changing rooms!) and have found that my riding has improved enormously since my muscles have become better developed- particularly my core muscles- which I hardly knew how to use beforehand. 
And apparently Nuno Oliveira said that everybody is entitled to at least one fault! Thank the Lord!  His was his head, but with every other inch of him being so perfect I think anybody would give him that one!

[Heather]

Feldenkrais is even better, I feel than AT for riders, Antonia. We are doing a FK workshop here the second week in August with our EET, Joy Morris, who is one of the highest trained FK teachers of riding in the UK. This one is only for other EETs, but we plan on doing more.

Heather

[Heather]

Incidentally, even poise requires a certain amount of muscle tension, without negative force or grip. Without any positive tension at all, you would end up a floppy jelly on a horse!

Heather

[karen]

Heather, thanks for clearing that up for me! I have been struggling to force my heels down as far as I can as I had been told I needed to to obtain a tight calf muscle. I must admit it didn't feel right to me.

[acb.antonia]

Oooooh, feldenkrais.... I will look into that one!  I noticed that arrow equestrian offer that alongside AT and pilates etc but I have never found out what it actually is.  I've heard a few people rave about bowen technique too but again I don't know what that is.
Heather, what is it about fedenkrais that you like?

[Heather]

I'll tell you more as to what I like about it, when I have done the FK workshop with Joy Morris, EET, who also works out of Arrow training. We are running a FK workshop here for EET's the second week in August.