hi Pete,(1)i face a...

Question
hi Pete,

(1)
i face a problem and i think as a horse expert u would be able to help me in it..

i've been ridding for 2 years & 3 months..
from the begining it was clear that my whole legs were so weak it was like a dead part of my body when i was ridding.. but it gets much stronger than before.. specially when i begin to jump..
i though it was strong enough!
but when i started juming higher fences (135 cm) i totally lost my balance.. although i can keep myself ON the horse..

so could u know where is the weakest point that make me lose my balance.. is it my knee?

all what i want is to have a perfect balance and to have an extremly flexible body.. how can i reach this? is there speacial sports that can help? or special exercises?

(2)
there's another problem with the horse i ride in jumping (he's not my own horse by the way)..
depending on my information the jumping horse MUST have a very flexible & a curved nick.. but my horse have a very straight and strong nick.. here's some pictures for him:

he's a German/15 years horse (and by the way this is an old pics, he was kind of sick when i took them)

http://drr.cc/up12/abl1.JPG
http://drr.cc/up12/abl2.JPG
http://drr.cc/up12/abl3.JPG

is there a way that can fix his nick? and in the same way is somewhat simple so i can do it myself? and how long do u think it will take?

i start using a (fixed bit) which makes controlling his strong head an easy job, but i want to fix the real problem beside that his nick in this way look ugly :D


kind regards,
sara

Answer
Hi Sara,

First, for me, it's a struggle between balance and strength, so if you can take some time and work on both upper and lower body strength, that will be the best. I have found that just climbing lots of stairs helped me the most for leg strength. If you want to do more than that, I'd suggest spending some time at a gym and ask a trainer on what things will bext help your legs and lower body strength. If you want a really good chance for increasing strength - and balance, then you might want to look into some ballet. Or if that won't work, perhaps pilates training for strength and flexibility.

For your horse, my suggestion is to work on the haunches more than the neck. His hips are way, way underdeveloped from the pictures you showed me. I would spend time doing what's called "hill work" by doing a lot of trotting, and walking up and down as steep a hill as you can find. OVer time (it will take a few months) you'll see a big difference in your own strength and his. As for flexibility for him, look into some dressage clinics or take a couple of privates in "bending." You'd be surprised what you can learn and carry through in even a few short lessons.

Lastly, consider "course work" instead of single jumps, or in line jumps. Given time, those will do a lot of good for both you and your horse. Set up a course of jumps in a circle, and jump them one way, then another. Also you can work over poles in a circle, with the poles laid out in a spoke pattern... that will help develop balance and concentration.

Let me know if this is what you're looking for, but I think it will help!

Happy New Year,
- Pete