Horse Geeks Episode 174: Riding From the Inside Out

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: We can't become great riders by watching great riders and trying to mimic them. We have to feel our way into becoming a great rider from the inside out. Classical riding postures are what they are for a reason. A beautiful classical seat, whether western, dressage, jumping or racing, is easy to recognize and considered classical because it is the most efficient and effective functional posture for riding. All good riders look sort of the same, quietly stable and soft, because they have discovered the most optimal coordination of the body for the sport they ride. The half seat and racing postures allow a person to use the leg joints more, which is how we keep the torso stable during fast speeds, tight turns and while going over huge obstacles. Riding more upright, like in western and dressage, requires a different posture because we are refining the movement of the horse in different ways. But any classical, beautiful riding posture must be functional first in order to look right. Trying to look the part does not help with the function, so it is always a bit off and not quite right. Once we try to feel and work with the movement of our horse, developing a classically correct seat and riding posture is the result. Guest: Deb Romero, certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/