Riding Lessons at Cessna Stables
As a firm believer in the validity of Classical Training (Dressage) for both horse and rider, all lessons are taught with these principles in mind:
1) The rider's seat is the primary basic that must be learned, maintained, and improved upon. There is no substitute for competant use of the rider's body. It should be the overarching aid that we use to communicate with the horse. Riding (well) is an athletic endeavor similar in some ways to other balance related endavors such as ice skating, gymnastics, or yoga. It is a matter of horse welfare that the rider take responsibilty for their own body and understand how their balance and strenght (or lack there of impacts the horse's body). All correct advancement in dressage depends firstly on the rider's increasing strength and balance on the horse's back. At a simpler level, confidence and security in the saddle depends on the same. The term seat refers to the rider's ability to maintain correct posture and alignment over the strongest part of the horse's back, to plug into the movement and move with the horse without creating impedence to the horse's back movement, the rider's leg position allowing subtle and effiecent communication. Any lack in the rider's ability to control their own body will show up in over use of the rein aids, unbalancing their horse, causing him to become braced in his back and heavier on his front legs.
2) A conscientous horseman seeks to understand the biomechanical principles that govern the horse's movement
3)the horse's mental welfare
As a firm believer in the validity of Classical Training (Dressage) for both horse and rider, all lessons are taught with these principles in mind:
1) The rider's seat is the primary basic that must be learned, maintained, and improved upon. There is no substitute for competant use of the rider's body. It should be the overarching aid that we use to communicate with the horse. Riding (well) is an athletic endeavor similar in some ways to other balance related endavors such as ice skating, gymnastics, or yoga. It is a matter of horse welfare that the rider take responsibilty for their own body and understand how their balance and strenght (or lack there of impacts the horse's body). All correct advancement in dressage depends firstly on the rider's increasing strength and balance on the horse's back. At a simpler level, confidence and security in the saddle depends on the same. The term seat refers to the rider's ability to maintain correct posture and alignment over the strongest part of the horse's back, to plug into the movement and move with the horse without creating impedence to the horse's back movement, the rider's leg position allowing subtle and effiecent communication. Any lack in the rider's ability to control their own body will show up in over use of the rein aids, unbalancing their horse, causing him to become braced in his back and heavier on his front legs.
2) A conscientous horseman seeks to understand the biomechanical principles that govern the horse's movement
3)the horse's mental welfare