THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE FOR RIDERS

Imagine you have taken a child to ride on your shoulders. If the child sways around, slumps, tightens up with fear you feel it. If the child is confident and balanced you walk along happily carrying the weight. The horse is a sensitive creature, he feels a fly on his back: think how he must feel with you on his back if you and he are not in harmony.

The Alexander Technique can help you find that harmony. It can improve your balance and body awareness and help you develop a more independent seat. You can learn to be more effective in a subtle but powerful way: toned rather than tense, relaxed but not floppy.

Philippa teaches many riders in conjunction with Susie Nevill Parker, a trainer experienced in the art of Classical Dressage, who owns and runs the Arrow Equestrian Centre at Pembridge in Herefordshire.

Since how you are off the horse is reflected in the way you ride, Philippa will start by working with you on the ground, and on a saddle horse, before Susie gives you a lunge or a ride on one of her highly trained horses. You are also welcome and indeed encouraged to have extra lessons outside the riding environment.

Philippa, Susie and Sarah Merriam Pierce, a Feldenkrais practioner, give regular day courses on particular topics, such as seat and legs, arms, balance, combining the benefits of Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, and Susie's riding experience. See Susie's website for details, www.arrowequestrian.co.uk.

Philippa riding Crisp

Report on Erik Herbermann Dressage Clinic March 2010

Following the clinic last August at Arrow Equestrian, which I spent mostly in walk on a 10 metre circle, I went in on the first day 'determined' not to be on that circle again. So Crisp complied and we trotted and cantered on the aids, working over the back, forward and down, back up on the aids etc. etc.. Everything seemed OK, except for the slight nag at the back of my mind that we were missing something. Where was the 'slow but go', the rebalancing, the stepping? I couldn't quite find it. Even so Erik seemed reasonably impressed: which is actually not the point. You go on a clinic to learn something new.

Anyway on day 3 Crisp seemed to decide it all for me. There was no possibility of putting him on the aids. He quit and I struggled. Erik helped us slow down, find some balance and some stepping (at which point Susie walked in and I knew she would think I didn't have enough energy!).

Day 4 and we were back on the 10 metre circle, with relief I have to admit. We did some more work on turning/guiding and with a lot of help from Erik managed to consolidate what we had worked on in the previous clinic. The fact is that when you need a tug on the rein you need a tug, when you need a whisper you need a whisper. It is up to the rider to be clear. Clarity of the school figure and of the aid. Aid, get a response, stop giving the aid. As for energy you have to ask for it, with the leg, spur, whip as appropriate. It is not just going to happen. Again clarity is the key: plus all the little things such as not giving away your outside rein, not bending out, not pulling back with the inside rein but taking the hand into the centre of the circle.

At the end of day 6 we did a wonderful 10 metre circle in trot which made the whole clinic worthwhile. The story will continue in August.