riding lessons

Hi Sydney!

Here's a link to the "Perfect Horse" page on John's website.
http://www.johnlyons.com/sponsors/ph.php

I bought the magazine to help my daughter with the school fund raiser magazine 'drive', and I'm glad I got it. It doesn't come out every month, which is kind of nice because then you don't have 50 million magazines hanging around your house. I've received a couple of issues now, and have found them to be very interesting and the info has been very timely.

I get the magazine as well. A friend of mine gets it for me every christmas. Of course I get about 6 mags a month so I do have piles of them lying around but they have very valuable information in them. My favorite magazine is equus of course.

I hate to double post but I FOUND IT, I FOUND IT!!!

http://www.levelrider.com/

I think I am going to get one or at least figure a way to make one for my english saddle too! I find I am off balance jumping a lot. I however am going to buy their version for my students. What a wonderful tool!

Wow, what a neat item. Thanks for finding it!

I am still having weekly Bowen therapy and my therapist keeps saying that my right side is so much weaker than my left, which would explain why I keep leaning to the right. My treatments are slowly helping.

I just got two books in that I ordered, both written by Gincy Bucklin. Apparently, she's got exercises to do that are very helpful for balance as well - "borrowing" techniques from Sally Swift as well as many others. I am looking forward to reading it, as it's come very highly recommended.

I e-mailed the company and asked them about an english one and they said they were in the process of trying to figure it out.

I am ordering one at the end of the week. Free shipping and everything I can't wait!

Thanks for telling us about this. I'm off to raid the tool box to see what I can adapt! Such an obvious idea it's amazing no one thought of it sooner. Please keep us posted about an English version. Fin

honestly I think the original idea was a circular level with a piece of bike tire tube glued around it. Looks just like it actually,

Woo Hoo!! Went to riding lessons on Monday night (since last Saturday's was canceled), and I loped in a "small" (as opposed to the entire arena) circle and my left foot didn't slip out of the stirrup at all!! I guess I was concentrating on steering the horse so much that I didn't even think of losing my balance. I felt so good.

Yay for you! Nice to hear that you are enjoying your lessons. I am just getting back to riding more seriously (hey, I have a 3 year old, a husband and 70 cows that are just starting to calve) and have decided to start dressage. Typically a western rider, I picked up a book by Jessica Jahiel (sp?) and am hooked on dressage now!

Keep us posted on those lessons Cyndi!

Yes, you do have a busy life! I'd like to get into something with Fanny someday, when both of us are ready for it, but I have no idea what that might be.

I think that the Bowen therapy that I've been having has made a difference in my riding lessons as well. Last week I had my hamstrings worked on, so it relaxes them more, and I was able to stretch my legs longer and sit in the saddle better. Because of my work schedule and a vacation, I will be missing my riding lessons in all of March, which is too bad because after the last lesson I am really pumped about doing more. On a positive note, the arena should be starting to feel warmer by April. I hope so, anyway.

I'm not so sure about that balance thing. What if the horse is crooked? (and most are, just as most of us are, horses always want to weight one shoulder more than the other). Then the spirit level will be off and your weighting the opposite seat bone will just put uneven pressure on your horses back (and won't correct his crookedness).

Cyndi, you need the therapy AND the exercise. The exercise is your homework between therapies otherwise the work that your massage therapist or chiropracter does will come undone between sessions. It's important that your form for the exercises is perfect - use a mirror if you can to make sure you stay properly aligned. Again, it's the same with horses - Zeno had trouble with his hips going out of alignment last year so I had to diligently make sure he was exercising in good form inbetween sessions. He was recently pronounced in perfect balance recently so thats great. I'm doing 10 mins of Pilates every day at the moment to try and ensure I can say the same of myself...!

I agree, I have to exercise in between lessons and therapy sessions. Seems like I'm always on the go, but I need to find time to do it, like when I'm watching tv or something.

Just want to update since I originally posted it in this thread. I got the level rider today and it is exactly as I said, a bicycle tire tube glued around a circular level. Anyway it is a very useful piece of equipment.