The Athletic Equestrian: Over 40 Exercises for Good Hands, Power Legs, and Superior Seat Awareness

by Sally Batton, Christina Keim

Overview

A proven rider training system to sharpen position and vastly improve skill in the saddle.

Whether competing in the show ring or riding at home on the trail, every rider wants to be more secure and balanced in the saddle and effective with their aids. This innovative guide uses highly effective exercises to develop your athleticism on horseback so you can say goodbye to common rider problems, such as:

• Swinging lower legs.
• Stiff arms.
• Trouble balancing over the horse’s center of gravity.
• Half-halts that go unanswered.
• Incorrect mechanics, on the flat and in the jumping position.
• And more.

Division I collegiate riding coach Sally Batton has spent over 30 years perfecting her methods specifically designed to refine and polish riders, whatever their level. In her work with hundreds of varsity team athletes, she found that trouble with position and lack of specific horsemanship skills happens for two reasons: First, riders may not have an understanding of the biomechanics required to maintain the correct position. Second, they may not have attained the suppleness and strength required to maintain a fluid, elastic position on the horse.

Her secret to combatting these difficulties won her teams dozens of championships and awards through the years. Here you learn both her time-proven warm-up and her exciting “Equicize” routine: a series of progressive exercises similar to aerobics on horseback. Batton’s recommendations help you build and strengthen the major muscle groups used by equestrian athletes, and all exercises can be customized so you can raise or lower the intensity as needed to suit your age, level, and riding style. Plus, readers find dozens of creative training “hacks” that will get them on their way to greater levels of riding proficiency in no time at all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646010516
Publisher:	Trafalgar Square
Publication date:	03/22/2022
Pages:	184
Sales rank:	513,335
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Sally Batton holds an Equestrian Studies degree from Lake Erie College in Ohio, and a master’s degree in Communications from Fairleigh-Dickinson Universityin New Jersey. She was the head coach of the Dartmouth College Division I Varsity Equestrian Team for 30 years, coaching dozens of riders to regional, zone, and national titles. In 2020, Coach Batton was inducted into the inaugural class of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Hall of Fame. She currently travels all over the United States, teaching clinics to riders of all ages and levels. Batton is the author, with co-writer Christina Keim, of Equicize, also published by Trafalgar Square Books. An avid polocrosse enthusiast, Batton is a certified APA Polocrosse Coach and the author of Polocrosse: Australian Made, Internationally Played (Belcris, 1990). Batton is the Founder and President of the Athletic Equestrian League, an organization offering horsemanship education and competition opportunities to both English and Western riders, from first grade through adult. She is also the host of the popular Athletic Equestrian Riding in College Podcast. An avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast, when not on the road teaching, Batton can be found hiking the hills of New Hampshire, kayaking in the summers, and skiing and snowshoeing in the winter (athleticequestrian.com). 

Christina Keim, M Ed, MFA, is an award-winning narrative journalist with over 1,000 published articles to her credit. Her work has appeared in The Chronicle of the Horse, UnTacked, Equine Journal, Practical Horseman, The Eastern Equerry, Northeast Equestrian Life, Green Mountain Horse Association Magazine, Woodstock Magazine, and The Plaid Horse, among others. With Sally Batton, she is the co-writer of Equicize, also published by Trafalgar Square Books. For nearly two decades a top intercollegiate hunter seat coach, Keim now teaches compassionate horsemanship and offers equine-assisted coaching out of her Cold Moon Farm in Rochester, New Hampshire (christinakeim.com).

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Hip Flexors, Hip Flexors, Wherefore Art Thou? A Guide to the Rider's Warm-Up 5

Getting Started 7

Exercise: Toe Rolls 7

The Hip Flexor Triad 7

Exercise: Soldier Leg Lifts 9

Exercise: Froggy Leg Lifts 10

Exercise: Identifying Your Seat Bones 11

Exercise: Locating the Top of Your Pelvic Bone 11

Exercise: Knee Stretch Downs 12

Exercise: Windmills 13

Exercise: Shoulder Rolls 15

Chapter 2 Equicize 16

Establishing Your Fitness Baseline 17

Exercise: Equicize Level One-Posting Contractions 21

Exercise: Equicize Level Two-Sit-Ones 21

Exercise: Equicize Level Three-Sit-Ones with Posting Contractions 23

Exercise: Equicize Level Four-The Chest Press 23

Advanced Equicize 26

Session Goal-Setting 26

Chapter 3 The Fundamental Two-Point: Gym Squats on Horseback 28

Two-Point Biomechanics in Practice 30

Two-Point Biomechanics: Evaluate Your Awareness Baseline 36

Exercise: Two-Point Test 1 36

Exercise: Two-Point Test 2 36

Exercise: Two-Point Test 3 37

Exercise: Two-Point Test 4 39

Chapter 4 The Power Leg 41

Exercise: Find Your Power Leg 47

Exercise: Power Leg Test 48

Chapter 5 Good Hands and Magic Bands: Addressing Connection 50

Shortening Your Reins-Correctly 57

Using the Elbow and Wrist Magic Bands 58

Chapter 6 Flat-Back Roll-Ups and Eyes-Up Goggles: Improving Upper Body Posture 63

Exercise: Using Flat-Back Roll-Ups for Posture Correction 66

Keep Your Head Up 68

Testing Your Posture Practice with the Trot-Canter Transition 72

Exercise: Trot-to-Canter Transition Position Check 74

Exercise: Canter-to-Trot Transition Position Check 78

Tying It Together: The Walk-to-Canter Transition 79

Exercise: Get a Marching Walk 79

Exercise: Create a Level Balance 81

Exercise: Walk-Canter Transition 82

Chapter 7 Improving Seat Awareness Through Downward Transitions 84

The Rider's Pelvis: Letting the Rhythm Move You 85

The Rider's Pelvis as an Influencer 87

Exercise: Establish the Working Walk 87

Exercise: Shortening the Walk 90

Exercise: Lengthening the Walk 91

Exercise: Establish Working Trot 93

Exercise: Shortening and Lengthening the Trot 97

Exercise: Lengthening the Canter 100

Exercise: Shortening the Canter 103

Riding Your Way to Better Downward Transitions 103

Exercise: Finding the "Drop Down" Point 104

Exercise: Walk-to-Halt Transition 104

Exercise: Trot-to-Walk Transition 107

Exercise: Canter-to-Trot Transition 107

Chapter 8 The Torture-Free Sitting Trot 108

Tip 1 Follow Through the Transition 110

Exercise: Walk-to-Sitting-Trot Transition 110

Tip 2 Disconnect Your Brain 111

Exercise: Stop Overthinking the Sitting Trot 112

Tip 3 Learn by Watching the Best 113

Exercise: Ride Like Your Idol 115

Tip 4 Practice on a Circle 115

Exercise: Back Pockets 116

So You Think You Can Sit the Trot… 118

Chapter 9 The Biomechanics of Bending 123

Bending Basics 125

Exercise: Springing 128

Exercise: Map Out a Circle 129

Exercise: Ride the Bend 130

Exercise: More Advanced Bending 133

Exercise: Figure Eights 134

Troubleshooting the Bend 138

Chapter 10 Making Friends with an Unfamiliar Horse 142

Trying a Horse for Lease or Purchase 144

Getting Acquainted Under Saddle 150

Assessing Your Collegiate Horse Show Draw 153

Conclusion 160

Learn More and About the Authors 163

Acknowledgements 167

Index 169

Editorial Reviews

Sally Batton’s The Athletic Equestrian demonstrates that truly anyone can be a student of riding. Her wonderfully illustrative guide covers the fundamentals of the sport, and progresses through strength development to the nuances of skill advancement. She has created, in essence, a self-guided tour down the path of equitation, allowing athletes with a limited access to in-person training resources a visual presentation of the fundamentals, as well as even the most experienced riders a ‘behind the curtain’ look at catch-riding in the collegiate format. The Athletic Equestrian is a wonderful tool for the competitive athlete but also a fun refresher for those of us with decades in the sport—I will certainly be ‘borrowing’ a few of Sally’s innovative teaching tips!”—Vanessa Bartsch, Executive Director & Head Coach, Stanford Equestrian 

“I’ve been a huge fan of Sally Batton and her training programs for years, and my admiration for her only grew after reading this wonderful new book! I’m certain that riders of all ages and disciplines will both enjoy and benefit from the amazing variety of lessons and exercises contained in The Athletic Equestrian! Our sport is so lucky to have Sally!” —Daniel Stewart, Equestrian Sport Psychology, Fitness and Performance Coach, author of Bolder-Braver-Brighter and Fit and Focused in 52

“An endless toolbox of tips and strategies for riders, and not just for those who aspire to be varsity athletes.... The Athletic Equestrian is, of all things, practical. In it are all manner of easily grasped concepts and exercises.... Catch riding is hard. If you can catch ride, you can ride when the pressure is less amped, and here in this book are lots of real ways to help you do just that.”  —Denny Emerson, USEA Hall-of-Fame Inductee and Author of Begin and Begin Again, Know Better to Do Better, and How Good Riders Get Good

“This comprehensive instructional manual will help riders of all ages and abilities develop and strengthen muscles that are essential for a stable and effective position in the saddle. This is a book that you will refer to time and time again!” —Northeast Equestrian Life

“I have known Sally Batton for several years now, having met her through the IHSA. I have had the pleasure of judging her IHSA shows at Dartmouth College along with some AEL shows. While judging the IHSA shows I was able to see firsthand the results of her instructional methods used in training her IHSA riders. There is no doubt, after observing how well her riders rode that her methods do work and can create a very effective, secure riding position, that is also classically correct. The Athletic Equestrian should be in the library of every collegiate and scholastic coach.” —Nancy Kohler-Cunningham, USEF "r" Hunters/Equitation, IEA Executive Board of Directors, Lake Erie College Senior Hunt Seat Coach, IHSA Zone 6/Region 1 President

“I absolutely LOVE the book. I was hooked and read the whole thing in three days. I tried some of the techniques during an eq ride, WOW—what an impact. The power leg is absolute gold on my wriggly and bouncy guy!! Sally Batton’s ability to break down feel is uncanny.” —Ali Hartman, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Founder of EqFit

  

From the Publisher