Recently I submitted an article I wrote to the Centered Riding organization regarding how I use CR in competition as both a rider and as an instructor. I am currently a level II instructor and have been certified with CR as an instructor since 2012. CR has been so useful at shows over the years that I felt strongly about adding my voice to the newsletter regarding how it has benefited both humans and horses in our area!
Here is my submission:
At Bit of Honey Training LLC, as a certified Level II Centered Riding instructor, I actively compete and coach at USEA and USEF eventing competitions as well as local schooling shows. I compete my personal horses and client owned ones, with Centered Riding keeping them sound through the years. When teaching, I use Centered Riding basics at competitions to give my students confidence as well as increase their safety. Centered Riding has been critical to the entire stable’s success over the years!
I am currently located in Northern Colorado and compete at Area IX events. I ride my own personal horses as well as client horses who are for sale and in training to find good homes. Centered Riding has been critical in this endeavor because using the Basics has kept the horses sound, which is particularly important in our area where the ground is significantly harder and galloping cross country can take a toll on horses. For example, breathing correctly to rate a horse’s speed on course allows for much softer riding, and eliminates the need for tie downs or stronger bits which can interrupt correct biomechanics and cause a multitude of joint issues in the horse. Using a deep belly breath to slow down, and the more invigorating pilates breath to increase stride length provides the fine-tuned control one needs to get around a cross county course safely. I have horses well into their teen years who are still happily and soundly schooling and teaching at preliminary level and above as they have been ridden with Centered Riding basics for years. Because we use correct biomechanics through the Basics with these horses, most of them are also able to do their jobs barefoot, which is extremely uncommon in our area!
When coaching at events I’ve found soft eyes to be immensely helpful to my students. Anyone who has been in the warmup at a horse trial can easily recall the bedlam that is multiple horses jumping, with riders yelling to call out their fences, coaches yelling to their riders, and horses running in all directions. Most of the time the warmup is more intimidating than the actual competition tasks of dressage, cross country, and showjumping! Reminding my riders and helping them return to soft eyes in the warmup keeps them calm and balanced. This allows them to be safer, avoiding potential collisions with others by using their peripheral vision effectively. Soft eyes will also keep them returning to their right brain, which coordinates movements, calming them and their horses. Warmup is much more helpful when the horse and rider are calm, balanced, and focused, and soft eyes help develop that.
My riders also have benefited, particularly on cross country, from having their feet grounded. This one piece of bodywork has incredible effects! Cross country jumping is definitely an adrenaline producing activity, largely performed using various degrees of two-point position. Having their feet grounded before they begin their rounds enables my riders to have a more balanced two point because they are more aware of their feet beneath them. This proprioceptive advantage also makes them safer, because more stable feet mean a more stable and balanced rider over all types of terrain.
We are fortunate here in Northern Colorado to have schooling horse trials available in addition to the rated shows, and using Centered Riding played a huge part in the success of one of my client’s mares in the 2021 season. She is a very complicated mare, a hot intelligent Hanoverian who is for sale but started her competition career late due to covid restricting our show schedule in 2020. She competed at a series of local horse trials in Fort Collins, CO at novice level, and at the end of the season came away with Reserve Champion for her division! One of her best scores was her 8.5 in dressage for her halt, performed correctly because she was taught Centered Riding style breathing halts when she was started under saddle.
Centered Riding has been critical to the success of my horses and riders, keeping them sound in mind and body over the years. Breathing, soft eyes, and grounding feet are only three examples of the many ways Centered Riding benefits competitors and their mounts. When people at competitions ask about Centered Riding and what exactly we’re doing, I describe it as teaching the Ultimate Finesse Ride. It allows my riders to accomplish so much more by doing so much less, and preserves our sound, happy horses.
Grounding a student's feet prior to her cross country jumping round.
Showjumping with Highboy at The Event At Archer in Cheyenne, WY
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