Core Skills for Dressage Riders: Suzanne DeStefano

Mind, body, environment, they are inseparable.  Understanding how each affects the others can help with how you interact with your horse. Support the showwebsite: www.fi4eq.comhttps://www.instagram.com/feldydressage/Feldenkrais Inspired for Equestrians | Facebookhttps://youtube,com/@suzannedestefano4599email: sdestefano1@hotmail.com

How do you improve your balance in the saddle when your horse suddenly spins around? Or stops suddenly? Standing on one foot, although helpful to improve balance, does not fully address the situation. You need to have the flexibility to withstand an external force and remain upright. Standing on unstable surfaces isn't enough either.  That doesn't help when the perturbance comes from another source than under your feet. Fast drills to improve your reflex time also falls short because those changes of direction and jumps are planned. They are expected by you because they are planned by you.  What is best to improve your ability to maintain balance with unplanned perturbances? Tune in to find out!Support the showhttps://www.instagram.com/feldydressage/Feldenkrais Inspired for Equestrians | Facebookhttps://youtube,com/@suzannedestefano4599email: sdestefano1@hotmail.com

Sitting quietly on a moving horse is complex. The horse's movement muddles your ability to sense. Keeping track of the movement of your hands is far more challenging in the saddle. Listen in for some strategies to help stabilize your hands.Support the showhttps://www.instagram.com/feldydressage/Feldenkrais Inspired for Equestrians | Facebookemail: sdestefano1@hotmail.com

Are you working hard, frustrated, or not progressing as much as you want? If struggle and frustration are too common, there are actions you can take. Your extra effort and negative emotions can be a thing of the past. Find a more positive way of going about how you ride. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for my newsletter.Thank you for listening!Support the show

How you use yourself working in hand is important. This podcast focuses on managing your posture, aligning yourself next to your horse, and the idea that you are managing forces within yourself and your horse. Support the show

Create a functional leg position through understanding the connection between the alignment of the torso and legs. This is the follow up of my previous podcast on leg position. You can find it here: BuzzsproutFor more information, contact me on Facebook or Instagram as feldydressage. My email is sdestefano1@hotmail.comSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/feldydressage)

Trying to get that leg position that effortlessly drapes around your horse? The one that allows you to use your leg without turning it out or scrunching it up? Listen to hear what you need to do to achieve it!I have broken down the process to develop your ideal leg position. While it is described in this podcast, the process is individual. For more information, contact me on Facebook or Instagram as feldydressage. My email is sdestefano1@hotmail.comSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/feldydressage)

A few brief thoughts and first steps you can take to build "feel." Feel is a skill you can improve. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/feldydressage)

An overview of the posting trot using movement principles and biomechanics for ideal function to help you improve.Suzanne DeStefanowww.fi4eq.comwww.Facebook.com/fi4eq Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/feldydressage)

Listen in to a lesson I taught to help a rider improve her balance, stability, and function in the saddle. Many of the corrections were very subtle, but were felt by the rider to increase ease and security in the saddle. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/feldydressage)

Improving the quality of your contact with soft hands comes from ideal use of your whole self. This takes dedication and commitment to improve your overall functioning, focusing on subtle movements that are almost invisible and effortless. For more information and guidance, find me on Facebook and Instagram. email: sdestefano1@hotmail.comSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/feldydressage)

Thoughts on Improving Your SeatThe process of improving your seat helps with confidence and self-reliance. When you allow ease to be your guide, the process changes and what you focus on shifts. 

How can you use Feldenkrais strategies to improve your riding? Contact me at sdestefano1@hotmail.com to sign up for my newsletterFind me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/fi4eq Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/feldydressage)

Riders with "feel" communicate well with their horses.. Many believe that you are born with "feel", or you're not born with "feel." And that is what differentiates those with talent and those without talent. "Feel" is a skill you can develop. Listen to this episode to find out what steps are part of the process so you can develop the skills for better "feel." Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/feldydressage)

So many riders I talk to complain about tight hips. They try unsuccessfully to open their hip angle, repeating exercises on and off the horse that only produce a temporary shift in their position that they can't seem to maintain. To open your hip angle in the saddle you need to consider it a whole body self-organization. Focusing solely on the hips will limit the possibilities and will not set you up to achieve your goal.Newletter sign up; email me at sdestefano1@hotmail.comJoin my Facebook group at (4) Core Skills for Dressage Riders | FacebookLike my Facebook page: www.facebok.com/fi4eqwww.fi4eq.com Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/feldydressage)