Send us your feedback!Back to Rider Biomechanics! I’ll uncover the effective alternatives to growing tall.The majority of women are hollow-backed, with their front longer than their back, and the majority of men are round-backed. There are different ways and places that people hollow, so let's dive in and explore both the challenges and the solutions! We’ll meet low‑beam headlights, seat‑bone flashlights, and two hinges that click you into neutral spine.
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Ep. 72 Mind the gap or embrace the gain?
Send us your feedback!This episode is about how our perspective shapes our experience.So often, we measure ourselves against where we wish we were, living in the “gap” and feeling the distance between where we are and where we think we should be. This episode invites you to turn around and notice your “gains”—the small, real steps you’ve made, even if they feel tiny or hard-won. Through some stories, we’ll explore how shifting focus from what’s missing to what’s growing can change your experience of learning, riding, and even daily life. It’s about celebrating progress, not perfection, and finding satisfaction in the journey itself.
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Ep 71. Bringing out the best in you and your horse!
Send us your feedback!Do you want to bring out the best in you and your horse? I certainly do. In this episode, we’re diving into what it takes to bring out the best in both of you—and how to navigate the journey ahead.Every journey needs a map, and I’ll be sharing one that’s robust, reliable, and designed to guide you whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your skills. This episode is packed with insights to help you unlock hidden potential.
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Ep. 70 What does it take to become a skilled rider?
Send us your feedback!I tell the story of a rider with phenomenal talent in another area of life, and ask, how did this affect her riding, and how would it be if we taught riding as if it were a martial art? I discuss what it means for riding that ‘form follows function’, and how this relates to the challenges inherent in riding well, and also to the ‘chicken and egg’ nature of the ways that riders and horses affect each other. A lot of answers are to be found in the geometry (whether sacred or not) that we have delineated and expounded on through our various exercises. They can have such a good effect our combined fascial net. Please practice them!The issue of social license has recently come more to the fore, and I talk about the truism that "where skill ends, violence begins" by considering the hierarchy of: environment, behaviour, skills and capabilities, beliefs and values, identity, purpose and spirituality. If we fail to acknowledge the layers that lie between behaviour and identity, we will not find answers to the evolving ethics of keeping, breeding, and riding horses. We need those answers not just for the instances that hit the press, but also for smaller transgressions, that can be individual and/or cultural, and that we and the wider world are now questioning.
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Ep. 69 C curves, S shapes, and uneven seat bones
Send us your feedback!The rider with rebars that connect diagonally through her can use these to pattern her horse in shoulder in, suggesting to him how he could transmit force through his body from his inside hind leg to his outside foreleg. This can make riders feel much more effective! I continue with an exercise that involves resting your back against the back of a chair, whilst moving your skin, muscles and fascia sideways over the underlying bones. This develops the idea of two ‘long narrow triangles’ in your back. Becoming able to find, clarify, and ultimately equalise these triangles is incredibly helpful - though the differences between them, and what it takes to make (and keep) them more equal, may shock you! The distortions in your rib cage are a big factor in your asymmetry, and as you will discover, the distortion of your ribcage remains constant even though your asymmetry may morph from a C curve to an S shape. But you now have a powerful tool to help with this.
MARY WANLESS presents crucial information on how the Ride With Your Mind approach to Rider Biomechanics can transform your learning, your riding, and possibly your life. Out of frustration at her progression as a rider, Mary embarked on a journey to discover the 'how' of skilled riding - why couldn’t she learn to ride as skilfully as “talented” riders? Over more than 40 years she has decoded the hidden laws of rider-horse interaction and now teaches the skills that combine to create “talent”, both in person and through online courses at www.dressagetraining.tv. In these podcasts, Mary talks about her journey to date, her key discoveries, and some pivotal moments. She illuminates her key points with metaphor and story, and, at times, presents insights derived from sports psychology. Prepare to be entertained, to learn, to become curious, and to understand a little (or maybe a lot) more about your interaction with your horse. Check out these podcasts, and visit www.dressagetraining.tv for information about their vast library of online courses and webinars, presented by Mary and her Ride With Your Mind colleagues.
New Zealand