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

by Sally Batton, Christina Keim (Primary Contributor)

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 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 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” 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.

184 pages, Paperback

Published March 22, 2022

Reviews

[Marte Okkelmo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth buying

I gave up this book when the author advised that the rider should not have more than about 5 pounds of weight in each hand throughout her ride, increasing to 10 pounds when giving an aid. 5 POUNDS!!! No horse I have ridden would accept 5 pounds pressure in the mouth.