Centered Riding

[DsMom]

My barn just hosted a 2 day centered riding clinic with Susan Harris. I found it very helpful. Yes, as I'm at a h/j barn, there was an emphasis on jumping, but that's ok. (Even got told I ride with my stirrups a bit long for jumps. Oh well, I did tell them I rode flat work and ground poles). Discovered that I really wasn't bending thru my hips... and breathing is hard, lol. Also found that I wasn't placing my foot in the stirrups in a spot that allowed my hips to move. That was an eye opener.

Just curious if anyone else has done a centered riding clinic? What did you think?

[Chancellor]

I was lucky enough to ride with Sally Swift herself. And it was an amazing experience. The foot in the stirrups thing was an eyeopener for me as well.

[piedmontfields]

That sounds like a great experience. Could you share more about your foot placement? (what you were doing, what you changed)

I'm making plans to go audit Suzanne von Dietz again next month as I found her teaching so eye-opening last year.

[Abby Kogler]

I got my level one CR Cert with Susan Harris at Smith College in the early 90s and was lucky enough to live near Southmowing so could watch Ther Real Her in action. Centered Riding is a very useful approach to riding well. Susan is a phenom teacher with an incredible eye. I would love to be able to clinic with her again.

[Ryeissa]

I have been doing this type of work for 4 yrs- it exactly what I needed to do. I also had to change how I place my foot

[Hayburner]

Interesting! I have the book and I think a few videos somewhere. Maybe now that I have a non push button horse I should watch them. I can use all the help I can get with my mare

[Bip]

Recently, I was thinking I’d like to listen to Centered Riding (which I got for Christmas when I was 12 and have read several times) on audiobook. The only place that has it is Learning Ally which is only available to people with a documented disability related to reading (and costs a fortune!) Dang.

The Susan Harris clinic sounds like a great experience!

[DsMom]

For the foot thing: she tapped various places on the sole until I could feel the tap go up thru my leg. She placed that spot on the stirrup, then illustrated how my leg coukd flex thru the hip. She moved my foot slightly, and suddenly my leg was locked: zero flexion thru the hip. A definite eye opener for me.

I'm very lucky to have a BO that believes in focusing on things like this.

[musical comedy]

DsMom, is the spot different on each person? For you, was it more on the ball of foot or closer to the toe?

Also, what about people that ride without irons. Are the hips locked or unlocked?

[Chancellor]

For the foot thing: she tapped various places on the sole until I could feel the tap go up thru my leg. She placed that spot on the stirrup, then illustrated how my leg coukd flex thru the hip. She moved my foot slightly, and suddenly my leg was locked: zero flexion thru the hip. A definite eye opener for me.

I'm very lucky to have a BO that believes in focusing on things like this.

I had forgotten all about this. Too bad I don't have a horse to re-focus on.

[piedmontfields]

D's mom, thanks for the description. May I ask what you mean by "flex through the hip"? Is that opening the hip angle, closing the hip angle or moving the hip bones in or out from midline or ?

[StraightForward]

I would love to take a CR clinic someday. The book taught me so much as a teenager without access to any instruction that I can say it totally changed my riding life. Oddly, I bought the follow-on book about 5 years ago and can't seem to work my way through it.

[Abby Kogler]

DsMom, is the spot different on each person? For you, was it more on the ball of foot or closer to the toe?

Also, what about people that ride without irons. Are the hips locked or unlocked?

Ill jump in with my experiences with the clinics and certification.

AIR, Susan would tap the whole foot. Ball, arch, heel...just tapping of soft hand slapping. I well remember that sensation of tingle/awareness traveling up my leg, first to calf and then every time she would do it would go farther. I would say that was the universal response for all of us in the clinics and then for the students that we taught.

With or without irons didn't matter. If a rider has years of bareback chances are their hips are not locked but not many do, so many do have tight hips. The foot tapping and the mainuplations of our legs that she would do were all hel[ful/useful/interesting and all helped the riders ride with a longer less gripping leg.

[piedmontfields]

Thanks for describing. It sounds more like finding *extension* in the thigh out of the hip (through the psoas) rather than flexion.

For flexion of the hip, think of heading towards more of a crouched or fetal position. Most of us are already fairly talented at this and don't need to practice!

[LeoApp]

Recently, I was thinking I’d like to listen to Centered Riding (which I got for Christmas when I was 12 and have read several times) on audiobook. The only place that has it is Learning Ally which is only available to people with a documented disability related to reading (and costs a fortune!) Dang.

The Susan Harris clinic sounds like a great experience!

What about the Audible app?

[Bip]

Recently, I was thinking I’d like to listen to Centered Riding (which I got for Christmas when I was 12 and have read several times) on audiobook. The only place that has it is Learning Ally which is only available to people with a documented disability related to reading (and costs a fortune!) Dang.

The Susan Harris clinic sounds like a great experience!

What about the Audible app?

If you find it on audible, let me know. I didn’t find it.