Mary Wanless - Ride With Your Mind
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.
Mary Wanless - Ride With Your Mind
Ep. 66 How I misdiagnosed two riders, and learnt the folly of my ways from a set of toe separators!
I did the ‘boards as blades’ exercise with a young rider I know well, and discovered that it was difficult for her to get her right board to go down.
Later, when the group did a dismounted exercise, she realised that she curled her toes under her foot on that side, which in turn led to her knee coming up, and also her board coming up. This is a very unusual pattern - usually the knee that comes up goes with a seat bone that goes down - and I had misdiagnosed her, falling short of my own principles!
When my young friend tried on a set of toe separators the next day, she felt so contorted she could barely walk. But when she rode in them, the change was almost instant, with her knee, seat bone, and her entire right third coming into place with ‘stuffing’ and stability.
Toe curling is a big deal - take it very seriously, it’s an exceptionally debilitating pattern, which many riders experience in canter.