"By helping you understand how your body interfaces with your horse, I hope to help you meet your riding goals and, at the same time, ride in good health and prevent injury. My approach is based on anatomy and how the human body works. I present the skills you need to ride well and offer specific exercises to teach these skills."-Beth Glosten, MD
After leaving horses behind for many years to pursue her medical career, Dr. Beth Glosten decided it was time to ride again only to discover that, as a middle-aged woman, she struggled with tension, awkwardness, and an aching back. Dr. Glosten's own frustration with riding prompted her to apply her clinical research skills to figure out what it would take to not only create the harmonious picture of horse and rider moving together, but also feel good while doing it.
- Clear, practical explanations of the realities of the human body and how it can be trained to accommodate the shape and movement of the horse, as well as the skills necessary in all riding sports.
- More than 50 easy-to-do exercises to help develop fitness and mechanics specific to riding.
- Over 300 color photographs and more than 40 anatomical illustrations.
- Case studies examining common problems and practical solutions using the exercises in this book.
- Recommended warm-ups and workouts to help every rider get started with a program of healthy, pain-free, beautiful riding.
In this book, Dr. Glosten shows others how best to improve their posture and position in order to prevent unnecessary physical degeneration, ensuring they can ride, and ride well, for many years to come. Readers will find basic rider anatomy that is easy to understand, as well as over 50 step-by-step exercises geared toward developing riding skills. Plus, Dr. Glosten has developed a systematic "Rider Checklist" to help you keep track of your position and function in the saddle. Throughout, case studies share rider stories that illustrate the kinds of physical challenges experienced in the saddle in midlife, and how they can be met with proactive, pain-free solutions. The result is a remarkably valuable book.