3 minute read
AUTHOR TANJA MITTON
KCM
“If your horse is deemed lazy, check if you’re riding with the hand-break on. Rotate your pelvis to adjust your weight.”
The fifth rung is attention to what the upper thigh and groin are doing. The upper thigh shouldn’t be closed on the horse. Tanja recommends lifting each leg up and then rotating them out to loosen any grip and to increase the range of motion. “Think of John Wayne,” she says. “You can fit a horse in between his thighs when he walks.”
Next is the importance of bent elbows and closed fists. “Soft hands come from bent elbows, not open hands,” she reminds riders. “If you squeeze your thumb and index finger when holding the reins you can’t have a clenched fist. When we learn to ride without (good) instruction, we develop habits that are not that useful to overall riding. We have to break it down into a new way of thinking.”
She worries when people say things like I just want to keep my horse round in the trot, or I just want impulsion. ”These are not simple things,” she says. “First I look at the horse’s posture and ask can it physically stay in the posture. Then I look at whether the rider has the balance, meaning enough inner core strength and stability, enhancing or hindering the horse’s gait in transitions.”
She explains that In order to ride a good soft upward transition, the horse has to engage the abdominal muscles in order to lift its back. “Then the hind legs have to come underneath the body to support the rider’s weight and step forward in balance with the neck soft and round, which we call going ‘on the bit’,” she explains. “The biggest part of my teaching is to break down such concepts as ‘on the bit’, ‘getting impulsion’ and ‘improving rhythm’. I break this down to educate riders first, so the horse is able to achieve all that.”
Tanja teaches riders at all levels, helping them to understand how they’ve been blocking their horse.
“The body buys into the story and controls breathing. Horses are sensitive to energy,” she says, going back to the breath. That long breath out.
Tanja conducts some of her mindset work by phone, which she can do with people anywhere in the world. If you’d like to contact Tanja, book a clinic with her, buy her book ‘It Takes Two to Tango’ or her other on Mindset, or purchase her videos, check her website:
www.tanjamitton.com
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CLUB OF THE MONTH
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Camden Barrel Racing Club Inc was started by a dedicated group of parents and friends who shared
the love of barrel racing. We are a small but growing Sydney based club, affiliated with the Australian Barrel Horse Association. The surface must be prepared to meet specific standards to ensure the safety of both horse and rider. CBRC Inc. welcomes male and female, competitive and beginner/ novice riders, tiny tots to open age riders. It is a very friendly, supportive club. We encourage new riders and assist in any way we can to make everyones day enjoyable. We hold our monthly barrel racing and western pole bending events at Kingsfield Stud, Badgerys Creek NSW. To compete at our events, you must be a member of the Australian Barrel Horse Association. CBRC Inc. dedicates an annual community event where we raise money for a charity. Last year we raised over $1000.00 for MS Australia. This year CBRC Inc. will help raise money for Juvenile Diabetes Australia. Our next event will be 13 & 14 April. Follow us on Facebook Camden Barrel Racing Club Inc for club dates and clinics.
