Aspire Equestrian Monthly Virtual Training Challenge – August

I have a proper post about everything we've been doing in the last month or so to come, but I really wanted to enter this month's Aspire Equestrian training challenge. The idea is that I post a video here of a training problem I'm having, and Wiola at Aspire Equestrian Riding Academy will comment on it, giving me a mini training plan to help me work on it.

So here we are - Echo is back in full work again and much more comfortable after her back injections. She is feeling good, which is making me even more determined to get my own position sorted out. I don't think my position is horrendous, but I have a real issue with keeping my core straight and therefore I have problems keeping Echo straight too. My right hip is really inflexible and tends to clamp to the side of her, then I find it difficult to get enough weight in my left seatbone. I am working on the right hip flexibility, doing exercises on and off the horse, but I really don't know how to straighten my upper body and be stronger through my core.

We are only hacking now and I will be doing all of my schooling out hacking. As of next week, we will have more varied terrain to hack on, rather than just roads. Echo has a weak right hind, so we are doing lots of pole work to build this up, but any ideas about how to sort out my position would be much appreciated.

I'm really excited about this. I apologise that the video is not very interesting - it's mostly Echo and me walking, filmed from behind to show my wonkiness. But...Wiola's comments should be interesting for everyone :)

Echo Straightness from Suzie on Vimeo.