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The pleasure of riding

My riding career has been mostly for relaxtion purposes, doing a little bit of everything. I started to take a liking in Dressage and wanted to refine this skill for me and my horse, James ( an ex race horse). From the beginning it was quite a fight sure he had some physical issues from his old racing days. But we could barely do the basics in Dressage. As a Dentist by trade, I also had my own physical issues. I work in an unnatural postion daily, which, generally left me in a lot of physical body pain, and this I started to accept as the norm. On the riding front this led to me and James bodies fighting one…

Case Study

The importance of breathing

When I met Andrea and her horse Pummi, they were both in a state of panic, not the best place to start riding for either party. She was most concerned about how safe her mount was Observing them together I became aware that Andrea was not breathing correctly and this is a natural reaction to being worried. The horse of course could also sense that there was something amiss and responded with discomfort Not long after creating awareness of the problem and demonstrating some relaxation techniques rider and horse were already showing marked improvement.

Weightless Riding

Western Style Riders

I met Andrea and Stefan, professional Western Competition riders in Germany, when they were having a number of issues with their riding.  I immediately noticed that there was tension in the riders that was causing restrictions in the horse and this was affecting their performance.  Using my knowledge of body movement between horse and rider we started a corrective processes to make the riders more aware of their impact on the horse. Below is a statement from the riders themselves: Read more: Andrea and Stefan Giesecke

Case Study

About Alexander Technique

What do Ronald Dahl, Aldous Huxley, Paul Newman and Sting all have in common? Not a lot may be a good answer, but they have all had lessons in the Alexander technique and have all spoken of the benefits they have received from the technique. This technique is subtly integrated into the Weightless Riding programme to enhance the riding experience. But what is the Alexander technique? The Alexander technique is often described as a breathing technique that involves the posture, but this is only a small part of it. It is much more about becoming aware of the way we use ourselves in every day activities. Without noticing, we all put an enormous amount of strain on our bodies and…

Weightless Riding

Physical Therapy for Horses

The therapeutic value of massage has been proven through many years. We can now give horses the benefit of manual therapy as well, improving their performance through enhancing the bloodflow and optimising their movement.Different massage techniques are used on muscles that cannot relax out of their own accord anymore. Many of the muscle problems come from orthopeadic complications or are the results of an injury or illness. On the other hand the problems can arise due to overworking the horse. Every time we use muscles there are small tears that appear, which is normal, and it is important that enough time is allowed for it to heal itself again. When we then want to increase the performance of the horse,…

Horses

Shoulders

There are a lot of ways our shoulders influence our riding. If we think that we communicate with the horse by saying we want our shoulders to be parallel to that of the horse, that is only the beginning. In the accompanying video clip, you will see how the rider drops her inside shoulder when she wants to turn her horse. This is then followed by collapsing in her ribcage on the same side which then means she is putting more weight on the inside. The horse will follow suit by having more weight on his inside shoulder and then “falling” over that shoulder. The most automatic response of the rider is to try and correct the horse’s shoulder by…

Horses

Full body control

We are now fans. Regardless of whether you are a recreational or tournament rider, or your riding style, Desiree picks up everyone individually, encourages and challenges in a very friendly, but also efficient manner.

Andrea and Stefan Giesecke
Germany

Improvement all around

I can truely confess thanks to Desiree’s input, riding actually makes me feel better and more relaxed.

I am even trimming my own Horses feet, without any physical issues, and my horses love it! We are even doing more than basic dessage moves, without any protests!

Maryke
South Africa

Bounty is fortunate! We are fortunate!

We found Desiree in the last couple of years where everything just seems to just fit.

Nicole & Bounty
Germany

Wonderful

It is unbelievable what we (Picobello and I) have achieved through your lessons: This ease of process – warm up in 10 minutes and off you go – this looseness in both of us – this load capacity, bending of the hand and momentum – this almost slow-motion galloping – a real pleasure!

Tine
Germany

Desiree begins where horse and rider connect

Desiree´s work starts where the vertebrae of two mammal connect. At first it is almost ridiculously easy, with unusual exercises like the “wiggly-waggly”, cycling backwards and singing in all gaits. This already makes every rider who is too much in his head, and every scared rider stumble upon the first aha moment.

Anja Tschamler
Germany

A lightbulb moment

Desiree’s approach is relaxed, creating a positive and welcoming atmosphere. One of the most standout aspects she has taught me over the years is to be more body aware, as every little change and movement in our body has an effect on the horse. To help you achieve this, Desiree paints the most beautiful pictures, which you can refer back to, weeks after the lessons.

Madeleine Pais-Mamede
Germany