Gav chats us through what exercises and training we can do to improve our riding for polo...
What Riding Training Should I be Doing?
Transcription:
So, the next question is, 'What riding training should I be doing?' And I think the question is, you know, what training should I be doing for my riding, to help my riding, to get me fitter and ride better?
You know, basically, as we always say. To me, you've got to get onto sheepskin. Take your saddle away, get onto sheepskin and do a lot of sheepskin riding. And do the exercises, guys, with you know, with you on a sheepskin.
Do things like barrel racing, okay. You need four barrels. A starting barrel. You go to the right, go right around that barrel, left around the one opposite it, left around the one opposite the starting barrel and back again. And time yourself. Okay. And learn to get the actual...
Why would you do barrel racing? Because on the field, remember that when you check your horse, you're going to find that it's the roughest when you're checking. So, if you check a little bit away from the ball, and then go to the ball and make a control, or turn, or whatever, that works far better than when you check at the ball.
So, as far as your riding is concerned, with that barrel racing, you need to go as quick as you can, while you're going in a straight line. Check 10 meters before the barrel, and then flip around the barrel really quickly. That will all help your strength of your legs. Help you with how you actually manoeuvring your horse, get your legs strong. Because if you really want to improve your riding, you've got to improve the strength of your legs.
And just remember also, that with improving your riding. When you are riding in a straight line, your hand is in front of you. Okay. If you want it turn left, okay, you turn your upper torso left, but as you turn your upper torso, so your hand goes with your torso. So, your hand stays in front of your sternum. But you will find if you turn your upper sternum left, your right leg automatically works. So, it puts you in the right position and it gets your legs working with your hands.
So, that could be one way of improving the riding, as far as I'm concerned. There's no other way, than getting yourself strong. And then going to the riding videos and stuff we've done to learn the finer techniques, the rein grips, all of that kind of stuff.
Awesome.
