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 Ride
Right with Daniel Stewart,
Coach to US Endurance Team and US Paralympic Dressage Squad. Balance your frame and frame of mind with
an unmounted workout and sport psychology system.
Paperback: 192
(August 2004)
Language: English
Trafalgar Square Publishing ISBN: 1570762813
“Ride Right with Daniel Stewart”
follows a trend of some of the latest thinking in rider training
and sports phsychology: to help riders use off-horse exercises,
often borrowing from other sport research, to bring about a better
awareness of body issues when mounted.
The book begins with an informative discussion
of body types and their possible effects on riders, and moves through
balance, body awareness, breathing exercises, fitness (strenght,
stamina, and flexibility), injury prevention, and healthy eating.
It finishes with a brief overview of psychological issues such as
goal setting, stress management, and mental visualization techniques.
The exercises are easy and worth doing, especially
if you have pony club or other groups where off-horse lessons are
sometimes necessary. They are designed to be done out at the barn,
with convenient equipment that can fit in a tack trunk. The design
seems to be aimed at younger riders, with bright colors and child-like
illustrations, though the reading material seems to target an adult
audience. It would perhaps have been best targeted at riding instructors,
who are more likely to put the exercises into effect (for example,
in a group lesson) than an individual might be.
Stewart does miss some important points. For
example, he fails to point out that an asymmetrical saddle or poor
saddle fit can be a common cause of crookedness. The “Ride
Right” jargon gets a little tiresome at times. While it is
useful to know the types of problems that you are predisposed to,
there is a lot of focus on an ‘ideal’ body type/position,
instead of making the most of what you have. Also, some of Stewart’s
language may be offensive to overweight riders, and the book seems
to have a bit of a ‘just eat less’ attitude.
We recommend this book for riding instructors
who are looking for some useful off-horse exercises. If you are
looking for barn-friendly exercises, Ride Right’s
are more practical than Diana Dennis’ Riders Fitness Program,
which is more gym- and home-based. For serious riders who are looking
for in-depth body awareness discussions, we recommend An
Anatomy of Dressage, by H. Schusdziarra, et al.
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From the publisher:
Most riders concentrate endless hours on their horses: warming them up; improving their strength and stamina with gymnastic exercises; cultivating specialized diets to keep them in peak condition; and ensuring through proper turn-out, time off and companionship, they remain psychologically content. What is often forgotten is that the horse is half of an athletic partnership. The rider's own physical and mental fitness affects the end performance of the team, and equestrians improve their own bodies and minds on the ground, so they can better perform on a horse. Daniel Stewart received a degree in exercise physiology from the University of Calgary and spent seven years at the renowned Sport Training Institute in New York City working with the institute's equestrian clients. He is a coach for the United States Endurance Team and Paralympic Dressage Squad.
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