Everything Horse magazine Everything Horse UK Magazine, November 2014 | Page 44
Have we got the
CART
before the
HORSE?
BY JON PITTS
Riding horses is difficult. The human body isn’t designed to do it and
we are not wired up in a way that allows us to develop skills easily. To
compound this, we insist on trying to form a relationship with something
that finds it hard to communicate clearly with us.
M
ost of my work in equestrian
sports has been to try to
understand what makes elite
riders so good, with the aim
of using this knowledge to see if we can
make them better. I’ve been lucky enough
to spend time with some of the best, from
jockeys to eventers, dressage riders and
show jumpers. Part of my role is to provide
an objective and logical viewpoint, to
challenge traditional thought processes to
see if we can improve.
I’m fascinated by the amount of effort that
is spent making sure the horse is right. Our
focus, quite rightly is on th e welfare of the
horse, but we’re in such a hurry to master
it and make it do things, often frustrated
with why it can’t do what we’re asking. It’s
such a strong focus, but I have to ask: “are
we focused on the wrong thing?”
We are a load to the horse, and due too
gravity we hinder it’s ability. I’ve seen
so much time (and money) spent on
equine physio and getting the saddle to fit
correctly, and yet we don’t stop to consider
whether we are using our bodies correctly
to help the horse? In my logical mind,
surely we should sort ourselves out before
heading in these other directions? Then,
once we know we’re doing things right we
can be more certain that it’s the saddle or
the horse?
One thing that is quite evident to me,
is that elite riders do not ride the same
way as everyone else, or for that matter
how we teach it in the early stages, and I
don’t understand this. We seek to control
the horse with our hands and legs, and
this is understandable in the early stages
(survival!) but we don’t move on to explore
how to use our bodies more effectively.
Elite riders use their pelvis (seat) to
connect and communicate with the horse,
and their torsos to balance it. Crucially,
they become one with the horse, unified
through collective movement to enhance
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Everything Horse UK Magazine • Issue 14 • November 2014
RIDING: FIT TO RIDE
what we are asking the horse to do as
much as is possible. So why do we keep
struggling and doing the wrong things?
I think we’re doing it wrong, and I am
consistently blown away by the response
I get from riders when I show them how
easy it can be when you learn to use your
body the right way. It unlocks EVERYTHING.
Not only that, but through better, clearer
skills you can become more confident and
stay safer. Through my Fit to Ride system,
anyone can learn to ride in this way,
forming a strong partnership with their
horse. The mistake people make is to think
that they can’t physically ride better, but
the athlete is the one underneath you. The
skills required to train your body to work
better with the horse are simple and easy
to master. All you need is an open mind!
Notes to Editors:
About Fit To Ride: The Fit to Ride initiative
is designed and led by Human Performance
Coach, Jon Pitts, who has spent years
researching and working with riders from
grass roots level upwards to understand
how the human body impacts the horse’s
performance. Fit to Ride looks at and
provides a clearer understanding of the skill
of horse riding using modern techniques
and language so riders can improve their
safety, confidence and performance whilst
riding. Fit to Ride equips riders with the
mental and physical tools they need to
become the rider they want to be.
About Jon Pitts: Jon Pitts is a Human
Performance Coach who has been on a
fascinating journey through elite sport.
Starting as a Sports Scientist in football
at several professional clubs, he has
developed a wide knowledge base of
physical and mental performances. Lucky
enough to have worked with some of
the leading athletes in a wide range
of sports, Jon travels across the world
continually searching for advances in high
performance.
November 2014 • Issue 14 • Everything Horse UK Magazine
Contact Information
For all enquiries on Fit to Ride please
contact Nicola at 07721 077724 or email
[email protected]
After football, Jon was invited to work with
leading jockeys in the UK that has led to
a position as a highly regarded authority
on rider performance within horse sport.
Acting as an advisor to the Professional
Jockey’s Association, over the past 10
years Jon has led the development of
professional rider and jockey training and
has designed concepts for both safety and
performance which now play a major role
within equestrian sports. Previously, he
has worked with many of Europe’s leading
riders across the Olympic and Paralympic
disciplines as part of Team GB’s World
Class Performance Program including the
2008 Beijing Olympics. Since then, he has
become involved with Equestrian Australia
on their High Performance Program, where
most recently he supported riders at
London 2012 and is now currently working
towards Rio 2016 with Australia’s leading
riders, both at home and in Europe.
His experiences in equestrian sports,
together with a fascinating involvement
with free diving (including several world
record achievements), gave Jon the
indication that he needed to further
understand how our physical and mental
performances influence us. Since then, he
has studied neuroscience and the workings
of the brain, and has been developing
cutting edge skill acquisition programs.
With a particular angle on performance
under pressure and anxiety management,
Jon has been working closely with several
high profile sports including cricket, golf
and tennis.
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