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 44 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. 45