This new book is based on Linda's longeing program "Riding Without Reins." Click the cover image to order from Trafalgar Square Books at www.horseandriderbooks.com.
FOR CENTURIES, the riders from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria have been revered around the world for their exemplary seats and impeccable equitation. Longeing the rider is the School's tried and true method of teaching students to attain an independent seat, and they are longed for at least six months before being allowed to take the reins.
Why is this method so consistently successful? Being longed temporarily relieves the rider of complex and often confusing tasks, such as managing the horse's speed, direction, balance, and alignment. It reduces the very long list of riding responsibilities, enabling the rider to become organized, learn to juggle an increasing number of mounted tasks, and concentrate on his or her own balance and self-control.
Now, for the first time in book form,
this step-by-step guide to both longeing others and being longed
unveils the secrets behind the most beautiful and functional riding in
the world. By combining traditional mounted exercises with yoga,
conscious breath work, and hands-on bodywork, Linda Benedik's unique
rider-longeing program, Riding Without Reins, helps the rider create a
personal balance that leads to a deeper connection with the horse while
at the same time developing a stable, correct, elegant, independent
seat—every rider's goal.
Riders, instructors, and longeurs
will learn the nuts-and-bolts of rider longeing, including how to
choose a longe horse and outfit him correctly, cue him with stance and
longe whip, and be safe about it; structure a rider-longeing session at
various stages of seat development; and maximize learning and rider
recall while avoiding common pitfalls like physical exhaustion and
over-facing.
The book includes an impressive program of 46 mounted suppling exercises for the rider's midsection and upper and lower body, complete with how-to steps and photos, easily modified and applied to riders of all levels of experience and styles of riding. Then, readers progress to seatwork on the horse, beginning with following the horse's movement, then leading him actively with seat, leg, and weight, and ultimately riding in rhythm with an independent seat at all three gaits.
In addition, the author introduces the benefits of equestrian vaulting in a special chapter, demonstrating how this kind of training—again, on a longe line without reins—offers riders of all ages and disciplines a means to increase security and confidence on horseback while successfully developing the seat over a short period of time.
Riding
on the longe line offers a safe, controlled learning environment that
enables beginners to relax and develop a feel for the gaits and
provides the ideal venue for experienced riders to perfect their
position, fine-tune their aids, and identify gaps in their riding
education. Simply put, on the longe line, all riders can achieve their
riding goals—whatever they may be—in far less time, while
conscientiously preserving the well-being of the horse.
Discover how simple touches and hands-on bodywork for instructors can help riders improve seat and position.
Securing your "rider basics" should take priority before you attempt to influence the horse with equitation, or improve him with dressage.
Integrating conscious abdominal breathing with all mounted activities creates connection, calm, stability, rhythm...and a happier horse!
Vaulting is for riders of any age! Using the surcingle more quickly helps build confidence and balance as you perfect your seat.
Longe-line training is as beneficial for beginners as it is for riders with more experience, whether amateur, pro, recreational, or competitive.
Learn the mounted suppling exercises and breath work first in halt, and then practice while being longed in walk, trot, and canter!
Self-control is the rider's "most basic" requirement. To accomplish such a multi-faceted task, work sequentially, striving to achieve these Eight Objectives or “Rider Basics” while practicing suppling exercises and seatwork in all gaits—you will learn far more than the mechanics of riding. Longeing is the perfect venue for achieving the level of self-control necessary for your desired riding activities as it enables you to improve mind-body performance, while promoting a deeper understanding of your learning priorities. Building a foundation in rider basics is a pre-requisite for "equitating," or communicating with the horse through body language, which requires, as in any productive conversation, a balance of "talking" and "listening."
Learn the Four Phases of Seat Development. Phase Two teaches you to follow, participate, and absorb the horse's gaits before attempting to control them. Premature attempts at horse control increases riding risks—it is far safer to develop self-control on the longe line first.
Learning to voluntarily dismount off a moving horse is a safety precaution. Jenny demonstrates the preliminary steps for an Emergency Dismount by dropping stirrups, taking weight on hands, and swinging legs high above hindquarters while looking in the direction of travel.
When legs are at their highest, slightly rotate hips, pushing off and away to the side of the horse. As you land near the horse's shoulder, keep feet parallel, bend your knees, and "hit the ground running," by walking or jogging in the direction of travel. Remember to exhale!
In developing basics, the route taken is the archetypal circle—a path infinite in its scope. As the first layer is established, our learning can spiral to higher levels based on aspirations. A firm foundation is the key to riding success, and even the most advanced riders continue to use the same basic skills, which grow more refined, subtle, sophisticated over time.
This exercise, "Carrying Cups" prompts the correct arm and hand position by teaching you to soften, not tighten, when your instructor tells you to "keep your hands still."
Introduction
“Perfection” is a concept that all riders aspire to, whether conscious of it or not—perfect equitation, the elusive perfect ten in a dressage test, a perfectly flawless jumping round, or simply a blissful moment of perfect communication with their horse.
Because this equestrian ambition is universal, perfection motivates riders of any discipline, ability, and experience to want to succeed on horseback. To help riders more clearly and patiently work toward this common equestrian goal, this book, aptly entitled Longeing the Rider for a Perfect Seat, presents my Riding without Reins longeing program to guide you from wherever you are in your development, to a more perfect riding seat and position.
Certainly, achieving a “perfect seat” is a fantasy—as we all know, our riding performance can never really be completely perfect. Each rider, regardless of age or experience, is a work in progress, and each rider’s idea of “perfect” is something a little different: the dressage rider strives for a deeper, more influential seat, the hunter/jumper rider a lighter and more agile seat, a rider of a cutting horse a more responsive, adaptable seat, and so on. However, with participation in my Riding without Reins longeing program, every rider can be assured of taking the necessary strides toward these related, but variable aspects of seat “perfection.” Remember, success in any riding endeavor is, in short, all about the seat!
A long-established practice, longeing is vital to both horse and rider training. But while there are several excellent books and videos available that teach you how to longe horses properly, or incorporate longeing in your horse training program, the specifics on how to longe a rider were traditionally passed down orally, and a full program of detailed instructions has not been available in book form—until now.
Longeing benefits every rider by enhancing safety and enjoyment, and is the ideal venue for honing rider basics. In learning to ride, you come to realize that your body is a symphony of parts, and becoming proficient with your “instruments” is necessary before orchestrating them together to effectively communicate with the horse. Because you can more rapidly refine self-control without your reins, longeing is an indispensable opportunity to master your instruments while learning to adapt synchronously to the horse’s movement. By progressing through the natural stages of seat development while on the longe line—transitioning from passenger to follower, then to leader—riders acquire the prerequisite skills to secure their seat independently of the limbs, and thus earn the right to pick up the reins and pursue their chosen competitive or recreational activity on horseback.
Since longeing is often perceived as a beginner practice, a fateful consequence for those not blessed with a good seat, or a dreary excursion into monotony, you may wonder what new light I could possibly shed on the practice of repetitiously riding on a circle. In truth, there is a wealth of personal insights that riders at any level can acquire on the longe. And in our never-ending quest for riding mastery, riders today should understand this—history has proven that longeing doesn’t just promise, it guarantees more direct skill advancement.
For beginners, longeing enables a correct basic seat from the start. For seasoned riders, it promotes refinement. Although developing an independent, influential seat is a learned process, longeing is dedicated to that mission and provides ongoing opportunities for maintaining and improving skills. Longeing maximizes learning—shaving off months, possibly years of struggle and frustration—developing the sensitivities of the rider while preserving those of the horse, and promoting safety and enjoyment regardless of the reasons we ride.
Riding will always be complex, but the learning process can be easier and more direct, and with this book I will show you how. For nearly four decades my career has been dedicated to upholding the equestrian traditions passed down to me through teachers, academic study, and apprenticeships. As an educator, I have applied the classical principles in a practical, holistic manner when training innumerable riders to cultivate a balanced, supple, correct position on horseback.
Over time, I devised ways to streamline the equestrian learning process by blending complementary mind-body techniques—such as yoga and other tools for “skilled relaxation”—with traditional riding instruction to facilitate the acquisition of basic riding skills, sculpt the rider’s position, and promote his or her confidence and balance in motion.
Now, in the pages that follow, I will share my methods and explain how riding on the longe line can develop the balanced position you long for and the independent aids you know you need—indeed, if there ever was a direct route to riding mastery, longeing is it! And with its deep-rooted history, consistently positive results, and promise to better every rider while offering a safe learning environment, as a teaching aid longeing is to me, in fact, pretty close to “perfection.”
