The Horse Rider's Mechanic blog articles and videos together in one place

I have ridden and owned horses for most of my life; I started riding young and was obsessed with learning to ride as well as possible. I was, and still am, an avid reader and gatherer of information.

I was also very competitive when young. So I competed in many disciplines, including show jumping, dressage, endurance, carriage driving and, more recently, competitive trail riding.

I have been teaching riders of all levels for many years. Over the years, I have increasingly concentrated on the subjects of rider POSITION and BALANCE as I realised that these fundamental subjects are often overlooked, particularly among instructors of beginner riders. This results in a rider having problems later on because they have missed out on certain basic building blocks in their development as a rider.

This realisation early on in my riding/teaching career resulted in me seeking out, following and learning from the teachings of numerous amazing riding coaches from around the world, also from the fields of pilates and yoga (and how they can be applied to horse riding) and of human anatomy and physiology. In addition, I have learned from my numerous students by constantly listening to and acting on their feedback.

I have taught riders of all levels throughout my career and have always been interested in improving the rider so that they can help their horse. I particularly enjoy teaching people who have lost their confidence or have position/balance/asymmetry issues.

We (Stuart and ) have owned a riding centre (twice) where I trained horses and riders. We had school horses, but I also taught people on their own horses. I also ran Horse Rider's Mechanic (HRM) clinics for many years.

I wrote the HRM books; these have been further developed into an online course and have helped thousands of people ride to the best of their ability. Consequently, I have studied and taught the subject of rider biomechanics for 35 plus years.

One of my students once described the system I have developed (of teaching riders) as 'Brilliantly Simple, Simply Brilliant!'

So why do I concentrate on POSITION and BALANCE specifically?

Many common horse riding problems, including pain and discomfort when riding, can be attributed to poor rider POSITION. Riders are often unaware of what is happening to various parts of their body when riding. Improving your position is crucial to improving your riding. Without addressing the fundamental issues, you cannot obtain an 'independent seat' (if you have not done so already, make sure you watch the video/read my article, The Elusive 'Independent Seat').

Improving your BALANCE is the key to further improving your riding. You cannot ride to the best of your ability without good BALANCE. After improving your POSITION, improving your BALANCE will make you a more secure and confident rider.

Most riders need help with these areas of their riding life, yet they are not commonly taught subjects, as I have already mentioned.

You can continue improving your riding at an accelerated pace when you have a good POSITION and BALANCE.

So, the HRM system looks at each part of your body in great detail, starting with your feet and working upwards through your ankles, knees, and hips. It then looks at your torso, arms, hands, and head, working through any problems, large or small, and fixing them.

Then, the HRM system takes the rider through a series of balance lessons that result in the rider learning to move with their horse and have complete security in the saddle.

The benefits are enormous for the horse and the rider. The results speak for themselves.