Bouchie Lake Riding Arena hosted a Western Dressage clinic for 10 members of the Quesnel and District Riding Club (QDRC) on Saturday (Sept. 22).
Lisa Wieben, who is originally from Quesnel but now calls Alberta home, led two sessions over the course of the day that focused on balanced riding.
She incorporates somatics into her lessons, which is a movement practice, in this case utilized to make riders more aware of their body while riding.
“They are targeted exercises to help with injuries or other imbalances in the body that can be caused by stress or other factors in life,” said Marion Steinmaier, a QDRC member who organized for Wieben to come to town. “These imbalances often translate to problems in riding our horses as they can feel them and often therefore deal with imbalances when carry the rider.”
Steinmaier added this approach often helps not only the rider but also the horse upon which they sit.
Wieben spoke over a loudspeaker when addressing one of the groups in the afternoon.
Although her voice was amplified, it was calm and soothing to listen to, not unlike a yoga instructor leading a class through a series of poses.
A lot of the movements she was asking for were subtle. Controlling breathing was stressed, as was sitting deep in the saddle.
Visualization exercises were offered.
“Think of your body like a barbershop pole. You can rotate it but you can’t lean in,” Wieben said.
Riders were asked to be aware of their connection to the horse.
The minute movements required in dressage take a deep connection with an animal. The horse must be able to read a slight twitch from its rider in order to perform a complicated series of movements aimed at impressing judges.
It may seem complicated, but great satisfaction is derived from the partnership and the knowledge gained.
“You’re constantly learning every time you take part in one of these clinics,” said club president Sarah Barber.
“You can never learn it all.”
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