Winning Tip: Pool Rings

The winning Creative Teaching Tip comes from Kathy Culler, a Level III Instructor from the United States. Using a pool ring is a fun way to help riders improve arm/hand alignment, increase awareness, and correct and avoid bad habits. Click here for instructions on incorporating pool rings into your lessons.

Runner-Up Tip: Breathing Visualization

Toa Boers, a Level 1 Instructor from the Netherlands, submitted a great tip on using a breathing visualization: My creative teaching tip concerns the second CR basic, "breathing." I've found that lots of students that ride with me have trouble with this one due to anxiety while riding or when concentrating on another exercise. They tend to hold their breath or take shallow, quick breaths. 

I use the visualization: "smell the cookie and blow the candle flame." 

This engages a sense rarely used during riding, namely our sense of smell, and it's a very playful and easy visualization that works wonders with both kids and adults. It is unexpected, which makes people laugh, loosens them up, and pulls them out of their anxiety or intense concentration. 

I hope others can use this visualization to encourage more laughs and better breathing in their students. 

Thank you to everyone for submitting such great teaching tips!

We wish you a great year of teaching and riding in 2024!

If you cannot read or understand this message, please contact the Liaison from your country or a Centered Riding English speaking colleague to help you with the translation and/or understanding.

Danish:  Stine Joy Langkilde (stinejoy@hotmail.com)

Hvis du ikke kan læse eller forstå denne meddelelse så tag venligst kontakt til den danske liaison (kontakt person) eller en en engelsk talende centreret ridning kollega, til at hjælpe dig med oversættelse og/eller forståelse af indholdet.

Dutch: Linda Polak (info@naturalwestern.nl)

Als je dit bericht niet begrijpt neem dan contact op met de Internationale contactpersoon van Nederland / België of een Centered Riding engels sprekende collega om je te helpen met vertaling en/of het begrijpen van dit bericht.

Finnish: Ursula Turtiainen (millcreek1989@gmail.com)

Jos et pysty lukemaan tai et ymmärrä tätä viestiä, ota yhteyttä Ursula Turtiainen tai englantia puhuvaan CR-kolleegaasi ja pyydä auttamaan käännöksessä ja viestin ymmärtämisessä.

French:  Valerie Cornille (info@equistyle.be)

Si vous pouvez pas lire ou comprendre ce message, veuillez bien contacter la liaison de votre pays ou une collègue d'Equitation Centrée pour vous aider avec la traduction et/ou comprehension

German:  Sonja Waggerhauser  (info@bachaeckerhof.de)

Falls Sie diese Nachricht nicht lesen oder verstehen können, wenden Sie sich bitte an die Ansprechpartnerin Ihres Landes (Liaison ) oder an einen Englisch sprechenden Centered Riding Kollegen mit der Bitte um Übersetzung oder Erklärung.

Italian: Brigitte Machler (maneggiobelvedere@alice.it)

Se non riuscite a leggere o a comprendere questo messaggio rivolgetevi alla rappresentante del vostro paese (Liaison) oppure chiedete traduzione e/o spiegazione ad una collega di Centered Riding che parla inglese.

Japanese: Hanako Shirai 白井華子 （khshirai@nifty.com）

このメッセージが読めないまたはよく解らない方は、自国の連絡係に問い合わせをするか、

英語の出来るセンタードライディング仲間に和訳もしくは理解を手伝ってもらってください。

Spanish:  Johanna Beattie Batista (doe@dosolivosecuestre.com)

Si no puede leer o entender este mensaje, por favor contacte con el representante de Equitación Centrada de su país o con un socio español de Equitación Centrada que hable inglés para ayudarle con la traducción y/o entendimiento.

Swedish:  Lotta Mansson-Soderstrom (lotta@instructor.net)

Om Du inte kan läsa eller förstå detta meddelande kontakta Lotta Månsson-Söderström eller någon annan engelsktalande CR-kollega som kan hjälpa Dig med översättning och/eller förståelse