Wednesday, November 2, 2011

To Answer Your Question..

I received both an e-mail and a comment on my last post about wearing my new riding corset and if it changed the way I rode. So let me answer that for you with a story included.

When I was young, I took several dance classes. On top of that, I had a Mother who insisted that I NOT EVER slouch. As a result of these 2 things, I gained a nick name in High School... Miss Posture Pedic.

..stop laughing..

Let's just say that even despite my age, as women do tend to slouch more as they get older, I do not have a posture issue. Thanks Mom!! With that in mind though, I do think it changed my riding aside a small bit. I know that after posting the trot for several rounds and when I get tired, I am more vulnerable to bend my body and while wearing the corset, I never did. I actually do not believe that I could round my back (at least at the waist) while wearing the corset.. which is why I had trouble getting into my little car that first time. I suppose you could still round your back at the shoulders.. which is equally unattractive when riding..

When I get nervous, I tend to 'lose my neck' as you can see in this picture. I am not wearing a corset here as this was taken about 2 years ago.
I pull my shoulders up around my neck and what I am hoping to gain by wearing the corset is a quiet reminder to pull up and tall out of my rib cage, keeping my shoulders down. I know that Oliver is a completely different horse at the shows. He is a TRUE show horse and just loves it, but with that comes a lot more motion, hyperness and sometimes even speed. So my true test will be when I show wearing the corset for the first time.

1 comment:

Anita said...

Miss Posture Pedic... snicker snicker :)

I think my corset is going to be a relevation then, as I have appalling posture. I was painfully shy at high school and used to try and disppear by curling into myself. So I have never walked tall. Also not helped by years of being hunched over a computer screen at work.

I know that I also ride all slouched over, so I am hoping Karen's corset can turn this sidesaddle slob into a posture diva :)