B Diamond Physio

09/11/2025

✨ QUICK RIDER CHALLENGE ✨

Can you squeeze BOTH GLUTES EQUALLY while sitting tall in the saddle? 🍑✨ (psst… don’t move your legs while you try it!)

Now take it one step further ⬇️
👉 Can you squeeze your right glute independent of your left?
👉 Or your left without your right?

If not… chances are your horse is carrying the imbalance for you! 🐴
And that means more work for them to stay straight, balanced, and strong.

💡 Training tip:
Whichever glute you find harder to engage, do at least 15 reps on that side per day.
The stronger and more balanced YOU are, the less your horse has to compensate underneath you.

This is such a simple exercise, but it’s one of the most powerful foundations of becoming a more balanced rider.

👇 Drop in the comments which glute is your “strong side” (or your “lazy side”) — I love hearing what riders discover with this one!

09/06/2025

✨ Yesterday I shared the ups and downs of showing… so today, let’s keep it light!

Not everything around here is serious rider biomechanics and hard lessons — there are plenty of laughs (or cackles in my case 😅), smiles, and fun moments too.

So here’s a little funny photo of me to kick off the weekend 👉 because balance in life matters just as much as balance in the saddle.

💛 Wishing you all a weekend full of family, friends, and (hopefully) some good saddle time.

09/02/2025

Congratulations Bonnie!
We hope you love all the goodies in your gift basket, items for both you and your horse!!

Alberta Reined Cow Horse Association

08/29/2025

Why is it harder for some riders to pick up the correct diagonal?

1.PELVIC & CORE ASYMMETRY

* Riders have a dominant and a weak side
* When posting, the pelvis rocks forward/backward. If one side of the glutes, hip flexors, or core is weaker or less coordinated, the rider struggles to rise evenly
* Imbalances make it harder to “feel” when the horse’s inside hind leg is pushing off

2.REDUCED PROPRIOCEPTION

* Some riders lack awareness of their body position in the saddle. If they can’t sense the horse’s motion through their seat bones, picking the correct diagonal becomes guesswork.

3.HABITUAL PATTERNS

* Riders default to their strong side because it feels easier or more natural. Over time becomes a learned habit

Why is it important to post on the correct diagonal (for the horse)?

Posting diagonals matter because they **DISTRIBUTE STRESS and AID BALANCE during work:

CORRECT DIAGONAL= Rising when the outside front leg + inside hind leg move forward
* The INSIDE HIND LEG is the main propulsive leg on a turn or circle—it pushes harder to carry weight and maintain balance.
* If the rider sits when the inside hind is loading, it adds more weight when the horse is already working hardest, increasing strain.
* By rising during that phase, the rider LIGHTENS the LOAD, allowing the inside hind to step through more freely, improving:

**Balance (especially on turns/circles)
**Symmetry
**Joint health (reduces repetitive overload on one side)

💡 A common exercise I prescribe:
Pick up the correct diagonal every time, right off the bat. Avoid sitting two extra beats to “switch.” With practice, this sharpens your body awareness, builds strength in your weaker side, and improves proprioception—making correct diagonals second nature.

Balanced riders = balanced horses. 🐎✨

08/27/2025

Honored to support the Volunteer Award for the Alberta Snaffle Bit! 💫 Volunteers truly are the heart of our equestrian community, and we’re thrilled to recognize the time and dedication they give to make these events possible.

If you have a little time to give back, consider signing up to volunteer — it makes all the difference!
📌 Sign up here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15fV3eTxk0G9d_P8UCfgp_vaVNiRyKHA4/edit?rtpof=true&sd=true&gid=405984658 =405984658



Alberta Reined Cow Horse Association

B Diamond Physio – Volunteer Award

We’re so grateful to B Diamond Physio for sponsoring our Volunteer Award! Thank you for recognizing the heart and soul of our show family.

If you have some time to spare, please sign up online to volunteer!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15fV3eTxk0G9d_P8UCfgp_vaVNiRyKHA4/edit?rtpof=true&sd=true&gid=405984658 =405984658

08/21/2025

Looking forward to next weekend! Not only cheering on competitors but also recognizing those to volunteer and give back to our sport!

🤠 Want to be part of the action at the Alberta Snaffle Bit Futurity?
We need volunteers August 28–31!

✨ Roles: Bit Checking • Reining Practice Announcer • Raffle Ticket Sales
🎁 Bonus: Chance to win a gift pack from B Diamond Physio!

👉 Sign up now & join the cow horse fun!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15fV3eTxk0G9d_P8UCfgp_vaVNiRyKHA4/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118287081469860498256&rtpof=true&sd=true

Any registered volunteers will be entered into a draw to win a gift pack from B Diamond Physio
If you have trouble with the link, please contact Bonnie Koetsier at 403-540-4242

08/21/2025

⸻

👢 Do you ride with your toes out?
Maybe your coach is always saying things like:
➡️ “Wrap your leg around your horse.”
➡️ “Heels down!”
➡️ “Put your feet straight.”

Here’s the truth 👉 Your foot can move from 3 different sources:
1️⃣ The ankle
2️⃣ The knee
3️⃣ The hip

When we’re chasing better stability, balance, and strength in the saddle, that movement needs to come from the hip — specifically the gluteus medius (and minimus).

💡 Why does this matter?
These glute muscles are your pelvic stabilizers. They help you:
• Stay centered and balanced 🐎
• Keep even weight in your stirrups (no collapsing hip!)
• Ride stronger in transitions + lateral work
• Stay more symmetrical — which your horse will LOVE

🚨 What happens if you don’t use your glutes?
• Calf pain ➝ often from forcing stirrup placement at the ankle
• Knee pain ➝ from overusing the knee joint
• Hip/low back pain ➝ from poor pelvic control

✨ Here’s the cool part: once riders learn to activate glute med + min, those aches and pains often disappear instantly. That’s how powerful correct biomechanics are.

👉 If you’re tired of hearing “heels down” without actually fixing the root cause — this might be your missing link.

💬 Curious about how to train your glutes for riding? Send me a DM or come to a Ride Right Clinic / individual session.