Susan Jones, Cumbria, United Kingdom

I’m not a horse owner, but DRT has helped me make the most of precious weekly school lessons. I’ve enjoyed everything about it. It’s improved my balance, co-ordination, control, strength, position, stamina, independent seat, rising trot mechanism, even getting on and off(!). I’m much more aware of how different parts of my body influence the horse.
It’s changed my attitude and I now see myself as an athlete.

After a long gap I had returned to riding a few months ago. Dismayed at how puffed and unbalanced I was and how little flexibility I had in my hips, I signed up for DRT1. Since then I’ve ridden 5 different horses – 6 including a dressage simulator – with four wonderful teachers, read books, watched videos and masterclasses, patted Valegro, done my first dressage test and worked through DRT. Biggest surprise came in week 6 when I looked in a mirror and could actually see core muscles developing – but I’ll spare you a photo.

The biggest weakness for me is hip flexibility. DRT gave me targeted exercises which I can carry on with. I have never found an exercise class that I liked, but I really enjoyed my 20 minutes up in the loft with Nicola in the NZ sunshine. Often the workouts coincided with what I’d been working on in my lessons. Every exercise had a relevant purpose.

The encouragement from Nicola and the online DRT community has been outstanding. In my professional life, for 25 years I’ve designed and run workshops and distance learning courses. I’d have been proud to design DRT. Nicola, huge thanks to you.