"Equi-Stretch® Strengthening and Stretching Techniques for the Rider"

Speakers: Kristi Weltner Redd & Dan Weltner
(University ½ credit)

This session is a step-by-step approach to exercise designed specifically for the rider. The session will address how to do what your instructor has been asking you to do and what your horse has been begging for you to do! Topics covered include:

• Development of an independent seat through pelvic isolation
• Improved range of motion
• Refinement for proper positioning
• Demystify "the core" and its relationship to riding
• Increasing overall body awareness
• And much more!

Clinicians will demonstrate exercises. Audience participation is welcome.

Speaker Bios

Rider fitness specialists, Dan Weltner and Kristi Weltner Redd are a brother-sister team that combines Kristi's expertise in horse training and riding instruction with Dan's extensive knowledge of fitness and kinesiology. As the creators of Equi-Stretch® Strengthening and Stretching Techniques for the Rider, their mission is to bring riders closer to the goal of functioning "as one" with their horses.

Dan Weltner has performed in nearly 30 states and traveled to five continents as a professional dancer. As a master teacher and choreographer, he has instructed numerous dance departments at various U.S. colleges and universities. Dan is a private fitness consultant and certified pilates instructor who currently serves on the faculty of New York University's Tisch Drama Department.

Kristi Weltner Redd has been involved with horses for more than 25 years. Currently, she is a professional trainer and instructor using dressage principles to instruct riders from all disciplines. The study of dressage helped her understand the importance of the rider's body awareness. Kristi began consulting with her brother, Dan regarding her own fitness regimen, and he developed exercises for her and her students. He also helped her teach her students about the importance of "accepting" the movement of the horse into the rider's body. Riders who use these exercises to increase their muscular efficiency have greater success in functioning as one with the horse. Kristi holds a Bachelor's Degree in Equine Science from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio. She is also a NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association) Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor.

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