Pivo Meets: Myrte van Opzeeland — Professional Dressage Rider and Coach
Welcome to Pivo Meets, a series where we get real and chatty with the faces of Pivo.
This October, we have a little tête-à-tête with Myrte van Opzeeland.
A professional dressage rider and fitness coach, Myrte has been training since a young age. After graduating from the equestrian sports education in Deurne and receiving her instructor diploma KNHS ORUN level 4 in competition, she started coaching at – Dutch Equestrian – where she coaches posture, rider fitness and horse simulator online.
Myrte has been riding horses dressage-wise and also giving lessons in dressage and jumping for over 20 years now. Her expertise lies in fitness coaching and training riders for the physical skills they need while riding.
Here’s a look at her successful career, how she has made Pivo a part of her training and all that she has to share with the world and her community.
Tell us a little about yourself and your platform Dutch Equestrian.
In 2006, I graduated as instructor and manager of equestrian sports. In addition to the international trainer’s passport, I am a certified equestrian fitness and mental coach. I ride dressage horses, mainly Frisians, but most of the time I’m teaching.
I am specialized in posture and seat. I’m training beginner riders for Grand Prix, dressage and jumping. Riders train with me on their own horse but also on the horse simulator or balance stool. I support riders who live abroad or are unable to come to me through my online training platform.
In most trainings, there’s more attention for the horse, than for the rider. You can find a lot of information about training horses, but not about training riders, while there is in fact a lot of interest in that. With my lessons, my online training platform and social media channels, I hope to be able to share my knowledge and make posture and sitting understandable and easier for riders.
What inspired you to pursue Horse Riding, Dressage, and coaching at a professional level?
From the moment I started to ride and take care of horses, I was fascinated by them. I couldn’t imagine a life without horses and wanted to learn as much as possible, so it was a logical step for me to go to an equestrian college and make it my job.
How did you get introduced to Pivo? How does it help in your training or coaching?
I use Pivo during all my own training sessions. I like being able to analyze my training afterwards to see what went well and what I can improve. With Pivo I’m not dependent on someone to film me. Pivo is always there for me and it provides a good, stable footage.
I always advise my riders to film their own training with Pivo as well. In addition, it’s great that I can also give virtual lessons with the Pivo.
Who has been your biggest influence or mentor throughout your career as a dressage rider and coach?
I can’t name one person for that. There are so many riders who have inspired me in different ways. What they all have in common, is the love for the horse, patience and perseverance.
After you started filming with Pivo, what does a typical training or coaching day look like for you?
I start training horses in the morning. I film the training sessions with the Pivo so that I can analyze them later. Then I teach riders on their own horse and/or the Horse Simulator. If they have made videos of their previous training sessions, we discuss them too.
What has been the most challenging part of your journey so far? Can you share a moment in your career that you consider a major turning point?
Due to an injury, there was a long period of time that I couldn’t ride. Once back in the saddle, it no longer felt as easy as before the injury. I had a lot of difficulty finding the right people and knowledge to improve my posture and seat. I thought if that’s a problem for me, it can be a problem for other riders too. This is how I got interested in posture and seat, I gained knowledge through courses and it eventually became my speciality. Something negative turned into a beautiful and positive thing.
How would you recommend your students use Pivo for their posture training and online lessons with you?
I recommend my riders to use Pivo during their training, so that the feeling can be combined with the video. The 360 Horse Tracking captures the ride very well. And it’s always good to look back at earlier rides so that the progression is clearly visible, which is very easy to do with Pivo’s review and analysis ability.
How do you stay motivated during tough training periods or after setbacks? And how do you motivate your students to become better riders?
Whenever I have a hard time during training, I always think back to the period from not being able to ride, to getting back in saddle, so then this challenge must also be successful.
My riders notice improvements just by consciously working on their posture and seat. I set small goals that are easily achievable. The improvement and achievement of the goals automatically motivates them.
What legacy do you hope to create as a dressage rider and coach? And how do you see Pivo contributing to dressage or posture training?
By making it easy and applicable, I hope to show that a functional posture and seat is achievable for every rider. The route to get there and the way it is functional can be different for each rider, don’t compare yourself to others. And Pivo is a great addition to training to make everything visual in horse riding, dressage and posture as well.
Save 10% when you shop Pivo with Myrte. Use discount code DUTCH
Connect with Myrte van Opzeeland Dressage Rider and Posture Coach on Instagram.
Read More: Pivo Horse Tracking Tips and Tricks.
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