Core Visual Skills
While there are a number of vision skills that are important for horse racers, some are more crucial to performance than others.
Core vision skills for horse racers include:
- Balance and Proprioception: The rider’s balance is doubly important during a horse race. Improved balance helps ensure he stays on the horse as it moves along the track, but also, an enhanced ability to manage his/her weight on the horse, to give it the best chance to maintain its speed throughout the race.
- Peripheral Awareness: In a race, it’s also important to remain aware of your opponents as they speed along nearby. Improved peripheral awareness will improve this ability, giving a rider a better sense of what he/she needs to do to ensure he emerges victorious.
- Timing and Rhythm: Timing is important during a horse race, as the rider needs to know precisely when to alter his position slightly to keep his/her balance correct, to work with his/her horse to achieve the best outcome.
- Visual Distance Calculation: In order to know when a particular action must be taken during a race, the rider needs to have an elite ability to calculate distances, whether that is the distance to the finish line, or the distance between another horse and rider that he is trying to catch or are trying to catch him.
