How body awareness, stability and small physical details influence performance at the highest level of dressage. In Olympic-level dressage, spectators see only a few minutes in the arena. For riders, those moments are the result of months — sometimes years — of preparation.
Eye for Detail
For Spanish Olympic rider Beatriz Ferrer-Salat, excellence is built on details that often go unnoticed. “All details, however small, are important,” she says. “Especially in high-performance sport. Competition is very strong, so you have to take care of everything to perform at your best.”
In championships that span several days under intense pressure, even minor physical discomfort can affect concentration. “Any type of discomfort can influence you,” she explains. In a discipline where position, balance and precise aids define harmony, body awareness becomes a performance tool. “You have to be very conscious of your body — how you use it, how much pressure you apply. Riding well requires sensitivity.”
Delicate Contact
That awareness becomes even clearer after a short pause from riding. “After a few days off, you need to get used again to the saddle and the sensations it creates. The contact with the saddle is very direct — and for women perhaps more delicate.”
Since 2020, Ferrer-Salat has included My Riding Underwear in her routine. She often uses the Briefs Light horse riding underwear and Comfort Panties equestrian underwear for women when returning to the saddle after a break, as they help soften direct contact and support stability during the first sessions back.
Comfort and Stability
In recent years, more riders have started looking for specialized equestrian underwear for women to improve comfort, stability and focus in the saddle.
For young riders with Olympic dreams, her message is simple: “All details influence the way you ride, no matter how small they seem. You have to take care of them.”
Discover My Riding Underwear at www.myridingunderwear.com