Yesterday I witnessed a
great athletic performance from
the super star mare Zenyatta.
I also recognized the
awesome athletic effort of
jockey Mike Smith.
What I thought was wow
of course Zenyatta has to be in
top physical shape to run such
an incredible race but also her
jockey Mike Smith has
to be in peak physical
condition to guide Zenyatta to
that winning ride.
How often do we as
riders usually focus on the
conditioning of our horses for
whatever event they are
training for?
But do we as riders put
as much effort into our own
physical conditioning to
perform at our best?
A solid conditioning
program of flexibility, core
strength and cardiovascular
training prepares the rider to
ride our horses to the best of
our potential.
A Pilates program
including cardiovascular
conditioning gives the rider
the physical ability to ride
their best.
In this article I will
focus on the issue of
flexibility and core strength
and how it relates to rider
performance …Lack of
flexibility and strength in one
muscle group vs. another leads
to distortions in posture
…which interferes with our
ability to follow the horses
range of motion...Let’s look at
a rider who complains of low
back pain following riding.
A rider that tends to
arch the lower back has several
things going on.
First of all, there is
an imbalance in flexibility and
strength between the opposing
muscle groups (the abdominals
in the front of the body vs.
the muscles of the low back in
the back of the body. This
rider needs to improve the
flexibility in the lower back
and hips and strengthen the
core muscles (deep abdominals)
in the front of the body so the
low back does not tighten to
compensate for the lack of
strength in the abdominals in
the front… Having tight hips
also can cause the low back to
arch in compensation. When the
hips are tight, this interferes
with the rider’s ability to
follow the motion of the horse
at the sitting trot and canter.
But is stretching alone
enough to improve flexibility?
When a muscle is
chronically tight, the
connective tissue is often
bound up... The best way to
improve flexibility is a
program that focuses on
releasing this tight connective
tissue followed up by
stretching the muscle to
restore it to its normal
length.
Doing target release of
the tight fascia with a
cylindrical foam roller is a
great self massage technique to
address this problem... A small
ball strategically placed in
the tight areas is also a great
way to improve flexibility.
So let’s go back to the
rider who rides with an arched
back and complains of low back
pain after riding. Rolling on
the foam roller below the hip
joints followed by a target
stretch for this muscle group
will improve the flexibility of
the hip joints.
If the low back is found
to be tight, stretching over a
balance ball could help release
the tight lower back.
To address the lack of
core strength in the
abdominals, Pilates exercises
that focus on strengthening the
deep abdominals will give the
rider the support to have
better posture... With the hips
now with improved flexibility,
and the low back less tight and
with stronger abdominals in the
front, the rider can now follow
the motion of the horse better
at all gaits… The result being
a better ride and happier horse
that feels the rider going with
the motion vs. against it!!!
Lori Nelson is a NASM Certified Personal
Trainer and PMA Certified Pilates Instructor with
over 30 years of riding experience in the disciplines of hunter/jumper and dressage.
She can be reached at lori@equinepilates.com (951) 378-9531
equine
pilates
