JULY 2010 THE RIDER /41


normal riding position and feet out of the stirrups. Bring both arms in front of you. Keeping your elbows close to shoulder height, bend them in a 90-degree angle. Your arms should look as if you are getting ready to do a chin up from an imaginary bar located in front of your face.


Building a Partnership with Your Horse


“Rider Position” Part 6 Exercises on the Longe Line


By Lynn Palm


In this series of arti- cles, I am sharing some simple stretching and flexi- bility exercises to help build a rider’s relaxation, proper form, and balance. Before we start, let me repeat some important safety considerations for those of you who are new to this series.


To do these exercises you will need a consistent, well schooled horse that is tacked up with saddle, bri- dle and leg protection. Practice in a large enclosed area like a paddock, corral, or arena to give you and your horse more security. These exercises can be done in either a Western or English saddle. A Western saddle will give you more security, and it is a great confidence builder. How- ever, whether you are a Western or English rider, using an English saddle for these exercises will help to build better form, balance, and confidence.


As with all physical


activities, if you experience any pain or have medical conditions that could be complicated by doing any of these exercises, STOP! Seek advice from a health care professional before continuing.


All of these exercises should be done very slow- ly. Be sure to breathe when doing them. This is impor- tant because it encourages relaxation. If you find yourself holding your breath, talk or sing to encourage regular breath- ing.


While doing these exercises think “CENTER- SQUARE-BALANCED.” Continually analyze your position using these three key words to maintain proper rider position while working to improve your flexibility.


More Lower Body Exer- cises/Stretches


Knee to Elbow Touches: Sit centered in the saddle with your legs in


Starting with the left leg, bring the knee up until your leg touches the elbow. Then bring the leg back down. If you have difficul- ty doing this, bring your shoulders back slightly, which will allow more mobility in your pelvis area. Try not to collapse your upper body to bring the elbow to the knee, but instead use your leg mus- cles to bring the knee to the elbow. Do 3-5 of touches on one side, then switch. Gradually build yourself up to doing more.


Leg Swings:


Take your feet out of the stirrups and hold onto the saddle’s pommel to help keep your body cen- tered during this exercise. Working one leg at a time, slowly swing the entire leg forward as far as you can, and then extend it back- ward as far as possible. Keep the knee slightly bent. To be effective, the movement must come from the hip joint not from swinging the lower leg from the knee. Keep your upper body as centered and still as possible. Do several swings with one leg, and then switch to the other leg.


Thigh Openers:


This is a more diffi- cult exercise that really


helps to stretch and open the inner thigh while improving balance. Start- ing with the left leg, bring the knee up in front of the saddle. Grasp the front of the knee with the left hand. Keeping the knee up and level, flex the leg from the forward position, and then press it outward to the side as far as possible. Your hand should guide your leg, not hold it up! Be care- ful not to pull the leg so hard outwards that you overstretch the inner thigh muscles. Slowly move the leg forward, outward, and then back to forward. The upper legs should stay very level, and the lower leg is off the saddle.


Still More Lower Body Exercises/Stretches


The purpose of the following exercises is to build lower leg and ankle flexibility. They can be performed at the walk, trot, and some at the canter. For these exercises, the reins should be organized and in one hand. Do not tie them around the saddle horn.


Upper Thigh and Ankle Flex:


This exercise can be done standing still or at the walk. Start with the right leg. Taking the right foot out of the stirrup, flex the knee and bring the foot up and behind you to the back of the saddle’s cantle. Grasp the back of the ankle with your right hand as you keep the foot flexed. Hold this stretch for five to ten seconds and breathe! Keep the knee on the saddle and stretch the upper leg down. Then release the ankle and


Showjumping’s MacInnis and Shine of Light Win Halton Place Grand Prix


Halton Hills, ON—Milton native Heather MacInnis and her horse Shine of Light scored their first career Grand Prix victory winning the $40,000 Hal- ton Place Grand Prix on Sunday, June 6th.


“My horse was abso- lutely amazing!” Heather remarked. “After the overnight deluge of rain, I was worried about how she would react to the soft footing—but the turf held up very well. She jumped really really well!”


allow the lower leg to stretch back down toward the stirrup. Do the same with the other leg. This is a great exercise for stretching the thigh muscles and improving ankle flexibility.


Ankle Circles:


Riding without stir- rups is always a good way to improve flexibility and balance. With the horse at the walk or trot, rotate both ankles in a circular motion inward toward the horse. Repeat, but rotate outward. Do several sets of rota- tions.


Toe Points:


Again, riding without stirrups with the horse at the walk or trot, flex the ankles so that the toes point upwards. Hold for a few seconds. Then flex the ankles so that the toes point toward the ground. Add some variety by practicing picking up your stirrups by just flexing the ankles inward without letting the lower leg move. Drop your fee from the stirrups and start again.


Mix and Match:


Be creative as you do all of the exercises I have given you. Mix and match them to develop your own personal warm-up and flex- ibility routine. Try placing one pole on the ground where you will be working. Practice doing one or sev- eral exercises as your horse walks or trots over the pole.


Pick Up the Pace—Exer- cises at the Canter:


Once you feel secure doing the upper body exer- cises I explained in a prior article, try doing them at the canter. Mix and match to incorporate them into a smooth pattern. This would include head and neck stretches, one-arm back- strokes, shoulder shrugs, and arm-to-the-side. Doing these exercises will help you follow the motion of the horse as you either trot or canter over the pole. Now drop your stirrups and repeat the upper body series at the canter.


Multiple Poles—On a Straight Line:


Using several poles challenges you to stay cen- tered, balanced, and relaxed. Start with two poles on the ground. They should be a minimum of 3- 1/2 feet apart. This will give you some adjustment time to get your balance after going over the first pole and before reaching the second pole. With your feet in the stirrups, pick up a trot. Go over the first pole, adjust your balance, and continue over the next pole. Concentrate on keep- ing the shoulders back and the hips moving forward. Keep looking up and out and not down!


Once you feel cen- tered, balanced, and relaxed going over two poles, add a few more, keeping them at the same distance apart. More poles add to the challenge because you will constantly


need to adjust your position as the horse increases his movement to trot over them. Do a set with your stirrups, and the next one without stirrups. Keep breathing to stay relaxed. If you have difficulty, take one pole away. If you do well, add more poles. Multiple Poles—On a Curve:


Once you have mas- tered the poles in a straight line, place the pole on a curve for a more advanced exercise. Staying balanced and in position on a turn adds to the degree of diffi- culty. The horse and rider will have the natural ten- dency to pull to the outside. The rider must stay cen- tered, square, and move the hips to stay balanced. Arrange two or three poles on a curve. The poles should be placed so that they radiate like spokes along the perimeter of a curve. The rider should try to go over the middle of the poles. Go over the poles at the trot, first with and then without stirrups. Then try doing some of the upper body exercises as you trot over them.


In the next article, we will learn some exercises to do on the longe line. For even more exercises that will help you improve your position and balance, please check out my book Head to Toe Horseman- ship. To order this and other instructional materi- als, please visit the website at www.lynnpalm.com or call 800-503-2824.


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A total of seven hors- es in the 13 horse field jumped fault-free in the first round, qualifying for the jump-off. MacInnis and Shine of Light were third in the order and post- ed a clean and efficiently- fast time for the rest of the field to try and beat. No one else managed to go faster and without rails down, leaving Heather as the victor. First place prize money, presented by Hal- ton Place owner Timur Leckenbush, totaled over $13,000.


Heather McInnis


“This is the biggest win of my career so far,” Heather stated. “To do it so close to home and with friends and family cheering me on, made it really spe- cial.”


MacInnis has been


partnered with Shine of Light, a Swedish warm- blood mare for just over a year. Together they were named Ontario Rising Star Champions for 2009 and team members for the 2010 national Talent Squad team after finishing last year sec- ond overall in Canada in the Jump Canada Talent Squad competition series for developing riders. “Luna (as she is known in the barn) and I have developed a real trust and team work over the past year together,”


Heather explained. “She is really big (nearly 17.2 hands tall) so she covers the ground effortlessly but at the same time, she is really agile making the turns. She really is the per- fect horse and I am very lucky to have her to ride!” The show campaign for the summer months will see MacInnis and Shine of Light competing in more Grand Prix, mostly in Ontario but also likely in a couple of US venues. “I will definitely be returning to Halton Place


for their big shows at the end of August and early in September,” MacInnis promised. “They are host- ing a Jump Canada Grand Prix and a $100,000 World Cup Grand Prix that I would love to be ready for!”


Heather is trained by Michael Grinyer of Camp- bellville where she has also worked for the past seven years as barn manager and horse trainer. She also coaches a number of young riders and horses at Poplar Lane Farm in Grimsby.


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