DECEMBER 2013 THE RIDER /45 Fitness For Riders: Fitness for Riders: Fixing Busy Lower Legs


and spoke on rider fitness at the Certified Horseman- ship Association annual international conference. While I was there, I had the huge privilege of watching and meeting someone who’s work I so admire in the area of horse and rider movement: Susan Harris (www.anatomyinmotion.co m ). She does excellent work in public education of horse anatomy and human skeletal structure from the point of view of what we do to the horse while we are riding. I really enjoyed the reminder to think about the muscles you are sitting on as you ride, and how your movement and use of your body effect your horse.


talked about at the confer- ence was the trapezius muscle on the horse’s back, just about under your knee


One area that she


By Heather Sansom. I recently attended


roll. I have noticed for a long time that pinch- ing knees shut the horse’s movement down in front. This idea is confirmed by other practitioners, and Susan’s explanations make it very easy to understand that when you press on this mus- cle area, you impede the horse from using it properly. Because a horse is naturally built to move a bit on the forehand and has to use muscles to lift his


occurs in riders with poor basic pelvis position, and also riders who are general- ly out of balance or align- ment. There is a kind of ‘vicious cycle’ of issues which occur. As the rider blocks the horse’s back with pinchy knees, the horse can’t move through his back and he becomes harder to sit- making the experience even worse for the rider that was already having difficulty following the horse’s motion. What I notice is that frequently a rider who is using their knees to grip will also have a very busy lower leg. The foot creeps forward, and they are always trying to get it back under them- selves. Also, shutting down the horse’s motion with the knees results in


front end off the forehand, you pinching those muscles will impair his ability to get off the forehand. Knee pinching often


help riders with busy lower legs is very simple: post against a box or wall. This exercise was introduced to me during a Centered Rid- ing clinic as a way to train the rider to get correct post-


the rider feeling they need to get the horse moving, so the get busy with constant leg aids or kicking at the horse with their heels to get him going again. In many dressage riders that I have worked with, the busy lower leg is just flapping in and out a lot, because the tension in the knee area has blocked the directed that the leg should be moving in (softly up and down as if springs in ankles, knees and hips). One exercise I use to


conditioning point of view, it is also a fantastic exer- cise for activating and building strength in the gluteals and hamstrings. Riders with pinchy knees have overactive quadriceps in relation to the ham- strings they should be using instead. Activating


ing by hinging properly at the joints. It certainly does work for that. It trains a muscle memory in the rider for moving their body above the knee, while keeping a quiet lower leg. The reason you use a box, wall or object is to stop your knees from driving forward, and force you to organize your body to poke your seat back instead. From a fitness and


balance with this exercise by adding a destabilizing factor, like performing the exercise with the balls of your feet on a pool noodle, or with two feet standing on flakes of hay.


wall, or hay bale. Place your feet a few inches from it if it is a wall, or with your toes touching if it is a box/bale (better) so that when you bend your knees to the normal bend you have riding, your knees do not pass your toes. They are blocked physically by the object (or almost, as the wall only mentally blocks you since you have to be a few inches from it.) Then to post, you are forced to stick your seat back behind you, teaching your hip and knee to fold without a kick- ing action in your lower leg (which on the ground, is a driving action of your knee going forward. In the sad- dle the knee tends to pinch


Posting Against a Box Just walk up to a box,


and strengthening the ham- strings effectively softens the quadriceps. Repeating the motion helps rewire the body’s old pattern of for- getting about the ham- strings and tightening the quads, while actually build- ing up strength and stami- na. The other added bene- fit of the exercise is that the stronger gluteals you build up will provide a base of strength for proper hip position. You can also train


image of the angle you should have in your hips and knees, from this pic- ture of a squat exercise. Notice the rider’s knees do not pass her toes, and there is fairly deep fold in her hip. (The client is also rais- ing a weight forward, which is a different addi- tional exercise modifica- tion to simultaneously strengthen her back.) Once you can do the


while the lower leg kicks.) You can get a visual


exercise, make sure that your rhythm is consistent- if it isn’t, that is a good clue to you that your post- ing rhythm isn’t consistent either. If you have had a lot of movement in your legs posting, then you have been sending your weight behind and ahead of the horse’s movement, or falling behind and catching up, instead of staying with his movement, and you have likely lost good rhythm in your posting. Getting your rhythm back on the ground while work- ing on activating those hamstrings, will help you keep better rhythm in the saddle as well. How to get more


Rider Fitness help: 1. Google Heather and rider fitness to read dozens of articles she has written for Dressage Today and other publications. 2. Sign up for her free rider fitness tips newsletter on the Equifitt.com website. 3.


‘Like’ the


Equifitt.com Facebook page where Heather posts tips and information in between Newsletter mail- ings. 4. Download unique rider fitness ebooks from www.equifitt.com/resource s.html . Books available cover specialized core training, and a systematic training plan for mature riders or riders needing to work on muscle movement patterns and integrating core. 5. Contact Heather to get a personalized training program you can do from home (she works with peo- ple anywhere using Skype- distance is no barrier). Or buy a gift certificate for someone you love this holi- day season for Skype based personal rider fitness coaching.


© Heather R. Sansom About Equifitt


Heather: Equifitt training draws on multiple sport and fitness disciplines to help riders of all ages and types balance their bodies and reach their riding and fitness goals. Heather is a certified personal trainer, Level 1 Centered Riding® Instructor and Equine Canada


Coach. Heather does rider fitness coaching with clients around the world via Skype- bring the trainer to you.


Competition and


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