46/ DECEMBER 2017 THE RIDER


Fitness For Riders: Support Your Horse with Lateral Strength


tween the rider’s ability to provide lat- eral stability to the horse, and the horse’s way of going is very strong. Many patterns and problems can


related to a weakened lateral line, which includes fascial lines and mus- cle activation or strength. One key area that contributes to lateral stability is the gluteus medius. A nice YouTube explanation of the location and func- tion of this muscle can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmwLJ1 OQKJM. The illustration below shows the gluteus medius underneath the gluteus maximus on the seated


By Heather Sansom Many riders and coaches might


be familiar with lateral issues. Watch- ing the horse, he appears ‘wiggly’, falls more to one side on the flat or over fences, makes indefinite lateral movements or chronically misses a particular canter/lope lead. In the per- son, the spine might curve in a ‘C’, the hips rock left to ride, legs appear ‘for- gotten’ in aids, they resort to kicking with a heel to compensate for lack of adequate thigh pressure. There is a longer list, but the relationship be-


available through Amazon and major booksellers). To learn more about fascial lines and lines of support


activation for your body, one of the only thorough appli- cations of this area of study to equestrian needs that I have found, is Mary Wanless’s newer book The New Anatomy of Rider Connection. For the purposes of this month’s rider fitness tip, the important concept to understand is that the gluteus medius not only controls your leg’s outward motion (i.e., lifting it sideways, which you rarely do on a horse), but also controls your leg NOT being unduly pulled inward (pinching thighs), and your upper body sta- bility. The gluteus medius is a small but mighty muscle for hip support, and a stable pelvis is the foundation for all rider posture and effective aids. The problem is that many people become weak in this area, mostly because of not having enough opportunity to strengthen it. It is one of those areas that is not necessarily strengthened by riding, and has to be strengthened outside of your ride. There is a range of exercises you can use increase your lateral strength. I’ve selected just a few for this month’s tip. In the list below, I’ve divided them into three easier, and three


rider. This is a snip from one of the il- lustrations in my book Fit to Ride in Nine


(www.equifitt.com/fit2ride/


Weeks , also


Real Estate Agent Directory Central Ontario


harder exercises. If you are reading this article online, you can link directly to YouTube videos for the first three. If you are not, you can easily do an internet search to find illustrations and videos. The three harder exercises are shown with illus- trations from my books, Fit to Ride in Nine Weeks, and Killer Core Workout for Riders. You can link to these online, or find them both on Amazon or the Equifitt.com website. How many exercises you do, how often and how much


resistance you use depends on how weak you are laterally. If you are fairly strong with good balance and alignment, you can jump right in with the harder exercises. For that group, your body awareness needs to be high because maintaining correct alignment throughout the exercises is critical. Incorrect align- ment can lead to compensating use of your hip flexors, which is likely already unbalanced (too strong) in relation to your outer thigh and hip area. The more this is true, the more likely you are to do the exercises by ‘cheating’. I usually recommend that clients use a mirror or other visual cues to rigorously mon- itor alignment. If you are fairly weak, the best approach is to pick an ex-


Grey & Bruce Counties


ercise or two and commit to doing them daily for a week or two. Two to three sets of 10 are a good start. When you can easily do 30 in a row, you are ready to step up the difficulty level, and to do them less frequently. If you have a tendency to be stronger on one side than the other, make sure that you are doing the same number of repetitions with the same resist- ance level on both sides. Wait until your weak side catches up and is more comparable to your stronger side before increasing the difficulty. You will notice that identifying your weak side provides clues to issues you might be having while riding. You can test for your lateral strength either by trying the


exercises, or by having someone push down on your leg while you attempt to resist being pushed down as you lie in the side lying leg raise position, with your raised leg roughly parallel to the floor, and positioned just slightly toward the back (toe down!).


Brant County


Teri Davidson Broker/Owner


Over 36 yrs full-time experience • Canada's Most Referred Realtor


Serving: Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk, Ox- ford, South Dumfries, North


Dumfries, Ancaster, Flamborough, Cambridge and Woodstock.


Associate Realty Brantford Inc.


519-752-4116 • (519) 647-3330 teridavidson@execulink.com


Erin, Caledon & Surrounding Areas


Recommended Exercises: Easier: (see the links to YouTube videos) - Clamshell hip abduction with exercise band - www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiqvDV8pzRk - Squats with exercise band - Squats with theraband: www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2woIdK0-Tc -


Side walks with exercise www.youtube.com/watch?v=StrUiqlv1C4


Harder: (from my Fit to Ride in Nine Weeks and Killer Core Workout for Riders books) - Side leg raise with resistance band


band - Plank with side leg lift


- Standing lateral push with resistance - Plank with side leg lift You have more potential than you realise. Happy riding


and training!


© Heather R. Sansom Equifitt offers coaching for riders that helps with fitness, pos- ture and biomechanics to help you ride better. Most services including riding instruction are available by Skype. You can also buy books, download ebooks or sign up for a free rider fitness newsletter at www.Equifitt.com


A Christmas message..... The Great Yes to Life


Broker


Harnessing Country Living For You 1-800-268-2455 • (519) 939-SELL (7355)


E: jguagliardi@royallepage.ca • jacquelineguagliardi.com Top 3% in residential marketplace 2014


Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds Whose breath gives life to the world, hear me I come to you as one of your many children I am small and weak I need your strength and wisdom May I walk in beauty Make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made And my ears sharp to your voice. Make me wise so that I may know the things you have taught your children. The lessons you have written in every leaf and rock


Make me strong-! Not to be superior to my brothers, but to fight my great- est enemy....myself Make me ever ready to come to you with straight eyes, So that when life fades as the fading sunset, May my spirit come to you without shame.


~ A Sioux Prayer, Translated by Chief Yellow Lark – 1887


http://www.ya-native.com/firstpeople/


Side leg raise with resistance band


Standing lateral push with resistance


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48