APRIL 2019 THE RIDER /59 Rider Fitness:


By Heather Sansom The recent theme of my


fitness conversations these days seems to be around flexibility. We know as riders how important it is for horses to be supple. While there are some horse core and stretching programs out there, most riders use mounted exer- cises to stretch horses (endurance riders are exceptional in the reg- ular habit of unmounted limb, neck and back stretching of their horse before riding). Some riders do comment that they are certain that riding stretches them too, since they can feel it in the thighs when they get on. Actually, if that’s you, then you are in real need of an unmounted stretching program. Your legs and thighs should not be pinching the horse or feeling stretched when you are sitting there because both mean that you are compromising the performance of your horse’s back and sides by squeezing on him. For this reason any flexibility program that improves inner thigh muscle suppleness, is a great suggestion for riders. The image below is from my Fit to Ride in Nine Weeks book (www.equifitt.com/fit2ride/


,


showing inner thigh muscles tar- geted by the stretch.


You can download my


Handy Rider Stretching Guide (www.equifitt.com/ebooks4rid-


ers/ ) or just pick any of the great exercises on the inter- net, in other programs, in yoga or any other modality that provides a way for you to increase flexibility in hip and thigh muscles. It doesn’t even matter what you do, or that you do the same thing all the time, but it does matter how often you do some act to promote your body’s flexibil- ity. Even my Stretching Guide is to get you started on the habit, not the place you


need to stall on for the rest of your riding life. It does really matter how consistent you are. With flexibility, daily persistence is needed because every day that


Improving Your Riding Suppleness


ibility and suppleness in other muscle areas is as well, especially when your riding posture requires that you at least appear not to be even bending that area. For ex- ample, nearly all riding positions except polo and mounted games require a relatively straight torso laterally. Most riders don’t bend over sideways on their horse, ex- cept to open a gate or perform some other mounted game type activity. Visualizing a dressage rider, the least amount of wobble in the waist is the ideal. So why is it important for you to stretch your sides? The reason is that muscles which are rarely stretched lose their suppleness. In your ribs, this matters because


able through my website, as well as many other sources around the world such as Amazon).


As above, riders can find


many useful and fun ways to ad- dress any zone in need of flexi- bility training in many locations, and not just my books. What I do want to do is encourage you get started, at a level that you can maintain for at least a month. Most people know where


they need to work the most on their flexibility: it’s that area that’s really hard, almost sham- ingly inflexible, painful


to


stretch, and you manage to get away with not doing anything consistent about it.


Happy Riding and Training!


© Heather R. Sansom, PhD. www.equifitt.com


Personal Trainer, Riding Coach, Recreation Therapist Fitness, biomechanics and riding instruction. Personalized Coaching Available online Check out the 9 week rider fit- ness plan book- available in print or


as a download!: www.equifitt.com/fit2ride/


you do not work on your own suppleness, is a day you are tight- ening up. You can use 3-5 minute routines right before you ride, but you also should be spending a few more minutes per week to stretch tight areas more intensely. One yoga class or intensive stretching session per week, sup- plemented with short mainte- nance activities each day also works.


Inner thighs are not the


only area that significantly im- pacts how you ride. Many riders don’t realize how important flex-


tight intercostal and other rib area muscles lock down your ribs. This locks down your spine, which ultimately means that you can’t follow the horse’s motion, even in micro-movements, as well. The obliques in your sides also attach to your hips, so tight sides end up locking down hips, which means your individual seat bones can’t follow the horse as well either. The photos below show the obliques being stretched, and in riding position. Both illustrations are also from Fit to Ride in Nine Weeks (avail-


CHANGE OF ADDRESS AFFIX OLD ADDRESS HERE Advertise Your


Name: Address: City: Prov.:


Phone Number:


Business Here for as little as


$33 per month


Postal Code: Date:


Send To: The Rider, P.O. Box 378, Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 (905) 387-1900 • email: barry@therider.com


in print AND online!! Call 905-387-1900 or email barry@therider.com


Send us all your dates in for our next


issue!


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  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60