APRIL 2021 THE RIDER /47


Fitness for Riders: Try a New Twist for Better


downright con- fused when we tell


them one


By Dr. Heather Sansom This month’s rider fit-


ness tip comes to you from recent work with clients. Ever have a coach or a friend, or even your horse, notice that you are trying to ride them by steering their head and face with the reins, instead of from your seat? I have to also confess falling into this habit sometimes myself. Even though I know better and I had a horse I could ride bridle-less before. My pandemic project


was to get back in the sad- dle, so to speak, in more serious dressage training after years of enjoying horses in other ways, and training green horses. I quickly found that I had slipped into some poor body usage habits in the saddle. My new Grand Prix dressage coach was on my case for ‘cooking’ (using my arms much too visibly) up there in the saddle. So, I have empathy for those clients I’ve spot- ted with similar problems. You know you’re in this situation when you swear you are steering the horse, but he is either not walking on a bent line properly, or not heading exactly where you want him to. Worse, your trainer or coach is tell you that you are riding hexagons, but definitely not circles or curves. Even if you do not


ride dressage, more precise direction of the horse’s body is still important. First, you can help him avoid injury by being where he should be and being balanced on uneven or slippery surfaces, or ne- gotiating obstacles. Sec- ond, by doing so you ensure more ergonomic functioning for the horse- which translates into a sounder horse without sore muscles. Even though we can get away with sloppy riding at times, it’s actually not ergonomic for the horse. It often results in rider frustration with a rider swearing she gave a clear aid (with hands) while the horse followed her much stronger aid (seat) instead. Very green horses are


quite responsive to seat aids, as those of you who have backed babies can at- test. They become less sensitive when they realize the rider is not precise, and


thing with heel and hand, and something else entirely with our


torso and thighs. It helps to remember


the basic rider biomechan- ical principle: the horse’s shoulders and hips go where yours do. On a straight line, that


means you hold your shoulders in straight and balanced alignment with your hips, knees and toes pointing forward. On a bend or on a curved line, you rotate your torso somewhat, and shoulders (along with your head) slightly more, while your arms maintain their posi- tion at your waist. Many riders make the mistake of dropping a shoulder or leaning into a turn. If you do this, it means you are not rotating so your body is compensating with weight shifts that actually impede the way your horse needs to use his inside legs, shoulder, and hock. You can also notice that you are not rotating if you see that your arms have moved from your sides, as if you are trying to turn the horse by steering his face. In both disciplines with bit contact, and with neck- reining, the principle and biomechanics are exactly the same. If your rotation is cor-


rect in neck-reining, the rein on the outside natu- rally makes contact across the horse’s neck. If your rotation is correct in bit-contact rid- ing, there is a natu- ral shift in rein position that is suf- ficient, and that you don’t even have


to think


about. For both of them, the outside thigh and knee come in toward the turn, while the in- side leg and knee rotate


slightly


away from the horse placing more contact on the in- side calf. You don’t even need to think about hand or leg aids for turn or bend, if you are using your torso correctly. I know you’re


asking: how do I use my torso bet- ter? Most riders who have some of these issues have what is called a body memory in


www.ontarioequinecremationservices.ca


Craig Hunter and Family and Staff clearblufarms@bellnet.ca


which their appropriate core muscles are not firing and their body is not posi- tioning itself effectively when their brain thinks ‘turn the corner/turn the horse’. You CAN work on it


in the saddle, and


should, but you’d pretty much have be ‘on your case’ noticing and correct- ing throughout your ride. That’s where ground train- ing and rider fitness come in.


Essentially, move-


ments that train core en- gagement and rotation with correct spine align- ment on the ground, create those neuro-muscular con- nections and that muscle tone that you need to be unconscious when you’re riding. The advantage of ground-based exercise is always that you can slow things down to train each little step of the process, so that when you need quick response in the saddle- it’s there. Mature riders may remember scenes from Karate Kid, or those prac- ticing martial arts know how this principle works:


move slowly first, to move accurately and quickly later.


By doing the ground


training exercises as many days a week as you can, and by reminding yourself during your ride to get the same torso engagement feeling, you will quickly retrain your body to use better biomechanics in the saddle. Eventually, it will go from being something you remind yourself about, to an automatic reflex through the natural psy- cho-somatic


learning


process. The exercises for this


month all involve a rota- tional movement. The back extension shown on the ball, engages your back more. The ‘crunch’ exercise on the ball with the weight rotation en- gages the abdominals more. Both work other ro- tational muscles, and force you to separate what your hips and shoulders are doing, in order to maintain stability on the ball. The standing rotation exercise then takes the strength and


Crunch With Twist B


Riding & Sounder Horses Back Extension With Twist


Crunch With Twist A


awareness developed in the first two, and converts the motion to the upright posi- tion you have in the saddle. It is best done on a balance board- even a simple piece of wood across a rolled up towel will do. The purpose of using a balance object for the exercise is that the object will tilt if you acci- dently drop your weight or lean. Riders do this all the time in the saddle, but don’t realize it because their horses are big enough to absorb the pressure and problems caused. You want to be able to rotate sufficiently, while keeping your weight even on both feet, just the way you need to monitor weight distribu- tion in the upright position in the saddle.


Safe and Happy Training! Heather Sansom, is a


leader in equestrian fitness and biomechanics, offering personalized coaching and workshops, mounted and


Standing Rotation On Balance Board


unmounted since 2007. She has special- ized in training you can do with little equipment in small spaces, and integrate into your ‘real’ life whether you have gym access or not. Heather has offered distance coach-


ing for over 12 years, with clients all over the world. Clients include serious eques- trian athletes, adult amateurs, and riders working with physical or mental rehabil- itation to achieve their riding goals. Order one of Heather’s leading


workout and training books, or contact her for more personalized support for your riding, fitness or mindset needs.


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


Leading Equestrian Fitness since 2007. Fitness & Biomechanics Specialist. Personal fitness. Riding instruction. Clin- ics. Mindset coaching. Books Online Coaching Available online almost anywhere


Your horse has given you a lifetime of love and it is hard to walk away when the time has come to say goodbye


Honouring the life of your horse.


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