JULY 2021 THE RIDER /43 Fitness for Riders: Better Upper Body Posture Part 2


By Dr. Heather Sansom This month we’re


building on the previous two newsletters with an easy exercise that takes just a few minutes a day. In April, we discussed the common problem of rider back and I had pro- posed the reverse fly ex- ercise to help build strength in the your upper back area. Next, the May newsletter highlighted the mid-back section, proposing back exten- sions to strengthen the muscles that hold you up- right. This month brings these two discussions to- gether. Also, it is inspired by clients who are emerging from pandemic restrictions to show their horses again,


leaving


minimal time for their rider fitness. There are times when you need to target the stamina for your riding position di- rectly. Rather than focus on muscles, I have found myself reminding clients about the way that the rider’s


skeleton is


aligned. In Centered Rid- ing, riders are encour- aged to remember that you ‘ride from your bones’, and not your muscle strength. Essen- tially, this is true. You do not want to bully your


horse with your strength. The goal of a rider in any discipline is always to work ergonomically with their horse


to teach and liberate movement that respects the ways bodies were de- signed to move. Some- times this also means pushing for athletic ex- cellence. Ideally, the ath- letic push is not at the expense of ergonomics- a basic principle of biome- chanics. Sometimes,


it is


helpful for a rider to come back to the basics: aligning your skeleton correctly so that you do not get in your horse’s way. When you do, you also optimize posture stamina and correct use of your arms and legs for aids. Sometimes, less is more. I have been in Centered Riding clinics where the biggest change in the rider happened when they relaxed, aligned their body, and tried to do less. Even so, the skele-


ton cannot stay aligned without support from the soft tissue that holds it in place: your muscles. This month’s exercise is ‘light’ in terms of its strength training ‘power’, but very helpful for a rider because it trains the automatic muscle mem- ory you need to keep your supporting core muscles engaged uncon-


Advertise Your


Business Here for


as little as


$25 per month in print AND online!! Call


905-387-1900 or email


barry@therider.com


Craig Hunter and Family and Staff clearblufarms@bellnet.ca


www.ontarioequinecremationservices.ca


shoulders back’. How- ever in terms of good biomechanics, you need your weight and your whole back to shift back over the horse’s, and your own, centre of gravity. Many riders throw just their shoulders back, causing a hollow in the lower back, weight to shift behind the horse’s centre of gravity, and sometimes precarious balance or back pain. Rolling your pelvis


sciously while you focus consciously on other rid- ing tasks. With this month’s exercise, you take the strength you built through the last cou- ple of months and apply it directly to the seating riding position. The first key compo-


nent of this exercise is getting seated on the fit- ness ball or small stool so that your ankles and heels are back under your seat, and your knees and thighs trend forward and down like they would in the saddle. Next,


to


achieve the neutral and straight riding posture with your weight an- chored in your seat, sim- ple roll your pelvis back and down. You will feel your weight shift back to- ward your tailbone and heels, in a way that natu- rally brings your shoul- ders back. Very often, when riding coaches re- mind you to ‘get your shoulders back’, they do not mean that they want you to throw those shoul- ders back behind your seat. The often used in- struction is to ‘get your


back without shoulder tension requires abdomi- nal engagement. Remem- ber to keep your spine long and shoulders down. I find it helpful to stretch up at the back of the neck while pressing the el- bows down. Once you have mastered the align- ment and core engage- ment without tension in the neck, you can do some mini fly’s by hold- ing an exercise tube or band, and moving your forearms out to the sides while keeping your el- bows down. This move- ment is mostly about bringing your shoulder- blades together at the back. Pull the tube or band, hold it at a strong tension for about 5-10 seconds, then release and repeat. The more tension your exercise tube or band has, the more you will need to focus on ‘fighting’ to keep your abdominal


tone and


weight in your tailbone to avoid hollowing your


back. Although you hope-


fully never have to pull a rein that hard while in the saddle, the exercise trains your body to anchor and maintain correct back posture with core tone, while your limbs are ac- complishing something else that may require ef- fort. By doing the exer- cise


slowly and


mindfully, you work on the endurance of your posture-maintaining muscles,


instead of


movement muscles. For readers busy with the summer season, a few repetitions as many days of the week as possible is recommended. It will only take you a few min- utes, but will reinforce and support better pos- ture in your ride. If you have a tendency to slouch or lean, do the exercise with mirrors to help you stay aligned. Safe and Happy Training


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.


“ONTARIO’S LARGEST EQUINE CREMATION SERVICE”


Let the staff at Ontario Equine Cremation Services provide you with individual equine cremation.


--------------------


Servicing all of Ontario Government Licensed


1.888.668.2989 519.268.2989


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


Leading Equestrian Fit- ness since 2007. Fitness & Biomechanics Specialist. Personal fitness. Riding instruction.


Clinics.


Mindset coaching. Books Online Coaching Available online almost anywhere


Illustration: Rider


Skeleton Side View © Heather Sansom. This illustration was


first


printed in Fit to Ride in Nine Week, published by Trafalgar Square Books and available worldwide in print and ebook for- mat.


Seated Mini-Fly on Exer- cise Ball. © Heather R. Sansom, PhD.


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